Credit: Yekaterina Gyadu
Our next “Femme Voices” Feature, Latiana, knows a thing or two about being flexible enough to embrace where life takes you. A lover of community, she establishes projects that focus on getting folks together through the creative process and shared experiences. Latiana’s latest endeavor is Office Hrs, an event planning company and management crew. No matter where her entrepreneurial spirit takes her, Latiana makes sure that she is doing what she loves and what makes her feel whole and free.
Read on to find out more about Latiana!
Please introduce yourself. What is your name? Where are you located? What are your pronouns and how do you identify?
Hi! My name is Latiana. Currently living in New Jersey, although I was a nomad throughout NYC for most of my life. I dig she/her/they/them pronouns and I do not have a solid answer for how I identify. I am me, is all!
Does what you do make you feel like a part of a bigger community? If so, what is your biggest/most important contribution to this community, even if it is a work in progress?
I had an awesome discussion about what community means with some folks a couple weeks ago. My response to the “What is community?” question included the idea that community means an ability to build, destroy, and rebuild again with the people around you. So yes, I feel like I am a part of a larger community of folks who also share this mindset of continual growth and movement; of dismissing stagnancy and running head first into whatever their hustle may be.
I would say my biggest contribution to the community at large is simply living out my interests with eagerness, passion, and resiliency. Folks who follow my Instagram Stories tend to reach out saying they enjoy how focused I am on doing everything that makes me happy, whether that’s roller skating, learning bass guitar, sharing progress on my hobbies, or any other random thing I’m doing. I love teaching myself things, so I and everything I do will always be a work in progress.
Credit: Yekaterina Gyadu
What is your favorite/most effective self-care method?
Moving my body has been my most effective self-care tool. I started skateboarding on a whim in 2017, which has taught me patience, dedication, and discipline, and has helped wrangle my anxiety. There are few greater feelings than learning to move your body on a set of wheels–so jumping off of that, I started roller skating. Ha! I can’t get enough of testing the limits of my mind and body in these ways.
Learning about music has also had an immense impact on my confidence as well as my mental health. I feel crystal clear when I grab my bass and learn something new, or when I hop on the keys (for once–I’m slacking!). Picking up an instrument and learning theory activates all types of good-good in your brain, and I highly recommend it. It’s like learning a new language.
What are you most proud of about yourself and what you have accomplished?
I have a stack of journals near me at the moment. I’d say my biggest accomplishment is having had the courage to keep on going.
Tell us about your upcoming projects and goals.
I love getting folks into one room to talk, laugh, and learn, so I am working on a project that will enable me to do more of that! I am currently building an event planning and management biz named Office Hrs. Office Hrs is the lovechild of my first event and holistic platform named bklynprose (which unfortunately had not been updated for a while).
I am on the pursuit of deepening my focus, patience, and discipline in all that I do. Basic answer, but self-mastery is lit. That’s my always-goal.
How can we see your work/contact you/etc.?
If you’d like to follow what I am working on, visit Office Hrs, follow us on Instagram via @officehrs_, and/or say hi via email at
in**@of*******.online
. Looking forward to the possibilities and to hearing from you!
