We recently connected with Waladi Ali and have shared our conversation below.
Waladi, we’ve been so fortunate to work with so many incredible folks and one common thread we have seen is that those who have built amazing lives for themselves are also often the folks who are most generous. Where do you think your generosity comes from?
I believe it comes from a deep sense of empathy for my fellow person. I always see opportunities to be just a bit kinder to someone else who I see being openly abused or disrespected by the party around them. That is how I’ve practiced it in my adult life. Growing up, my elders and adult family members often checked me and reminded me to be respectful and gracious whenever possible. I indefinitely had the characteristics of a selfish troublemaker as a youth, so the teachings they instilled in me to correct those attitudes will forever live on.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
As of right now in my practice, I am a Visual Artist and Graphic Designer who specializes in digital art. That is my current form of self-expression to communicate my thoughts, feelings, and spirit. Art has always been so exciting for me because I look at it as an extension of myself. Like, look at who I am, in my rawest and most colorful form. The business that I run “WBA Art LLC” is a conduit to encourage others to find strength in their own self-expression or attach themselves to any art that I make that resonates with their personal life story. With that being said, our service allows for creatives and entrepreneurs alike to request commissions from our artists in the forms of portraits, logos, books, stories and the like. And for the latter mentioned, we just opened our art print shop for close watchers of our art to purchase their favorite piece that means the most to them. We look forward to continue bringing value in the realm of storytelling and self-expression to creatives that look to materialize their voice into the tangible.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Self-reliance, community, and vision. Self-reliance in knowing what I can do by myself and what I shouldn’t do alone. I first of course had to enter into a space where I unquestionably loved what I was doing, and knowing the skillsets I can acquire from someone else, and or pass to someone else entirely. Community, having like-minded people around me is a heavily underrated aspect of my journey. I had people I grew up with who simply weren’t headed in the same direction as me, and we slowly drifted apart. But that lead to me meeting people who shared in the same vision for their lives as I did for mine. Lastly, vision. Having direction as to what I wanted my life to look like gives me the energy to wake up invigorated for my day, daily. Though I may not always know how I’ll get to my next vision, I’ve noticed that the steps began to become filled out the closer I moved towards my goals. Having these three skills in line is so important, not only for business but the enjoyment of life in all aspects. What are my strengths, what are my communities strengths where I may fall short, and what am I working towards?
As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?
“The Fred Factor” by Mark Sanborn has been so important to my growth and development as a person in general. I finished over half a decade ago. A quick summary of the book was based on an experience the author Sanborn, had with a mailman whose name was Fred. Although he was doing a quite “simple” job, Fred would always show up with the most enthusiasm and care for his work. Always greeting his clients with a smile and conversation and handled the little things with monumental care which made such an impression on one Mark Sanborn, that he decided to write a book analyzing how we can be Freds in our own livelihoods. My takeaway was treating life and interactions like big important events, and never acknowledging anything in life as insignificant. In my business, I make sure communication isn’t always just professional but interpersonal as well to show a degree of consideration and love I’d show a close friend or family member. What a beautiful concept it is to treat each day and interaction in life as if it’d be the best we’ve ever known.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.wbaart.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ida_law/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/waladi-ali-15289419a/
Image Credits
Colin Donvoan (personal photos)
