Meet D’asia Simone

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to D’asia Simone. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi D’Asia, so excited to talk about all sorts of important topics with you today. The first one we want to jump into is about being the only one in the room – for some that’s being the only person of color or the only non-native English speaker or the only non-MBA, etc Can you talk to us about how you have managed to be successful even when you were the only one in the room that looked like you?

Growing up, I always felt like an outcast. I never really fit into one particular space. I’m also the middle child so if you know, you know. I have always been a creative, having many interests, well versed, very social and interactive with all types of people and groups, so there was never one place that made feel like belonged. I have always been a unique individual, which also made me feel alone. I didn’t really fit this idea or vision that most people had of me, or even the vision I had for myself. I was trying to fit into a mold that I was never meant to fit into. I went on a journey of self-discovery and self-love. I’ve learned to love every aspect of myself through every wave, every moment. As I practiced that faithfully, my uniqueness became my strength. I’ve learned that my only responsibility is to be myself and everything else would align accordingly. I am my superpower and that is how I am successful.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I am a multimedia artist and curator, most recently focusing my craft on music and visual arts. Over this past year, I have worked on various projects after coming out of a two-year hiatus. My first project was an EP, Pluto, that I rolled out from October 2023 to May 2024. I released three singles, a nine-track EP, and eight visualizers. I spent the entire year building a strategy, refining my craft artistically, personally, and professionally, while collaborating with other creatives and more.

Following the release of my EP, I began working on a new single with producer Rocki Laurenç and exploring different ways to express the many dimensions of my art. For my visualizer, I collaborated with photographer and set designer Sydney Miller and director of photography Drew Will. Between the photos and videos, there was so much content from the shoot that I couldn’t even fathom what to do with it all. After a few days, the light bulb went off for me. I decided to build a virtual art exhibition around my song, utilizing my skills in web design and all of the content that was captured during the making of the song and visual. The exhibition consisted of the song, an introduction poem with audible narration, behind-the-scenes photos, videos, notes from myself, and more. I was excited to expand on this idea because I have been eager to find a unique way for people to connect with my art directly and intimately. I have tried things the traditional way, and none of it has really felt in alignment with me. There has always been some sort of disconnect. I aspire to highlight the art of every medium I am creating in, and I want my audience to feel a part of that artistic journey.

Following this breakthrough, a few days before the release of my new single, all of the visuals from my EP Pluto were removed from YouTube by my music distributor. This was such a devastating experience because I had over 50,000 views and engagement. I lost it all and felt so overwhelmed. While this felt like a major setback, I used it as an opportunity to reflect on how I wanted to share my art moving forward. I devised a plan, re-uploaded all of the visualizers directly to my YouTube channel, and finished working on my single. I decided to look at it from a broader perspective. I truly believe that everything happens for a reason, and this scenario prompted me to take back control over my art entirely.

Following the release of my recent single and first exhibition, I am excited to continue expanding on this vision. This was the breakthrough that I needed to shift me in the right direction. My first exhibition was virtual and I will continue to build on that. In the near future, I plan to translate my virtual exhibitions to in-person, hosting various events both nationally and internationally. I am a multimedia artist, so an exhibition is the perfect way to dive deeper into the many different layers through various mediums, whether it’s music, visuals, fashion, etc. I love collaborating with other creatives as well, so these exhibitions will give me the space and opportunity to connect with other artists and creatives who are looking to share their art as well. In addition to my music, visual releases, and exhibitions, I am developing a YouTube series, where I share more of my personal journey beyond the music. The series will showcase different facets of my life and creativity, blending storytelling with activities I love, offering a deeper connection to my art and process.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

