Meet Dana Toledo | Creative + Entrepreneur

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

Hi Dana, where are your from? We’d love to hear about how your background has played a role in who you are today?
This has been a tricky question all my life…I’m from everywhere! I was born in San Diego, raised in the Philippines, grown in South Georgia + metro Atlanta, bred in Los Angeles, and I’m now back living (and thriving) in Atlanta.

Initially raised by my grandfather and aunt in San Diego the first five years of my life, I was an extremely independent child. My mother had me and hopped over to New York to complete her medical education, and my father and older brother lived in the Philippines. I pretty much had free rein of the 4-bedroom ranch house I grew up in, undeterred by the presence of 5-6 adults at a time. Many of my mom’s siblings also lived in the house and had full-time jobs. I kept myself busy at home coloring and painting, building Lego or K’nex models, playing video games, or putting together Lite-Brite creations.

Before most of my family migrated to the US in the late 80’s, my Chinese grandfather was a serial entrepreneur who worked 364 days a year (bless him). He primarily ran a 2-story grocery store in their remote town in the Philippines, and my grandmother tended to the farm where she mostly raised pigs. There was a strong emphasis on completing an education because let’s be real, life was hard in a third-world country, and my grandparents wanted their kids to have successful careers. They put all 11 of their children through university, with most of them pursuing postgraduate medical studies.

Growing up in San Diego, I was a curious child surrounded by many things of beauty. The architecture, scenery, and diversity was an incredible introduction to the first years of my life. It’s true that the weather is perfect all year-round, and I was lucky to have plenty of family and relatives spend their days off taking me out to see and do cool things all the time. Some of my favorites were riding my trike at the park, watching jets fly at the Miramar Airfield, and checking out the Geisel Library at UCSD on the way to the beach in La Jolla.

For years I was convinced by my family and relatives that I had to pursue a career in the medical field because it was the “right” thing to do and everyone else was doing it. I switched majors three times my first year in college. I failed chemistry twice and had to retake calculus and physics because I couldn’t wrap my head around the Lewis Dot diagram and Faraday’s Law. In the process of transferring to KSU my junior year, I applied to SCAD’s interior design program out of sheer curiosity. I got rejected, of course, and at the time thought it was too late to change majors anyway. I ended up graduating with a B.S. in Exercise & Health Science, thinking I was going to Physical Therapy school.

Today, I spend most of my days continuing to explore Atlanta on foot (or my longboard), painting, and advocating for my fellow creatives and entrepreneurs in my community. It feels like a new city all over again after spending 7 years in Los Angeles. With all the creative influences around me, I pivoted HARD when I moved to Los Angeles. I followed my intuition to explore a creative field and completed my education at UCLA’s Interior Design + Architecture program. Much to my family’s disappointment, I started a career as a hospitality interior designer. I like to say that Los Angeles gave me permission to be a creative, while Atlanta allowed me to fully embrace that identity.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’m a hospitality interior designer by trade and have recently been exploring different mediums, including abstract painting and metalsmithing. Somewhere along my journey of creating more art by hand vs CAD, I felt a strong need to pause and reflect back on how I got here. Interior design was my gateway drug to the creative world. Growing up in an Asian-American household, I dealt with the pressures and expectations of my family, especially with both parents who are medical professionals. I’m proud of myself for stepping outside of the box and making a continuous effort to find the things that set my heart on fire (spoiler alert: it isn’t med school!).

It’s been a challenging path, and I know a lot of Asian-Americans in my generation can relate. Many of us were raised with the idea that the only way to live (and survive) is to pursue some sort of science or law degree. This is bred from a scarcity mindset, where there is a huge fear of not having enough, in this case, money. I totally understand the need for financial stability, especially after experiencing life in the Philippines. It’s still a third-world country after all, and living the American dream of having a beautiful home in the suburbs and 2.5 kids was a goal everyone strived for.

It’s quite evident that there is more than one way to live. I’ve been an independent thinker all my life, most likely from my early years in San Diego when my grandfather and aunt pretty much let me do whatever I want. Don’t get me wrong, the fear of getting to the other side haunted me until my mid-twenties, but to break the mold and become my own person was 100000% worth it. While I wish I’d done it earlier, I wouldn’t have had the experiences that make me who I am today. Not only did it strengthen my values and gave me so much confidence in my creative abilities, choosing to live my truth has proven to me over and over again that I’m on the right path – a life that is best suited for me and not one that is expected of me. I learned that I can’t please everyone (plus it’s really exhausting!), so I might as well live a life doing the things that make me happy.

On my mother’s side alone, there are about 20 cousins (and 10 aunts and uncles) who are mostly, if not all, in the medical field. I have a lot of respect for my relatives who chose such a tough but rewarding route. Everyday, they save lives and create a positive impact in their own communities, from helping auto injury survivors walk again to hosting free clinics in rural parts of the Philippines. They perform many noble acts of humanity, and I love hearing the stories they share about changing people’s lives.

And then there’s me, the black sheep of the family. I have strong feelings about being told what to do and have gotten to a point in my life where I stopped caring about what others think. It’s so freeing! I want the same for others in my community, to experience what it’s like to spend more time doing the things they enjoy and not feel any guilt about it. The guilt – I feel like that’s one of the hardest parts of this journey. Growing up Filipino, there is a heavy theme of respecting our elders and even being submissive to our parents. Yes, manners and being polite are important, but I don’t see any harm in thinking for yourself or doing the things you enjoy either.

