Today we’d like to introduce you to Ade Wilson.
Hi Ade, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Thank you for having me! The Pandemic of 2020 forced people to see their true selves, their family, and their life in a new light with refocused eyes. For me, one era of my life ended, and a new era began. I no longer had work to occupy my mind, which left all my unanswered traumas and challenges raw and open. I no longer created my artistic duties for somebody else, I now did these things for myself. This mental shift inspired the change for me to now go by my Nigerian name of Adenike (Ah-den-knee-k) instead of my American name of Jeanette. It became a very therapeutic time for me to be able to just create and survive literally off of what my chaotic mind’s eye could think of and what my anxious hands could make.
For people of color, it was a publicized time of devastation, exhaustion, and infuriation to list a few things mildly. My artistic expression of how I felt through such a trying time became my therapy. My voice may not have been heard by the masses, but my thoughts and feelings could be released through my artwork. I began making pieces in honor of those that passed on as a way to show support and to release the tumultuous emotions I felt inside. It was through the chaos of my life-changing events that birthed my business Designs by ADE Inc.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
My knowledge of self and financial stability was challenged head on as the company that I working for in the past downsized drastically due to the pandemic and I was relieved of my position. This inspired new questions that arose in my mind’s eye. Being out of the corporate environment for a couple of years since then and just surviving on my creative hands, would I be ready to switch gears and work for someone else again? Would I be able to maneuver the challenges and speak the language to achieve growth and understanding in these new waters of change? My caribbean mother used to say a popular Jamaican phrase in our house growing up, “…you must stay pon crooked and cut straight…”. The path to where you are may have been rocky, but stay focused and look ahead in perserverance! Despite my challenges and bouts with low self-confidence, I was motivated to make lifestyle changes to increase my stability, mental health, and emotional clarity.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
That no man is an island – meaning that all cannot be accomplished by one; it takes a village of respect, support, communication, understanding and ofcourse love. The company I am with now is a staunch pillar in my ever-growing community that inspires and motivates the lifestyle of self-acceptance, knowledge, skills development and career growth. Newcomb & Boyd, LLP has supported a flame that burns so bright internally that it has created a platform that ignites and motivates others. I have always had a dream to share my understanding of the laws of attraction and its many perspectives with others, as this is the core principle in what has fueled my self-motivation and inspiration. Through the space and the opportunity provided to me by the company, I was able to create a safe haven for women, not just in lighting design but all women in all facets of design and their allies. My dream of sharing knowledge has now become a reality with the new Women in Lighting + Design (WILD) Atlanta chapter!
As a lighting designer, I am a part technician and part artist. I believe wholeheartedly in the power of energy as a source of light. With the right devices, operations, optics, etc., this source of light can become a medium used to enhance moods, steer the direction and bring a stoic room to life. I have chosen to lead the Women in Lighting + Design (WILD) Atlanta chapter within the same manner. I believe that each member brings a certain “device” or “optic” to the group. With the right setting for these sources, the possibilities are endless to what we can do for each other and our community!
How do you think about happiness?
I have always been a creator. Since I could pick up a pencil, happiness to me was either drawing something, writing something, or coloring with my crayons and colored pencils. Some things cannot always be released in words, so my art is an emotionally expressive outlet and a uniquely creative way to express myself, which brings me joy. Through my growing business, I have fine-tuned a home décor line and collection of wall accessories that not only share my bohemian tastes, they also speak of my spiritual connections and cultural flair. They reflect an earthy connection to invite patrons to reflect on their own personal connections while creating a bridge for their mystical nature and realities to meet and create a dialogue of expression.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.designsbyade.com
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14148121/
- Other: https://womeninlightinganddesign.org/www.newcomb-boyd.com
