Guest: Tobore Oweh, Floral Designer

“Flowers possess the same traits that God has put in us and if we really pay attention to nature and flowers they can really teach us how we should be as humans.” In this episode of Heart of the Artist, we sit down with the uber-talented Toboreh Oweh, who tells us about her life as a floral designer. This Nigerian goddess ditched her white dental assistant coat and model career in NYC packed her bags and started her unique flower business in sunny California. But Toboreh’s journey wasn’t all sunshine and roses. Being an immigrant on an undocumented DACA status who can’t even go back to visit her homeland of Nigeria only begins to tell of the hurdles that Toboreh has overcome. Despite that, she always remains optimistic and upbeat, and she has a talent for finding beauty in both nature and life. Toboreh shares her unique philosophy surrounding the spirituality of flowers and how they can teach us a thing or two about living life to its fullest.

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In this episode of Heart of the Artist, we learn:

 

• How to start a floral career and what it takes to be a floral artists 

• Toboreh Oweh is here to explain how a US immigrant on DACA status can start their own artistic business and thrive

• It’s ok to enter an industry where your ethnicity is not represented. Makes you unique and profitable! cha-ching!

• From dental assistant to NYC to full-fledged entrepreneur

• Life is about legacy. How are you adding to the world? How are you leaving the world a better place?

• Flowers teach us how to live a selfless life

• The lifecycle of a flower parallels to our lifecycle and individual lives

• The growth of a flower symbolizes and parallels spiritual growth

• If you're sassy and romantic, then express these traits in your art like Toboreh

• Using more environmentally friendly options are very important #climatechange

• Philanthropy and giving back are important and should be a part of every business from day one

• We’re all uniquely created just like flowers and we all have individual stories

• Find Toboreh on Instagram @petaleffect

Guest: Deric Augustine, Actor, Writer, and Producer

 

What does it really take to become a working actor? In this episode of Heart of the Artist, we sit down with Working Actor, Producer, and Writer Deric Augustine, who fills us in on just that. Deric’s credits include Queen Sugar, NBA2k, Cloak and Dagger, Criminal Minds, and Vampire Diaries (talk about a full resume!), and he divulges what it was like to work with stars such as Ava DuVernay, Forest Whittaker, and Rosario Dawson. But it wasn’t always smooth sailing for Deric. He tells us about the huge hurdles and grief he had to overcome after losing his mother while pursuing his dreams and the challenges of pitching a script to major movie studios in an environment that lacks diversity.

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In this episode of Heart of the Artist, we learn:

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• There aren’t enough films out there that tell the history of black people. Deric is working on a script about the Kushites and ancient Egypt!

• When pitching a script about black history, it is not easy to find studio heads of color

• How do you deal with the grief that comes from the passing of a loved one while you’re trying to pursue your dreams?

• From bar-tending in NYC to booking roles in Los Angeles

• Artists, find a mentor and be financially smart!!

• Playing a real person (especially a mega icon like Muhammad Ali) is not something to be taken lightly

• What’s it like to work as an actor on a major video game?

• Deric tells us about working with mega stars like Ava DuVernay, Forest Whittaker, Rosario Dawson, and more!

• Find Deric on Instagram @dericaugustine