About a month ago, I started Medjo Rebelde (translation: A Little Rebellious) to create a safe space for others like me who, for the longest time, had deeply ingrained convictions about a certain way of living because of cultural expectations, with a longing to express our true selves – respectfully. Medjo Rebelde was inspired by my story – what felt like a lifelong battle between myself and the old mindset of having to follow the fixed path to medical school. The Filipino culture has a strong emphasis on manners from certain hand gestures when greeting elders to specific words in our vocabulary. These are things that we should continue to honor and carry on to the future generations of Filipinos and Filipino-Americans. At the same time, I find it important to encourage everyone in my community to not be afraid to go against the grain and pursue the things they are passionate about. I’m channeling these messages through apparel using common, witty sayings in Tagalog and will eventually start blogging and holding podcast interviews featuring creatives and entrepreneurs in the community.

I’m extremely grateful to be who and where I am today. Being tied up in the fear of rejection from my family, I took a huge risk by doing the opposite of what everyone expected me to do. It feels good to live my truth. I wish and hope for my fellow “kababayans” (countrymen/women in Tagalog) to have the courage to do the same because it is SO worth it! We only have one life to live, and we might as well make the most of it.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
This is such a fun question! I recently moved back to Atlanta last year, and it feels like a new city. After being away for 7 years in Los Angeles, the skyline is unrecognizable, and the city has developed exponentially. I’m proud to say that with much success, I made a conscious effort to get to know the city pretty well, with the intention of immersing myself in the creative community.

The Beltline is a gamechanger! I’m an early riser and to start our day, we would hop on the Beltline at sunrise. We could either walk, run, bike, scooter, or skate. Longboarding is my weapon of choice. I have two, and I’m happy to loan one out! Going north towards Ponce City Market, we can grab coffee/tea at Dancing Goats and hang out on their patio. Piedmont Park is a short walk/ride away, so that would be our next stop. We can walk or skate around the park, enjoying the beautiful trees or the Green Market if it were a Saturday! The Atlanta Botanical Gardens is a stone’s throw away from Piedmont. They open at 9am, and let me tell you – exploring ABG first thing in the morning is a beautiful experience. Watching the way the morning light trickles in between the trees and walking the serene grounds feels so peaceful.

After the gardens, I would skate back down the Beltline and head over to Krog Street Market to grab a bite to eat. Fred’s has an incredible Korean ribeye cheesesteak. I’m also not opposed to daydrinking, so grabbing a beer at Hop City complements the cheesesteak nicely. Some other good options at Krog and in the area are: Varuni Napoli for pizza, the tapas at Bar Mercado if you want something lighter, and the Midnight Snacks ice cream at Butter & Cream on the Beltline, just on the other side of Krog.

The best thing about Atlanta is the art and music community. Seriously, creatives, this is the city for you! The High Museum designed by Richard Meier (who also did the Getty in Los Angeles) and Renzo Piano is a must-visit. I also love to frequent galleries that support many local artists. Some of my favorites are Cat Eye Creative, ABV Gallery, Freemarket Gallery, and the whole collective at MET/Mint/MutinyArtwrx in the West End. When I’m not at an art gallery, I’m mostly likely at a show,
There is an abundance of venues in Atlanta with music playing pretty much every night of the week! I prefer more intimate venues, like Center Stage/The Loft in Midtown, Aisle5 in Little Five Points, and 529 in East Atlanta. During the day, you can also come across live music at Piedmont Park on the weekends and DJ’s at the A/V Radio popup on the Beltline next to the Old Fourth Ward skate park. The best-kept secret in town is Gallery 992 in the West End. The band that plays the house set every Sunday night has some of the best talent you’ll ever come across. I would say it’s something that everybody needs to check out – the music, the energy, the ambience,…it’s a pretty magical experience in such a beautiful, welcoming community.

I’m also a car enthusiast, and we are so fortunate to be in the city of the headquarters for Porsche North America! The Porsche Experience Center is definitely on the top of my list of places to visit. You get to test drive some of the cars, but if that’s not your thing, the guided tour is quite informative where you get to explore the whole building. The facility itself is an impressive structure that overlooks the race track. Once a month, there is also a huge car meet called Caffeine & Octane about 20 miles north of the city. I love checking out this event every once in awhile because you get to see all sorts of vehicles by other enthusiasts and collectors who want to show their cool rides. I also want to give a big shoutout to the community at Autohaus Social. I love Porsches, and they hold car meetups at different spots around town to support local businesses. I’ve been attending many of their popups since I first moved back, and the 911’s I’ve seen do not disappoint!

I’m happy that I embraced this city fully and have the opportunity to meet so many talented people. I love showing my support to these amazing creatives and entrepreneurs I cross paths with. They’re not afraid to put themselves out there, so thank you – y’all continue to inspire me everyday.

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?
So many! But what’s been getting me through a lot lately is the memory of my late grandfather. I spent a lot of time with him the first five years of my life in San Diego, and as I got older I learned more about his life and had a better understanding of where he came from. He’s 100% Chinese, and I’ve been told he fled on a boat to the Philippines when the Japanese started to invade China during WWII.

He was a serial entrepreneur all his life and taught me how to “make profit” at the age of 11. My studio today has been dubbed “Studio La Suerte” after the grocery store “La Suerte” in rural Bicol Province located in the eastern part of the Philippines. It translates to ‘The Lucky’ in Spanish. Everyday I am thankful to be here and consider myself to be one of the lucky ones.

Can I sneak in another shoutout? Big ups to all the creatives, artists, and entrepreneurs I’ve crossed paths with since moving back to Atlanta. I’m hella proud of all of them. They continue to inspire me with their work and relentless efforts to put themselves out there, to show the world what they’ve got!

Website: www.medjorebelde.com

Instagram: @danacali4nia / @medjorebelde