We caught up with the brilliant and insightful HEDONA a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
HEDONA, so great to have you with us and we want to jump right into a really important question. In recent years, it’s become so clear that we’re living through a time where so many folks are lacking self-confidence and self-esteem. So, we’d love to hear about your journey and how you developed your self-confidence and self-esteem.
I believe that confidence and self-esteem come from knowing who you are, knowing your self-worth, and loving yourself unconditionally. I’ve gone through a big transformation in the last four years and it was all thanks to the work I did on myself. I now have true confidence in myself as a person that I never had before.
Growing up I always believed I was super confident cause I never ‘cared’ about what people thought of me; I did and said whatever I wanted. But when I finally dug deeper, it was the complete opposite. I built up a false sense of confidence to mask how insecure and fearful I was deep down. I was afraid of failure, rejection, judgement, all the things. I was operating off so much fear that I built up all this armour around me so I’d never have to experience those things.
It wasn’t until I started my journey into healing four years ago where I’ve been able to face these fears and become a person that I’m proud of today. That’s where my confidence and self-esteem come from. I don’t need to look for other people for external validation cause I know who I am and I love myself. To me, that’s true confidence and I never had it until 2 years ago. I think we all grow more confident as we age as well, so I’m super excited for my 40s!
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?
My name is HEDONA and I’m an electropop artist and music producer. I started learning how to produce four years ago and it was one of the main reasons why I had to start my healing journey.
My music has allowed me to heal a lot of traumas and limiting beliefs I grew up with. I had a lot of shame around being Asian, I didn’t believe I was creative enough, and I never felt good enough, but through my healing journey I’ve been able to create a new story for myself. I hope when people listen to my music they feel inspired to pursue their own passions and not let any limiting beliefs stop them.
My main focus as a music producer and artist is to tell my story in the most authentic way possible. My music doesn’t fit neatly in a box but it represents who I am and my music influences unapologetically. Also, as an Asian I’m really motivated by having more Asian stories being told in media. I’m happy there are finally more Asian stories being told, but there’s more work to be done. That’s why I hope my music can help inspire more people to pursue their dreams so we can hear their unique stories.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
I’d say these are more tools than qualities or skills, but for me it would be meditation, journaling, and knowing when to take a break.
Meditation and journaling never stuck for me until 4 years ago and now they’re part of my regular routine. I try meditating every day for at least 10 minutes (ideally 30), and if I don’t journal after a while, I feel off. These two practices really help ground me and I continue to use them regularly. They also allow me to clear my head when I’m overthinking and overwhelmed so I’m able to stay more open when creating.
Learning to take a break when I need one has also been incredibly helpful. I think we live in a society where we’re seen as lazy if we’re not being productive which is actually incredibly toxic. I’ve learned to listen to my body more so if I need a nap, I’ll take one. Or if I don’t have the energy to create some days, I’ll give myself the space to rest. I’m so much nicer to myself now and I definitely don’t shame myself like I used to.
As creatives, it’s important to remember that art cannot be rushed, so don’t try to force something when maybe it’s not time yet.
Who has been most helpful in helping you overcome challenges or build and develop the essential skills, qualities or knowledge you needed to be successful?
Hands down, it’s been my friend NEAVV. She’s the biggest reason why I’m at the place I am today. Everyone needs a friend like her – someone who will be a cheerleader but also someone who will call you out on your bullshit. NEAVV has been in my corner since day 1 and continues to push and challenge me not only as a person, but also as a producer and artist.
NEAVV always calls me out when I’m making excuses, not putting in the work, being lazy, or all three. She’s given me the tools to become a stronger songwriter and gives me space to think about things in my own time. She’s also given me some really difficult tough-love talks that I didn’t want to hear in the moment, but they were instrumental to my growth. NEAVV is also an incredibly talents artist, songwriter, and producer. She’s the only person I show my initial ideas to, and I can always count on her to give her honest feedback on how to improve my songs so they’re at a higher quality. Without her, my songs would not be at the level they are now.
There’s no way I would have made it here without NEAVV and I’m so incredibly grateful to have her as a friend and mentor.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.hedonamusic.com
- Instagram: @hedona.music
Image Credits
@dannygirl.mtl Stephanie Korski Dennis Zanatta
