Life & Work with Yera (Shakes) Angeles

Today we’d like to introduce you to Yera Angeles.

Hi Yera, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Hi, my name is Yera and I am an experience creator in Atlanta and Los Angeles. I was raised in Atlanta and lived in CA for four years. When I was 20, I decided to move across the country to California. Unlike most people that move closer to LA for a specific reason, I didn’t have a set goal. However, I knew deep inside that I wanted to expand my mind and gain new experiences that would help me grow along the way. L.A is where everything first took place and I was inspired to create Twisted Lines. I started off just as a promoter for the love of music and would only promote electronic events that were hosted at clubs.

During that time, I lived in OC and I would travel to LA at least three times a week to explore events and the city. I would spend majority of my time at places that I personally never felt good enough for or accepted. If anyone has had their fair shares of experiences, we know LA can be a city driven by looks and money. Luckily I found a page on Instagram that hosted photography meet-ups in DTLA. These meetups were not hosted at a fancy studio. instead they would select a street that was secluded and would post the address and time two days prior. When the time came, all types of creatives would come together to create art. I was not experienced myself in modeling, however I always felt a part of that community. That experience itself taught me that beautiful things can be created when a community of creatives come together.

A little after that, I was invited to my first event inspired by the underground scene in LA and that is what changed the course of my life forever. It was an event curated for the love of music and for the love of people. I will never forget that as soon as I stepped into those doors, there was a huge banner with a quote from F. Scott Fitzgerald. The quote is quite long so I will quote my favorite part, “I hope you live a life you’re proud of, and if you’re not, I hope you have the courage to start over again.” This was only the start of the night, after that I only encountered people that made me feel welcomed. Although it seemed like I had nothing in common with anyone there, I felt the freedom to be myself. I left that night happy and fulfilled, something I hadn’t felt in a while. At that moment, I knew I wanted to curate my own events/experiences and give opportunities to those that also wanted to be apart of this industry. I was already a promoter in the Industry and the idea of putting on events that people would find intriguing seemed unattainable but that did not discourage me.

I started off by writing out a to do list of what I needed to successfully curate an event. I would go out at least three times a week and would spend all of my time networking with other event planners and creatives. I knew it wasn’t going to be an easy way up but I also did not know how many obstacles I would encounter a long the way or how stressful it would be. My first event took place in DTLA and now we have expended to Atlanta. Since the very beginning of Twisted Lines, I had strong core values for the vision. Treating people with respect and making them feel welcomed and accepted were always my main priority. Life can be very tough and I wanted to create an experience where you could come for a night and come out of it better. I also wanted to create an open collective so anyone like me that once dreamed of creating my own events can have someone they can simply ask for help or be apart of it.

I am proud to say that Twisted Lines is now a multi-state event curator. Twisted Lines started off in Los Angeles but has been able to successfully make a footprint in the music scene in Atlanta. Chrisitian Valerio is now my business partner and he makes up a big part for Twisted Lines growth in Atlanta. Coming from LA I did not know anyone here and meeting Christian was meant to be. After he decided to partner up with me, we have been able to create magic. I have also had the pleasure to work with many talented people in Atlanta from DJs/producers to lighting and sound designers. Working with other creators here in Atlanta has really made everything feel like a community and not competition. We have received tremendous amount of support from people that are now my friends and I couldn’t be more grateful for them. As well as everyone that took a chance to work with us, we are very grateful for you. That is what makes me really happy about our growth, we want to change the scene to make it known you can go further as a team.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Wow! I knew that going after this specific goal would be a challenge, however I did not know how much it would challenge me mentally. First of all being a female in this industry and trying to make a name for yourself is challenging in ways that other people in the industry will look down on you or not take you serious until you prove them wrong. Therefore receiving help or finding mentors can be challenging. I am not just talking about people in the industry though it was also people I used to call friends. I believe that this can happen with anything once you want to become better and build something for yourself. Not everyone will believe in you and that is when you will have to suck it up and have your own back like no other. When I first stepped my foot in the industry I was really young and really naive. This was a challenge because anyone that does not know much about it can be easily taken advantage off. I have definitely seen the dark side of it.

Another struggle I encountered a lot was constant doubt and fear. When you put your work out to the public in a city like LA that is really hard to impress, it can take a toll on your mental health. Becoming mentally strong has been one of my greatest achievements but it was an uphill battle. My financial situation at that time became a huge obstacle because I had no idea how much money you can loose when you first start off. Living in California was already expensive and I was living paycheck to paycheck. I had invested all of my money on my first event and I was left in negatives. It was a huge learning lesson, not everything is smooth when you have no idea what you are doing. At that point in my life I was putting myself through a lot to live in CA and pursue this dream. I do wish I could have been easier on myself but luckily I was strong enough to push through it. I can definitely say the biggest challenge was the state of my mental health and being able to find a healthy balance.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?Twisted Lines is an experience creator and an artist collective encouraging artists to collaborate together and create. We curate events where we are able to show case local upcoming artists, DJ’s and performers. We encourage artists to create outside of their comfort zone and create without any boundaries. We are known for always curating unique experiences where you will feel welcomed and accepted no matter what walk of life you come from. We bring people together and are building a community that will lead as a team and not competition. I specialize in networking and putting on not just an event but an experience. I am really proud that we are able to expand to more than one city and that both have been successful.

I am also proud that although we keep on growing, our core values will stay the same. We want to give every DJ, producer and artists the chance to have exposure that will open opportunities for them regardless of their race, color, gender or financial status. We also believe in community over competition. I don’t believe in competition, I do believe the world is abundant enough for all of us and working together will ONLY take us further. We take pride in making people feel welcomed even if they are new to the scene and we take pride in the creative ideas that have been brought to life. What sets us part is our community, values and creativity.

Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
Networking is a huge part if you want to be a part of this industry. My advice is being genuine because a lot of professionals can tell when someone is being genuine or not. When I would go to events in Los Angeles I would talk to everyone from the security guards at the front all the way to the person in charge of the whole event. Treating everyone with the same respect will take you very far and will open doors for you. Also getting yourself involved in groups that curate events and volunteering will help you learn a lot. I used to volunteer everywhere I could and that helped me gain more connections and learn more. Lastly don’t be afraid to talk about your goals with others, I used to be really insecure and would not talk about my vision. Talking about your visions will speak it into existence if you are willing to do the work.

Contact Info:

• Website: twistedlin.es
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/twisted__lines/

Image Credits
Jonathan Nunez Brent Chung Lexa Nicole Eric Mendez