About the creator
Meet Deanna Denham-Hughes
If I had never been called Medusa because of my braids, if I had never had to miss meals as a child and an adult, if I had never had terrible relationships, if I had never had two terrible pregnancies and two beautiful daughters, if I had never suffered from postpartum depression, I would have never questioned the narrative that I was told my life should follow. And if not for that, I would have never found a purpose for my creativity.
My name is Deanna, I was born in New York, raised in Atlanta and my family is Jamaican. My background is in graphic design and I’ve been working in corporate and NGOs for the past 10 years. Professionally, I have worked on a range of creative projects from web design to art direction to film. I grew up loving writing and art, but when deciding what to study in college, I chose to stick with graphic design because it seemed the more practical option. Growing up, I was given a pretty clear, yet generic path: graduate from high school, go to college, join a career. So I studied graphic design in college to become a graphic designer. I thought that career was the end goal and everything else was secondary or unimportant.
Then I got married, had two daughters, and moved to Hong Kong all within three years and the world didn’t make sense the way I thought it did. I started questioning things I always believed about myself, like why do I straighten my hair? How do I feel about my skin? Why don’t I like to be touched? I also realised how limiting corporate work was. I was often shoved into a box based entirely on my job description and never allowed to flex and develop my other skills. I blossomed in Hong Kong. I realised that my instinct towards caring about people, questioning broken processes, and easily learning new skills that don’t have to do with graphic design were strengths I could lean into.
I also realised that my life was less in my control than I’d always been told. I was told that I was in charge of my destiny, that my choices mattered, that I was not a victim and that I had every opportunity available to everyone else. And quite frankly, that’s what many black people are told. So black people motivate me to be creative. Going to art school and meeting black kids from all around the world made me appreciate how diverse we are and how much we have in common. I think I believed what the stereotypes people make about us and that somehow I was the “exception” to the rule. This made me feel lonely and never question what blackness looked like in the rest of the world.
I am a prolific podcast binger. I love telling stories and listening to people. And I am a very quick learner. So with no audio experience, I’ve started this podcast to reach people that look like me, who are ready to dialogue with their internal thoughts and external circumstances.