Meet Andriana Davis | Creative & Learning Expert

We had the good fortune of connecting with Andriana Davis and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Andriana, how has your work-life balance changed over time?
“Work life balance” is a concept that has become increasingly popular over time. The way I view this conquest to balance work and life has significantly changed over time. To “balance” is to attempt to contribute equally into each component.

In reality, work and life require very different types of effort to coexist. I’ve shifted away from the incessant need to ‘balance’ these components and instead view them as synergetic. When we view “work” and “life” in a synergetic way, we eliminate the need for them to compete for our undivided attention and promote harmonious existence and cooperation instead.

My “bread and butter” includes full time work in Tech, while art is intertwined with my “life.” I’ve been learning how to allow them to exist together without one domineering the other.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I pursued higher education, earning both a B.S. Healthcare Admin and a MBA: Health Admin. By professional trade, I spend my days working for a software/tech organization. My most recent project being to create a Customer Education/Learning & Development program from scratch. While not my first go round with this sort of project, it has been a journey! I have accomplished many major societal milestones related to career and education. My interests are quite diverse, often teetering between art and science, but still, the desire to create persists much too fervently; my love for photography, videography, modeling and directing creatively, graphic design, etc. continue to deepen over time.

Freelance modeling and orchestrating my own projects started as a hobby and has since bloomed into a brand (“La Jeva Bella). When I am not orchestrating my own projects, I often participate in collaborative projects ranging from beauty to apparel and lingerie.

I was met with many challenges including building and sustaining my confidence to stand in my authenticity, connecting with likeminded artists after relocating to Atlanta, and being consistent. Consistency has been my greatest challenge of them all. I realize that when I keep my love and zeal for art at the center of creating, being consistent feels natural.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
My friends often ask for recommendations when coming to visit the area. I am often eager to provide vegan food recommendations to some of my faves when I am not cooking.

These include:
B.A.D. Gyal Vegan: Jamaican-Asian fusion fare with bursting flavors & all vegan. Perfect for lunch and dinner & now offering brunch on Sunday’s!

Bar Vegan: Vegan food, but a vibe! There are often events taking place here that feature music, drinks, etc.

Sunflower Café – More vegan options, very intimate. Perfect for date night. Great food and desserts. Spring rolls are incredible!

If something more “exciting” is in order, I typically recommend:

Whiskey Mistress for Flip Flop Sundays!
Havana Club for the hottest latin beats
There’s also a new place in Marietta called Euro that hosts various themed nights nearly every day of the week.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My mother is an artist in her own, unique way. She has played such an integral role in teaching me about the beauty of life in both a physical and figurative sense by introducing beauty and art into my life very early on. Ever since, it has been a living, breathing part of me. Her nature is to seek out the beauty in all things, which has greatly influenced my desire to do the same. This inherent desire to create or capture the essence of this beauty stems from her.

There are also a select few close friends that make themselves available to lend a listening ear for me to chat through my ideas and concepts when I am ready to create. Their willingness to show up for me, listen to me as I work out the moving pieces and details to bring these ideas to life is invaluable. Without them, I’d likely have a difficult time translating my ideas and bringing them into fruition.

Instagram: @_LaJevaBella

Linkedin: http://linkedin.com/in/andriana-d-1aa391aa

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MiszKaramelKissz?mibextid=LQQJ4d

Youtube: https://youtube.com/@_LaJevaBella

Image Credits
123Shoot Photography (Nelson O.) David N. Beasley Jr. Perry Production (Will B.) Hillway Photo ATL University of Jamon Photo (Jamon Green)