I have gained so much wisdom and knowledge on my journey so far. There has been a lot that I have encountered or endured that has shaped me into the person I am today. I have already experienced many spectrums of being human. I have been the person that people expected me to be. I have done the things that I thought I was supposed to do based on society’s expectations, I have taken the routes that didn’t necessarily align with me, I have strayed away from my true self while pouring into others and things outside of myself. It is a human experience and I think most people can relate to experiencing something of a similar nature. All in all, I think the most important knowledge that I’ve gained was through self-discovery and perseverance. Taking the time to unlearn patterns, discover my self, be comfortable with and learning myself has produced a sort of knowledge that is priceless. I have dedicated so much of my time to really learning and understanding who I am at my core. That wisdom has helped me to build my confidence, resilience, discernment, and helped me to create the life that I see for myself. I think the first step is to always discover who you are first. That is where all of your answers are. All of your answers come from within. I didn’t understand before but now, my knowledge of self is my strength. It is how I know if I am in alignment, if something is in alignment with me, or if it isn’t. I have always had this feeling of creativity and drive since I was a young girl. I feel as though perseverance was embedded. I have heard so many No’s, faced a lot of rejection, and experienced feelings of not being good enough. I have experienced the imposter syndrome, the doubt, the fear, and also carried the projections of others as well. After losing my great-grandparents, taking a two year hiatus from my music, and music finding me again through my full time job and my craft, I knew the true meaning of perseverance. I finally knew what it meant to keep going, to keep moving, to power forward despite circumstances happening in the external world. Once I learned myself, I decided on the type of experience that I desire to have on this earth and I have stuck with that vision. This is my experience, my life, my story, and I am the author of it. Anything other than that is not intended for me. Now when it comes to other qualities and skills, those things come after that. Many of the skills that we have can be taught whether it is creative, technical, or other. The most important skill to master first is self. My best advice that I can ever give to anyone is to keep going. Through the trials and errors, keep moving, learning, growing, and evolving through it all. The best wisdom and knowledge is gained through those moments. In those moments, that’s when the best breakthroughs happen. We often get so attached to the outcome when the real reward is in the process. That is where you build your foundation. I have to remind myself of this everyday. Lately, I’ve been hearing the saying, “Slow and steady wins the race”. It’s important to remember stories like The Tortoise and the Hare in those moments.

Thanks so much for sharing all these insights with us today. Before we go, is there a book that’s played in important role in your development?

I love this question because I am a book worm. I haven’t really dedicated much time to reading as I’d like to recently, but I still like to read when I have the time. I love all types of genres but in recent years, I have found myself to be drawn to inspirational, motivational, and spiritual books. It’s something about the wisdom gained that feels so enlightening to me, especially while navigating life as an adult. Currently, I am reading the Game of Life and How to Play It by Florence Scovel Shinn. Prior to this book, I read The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks and You Got To Be In To WiN by Alice Jackson. Over the years, I’ve indulged in books such as The Richest Man in Babylon by George Samuel Clason, The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success by Deepak Chopra, The Artists’ Way by Julia Cameron, The Secret by Rhonda Byrne, Happy Pocket Full of Money by David Cameron, Understanding Human Design: The New Science of Astrology: Discover Who You Really Are by Karen Curry, A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose by Eckhart Tolle, The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment by Eckhart Tolls, and more. The Artist’s Way helped me to heal my creative and personal self through daily and weekly exercises such as writing and taking myself on artist dates. The Secret helped me to understand the law of attraction and how to believe in self in order to attract abundance. Happy Pocket Full of Money helped me to form a healthy relationship with money and overall a good mindset about self. Understanding Human Design: The New Science of Astrology: Discover Who You Really Are helped me to learn and understand my human design chart and how to efficiently operate as my most aligned self. A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose helped me to learn about the ego, how our attachment to it creates dysfunction, anger, jealousy, unhappiness, etc. and how to awaken to a new state of consciousness. The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment helped me to learn about myself beyond surface level, release any lingering traumas, and how to live in the presence as my enlightened self. All of these books have played a pivotal role in my self growth and the wisdom that I have today. One of the most valuable pieces of wisdom that I gained and continue to practice is the concepts of non-judgment, non-attachment, and non-resistance, featured in Eckhart Tolle’s book A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose. Eckhart Tolle’s teachings on non-judgement, non-attachment, and non-resistance encourages letting go of the ego’s control and finding peace. Non-judgment is about observing life without seeing things as “good” or “bad”. It creates a sense of acceptance about life. Non-attachment means not clinging to people, things, or outcomes. Freedom is when happiness isn’t tied to external circumstances. Non-resistance is about accepting life as unfolds instead of opposing or fighting against it. Resistance creates suffering, while acceptance leads to peace. These concepts really stood out to me because I had been on the opposite side of each of them which caused a lot of friction in my life. When reading A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose, I began to incorporate those concepts and learned so much about myself through them. I have gained so much peace and ease from allowing things to flow naturally through me and throughout life.

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Photography by Ryan Harris

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