Meet Yvette Dzumaga | Artist & Entrepreneur

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

Hi Yvette, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
Our members.

We are incredibly focused on making sure every decision we make is for the benefit for our members.

Whether it is the space, location, activity mix, and brand feel of Oiler Studio, we are in “listening mode” with our people- the members that make our space come alive, the members who actually make the space what it is.

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 started calling myself an artist in 2022. After a lifetime (or what seemed like it!) of soul searching through various careers, I finally found the identity that just “felt” like me- artist.

During the pandemic, I realised I was missing a sense of purpose. Everything I was doing felt “fine,” and I wanted to do better. It was important for me to feel like I was spending my time well- living my truest self. I was living in London at the time, and would take long walks along the Thames river. One day, I found a flyer sticking to a lamppost. It said, “Want to try blacksmithing? Call Kev.”

And so, I called Kev. Kev took me on as an apprentice in his forge, and slowly, as I learned the craft (thousands of years old, still done in the same way today!), I learned about myself as an artist.

Now, I run an art studio called Y in London, and would love to bring these seeds of creativity in all forms with Oiler Studio.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
City Place is growing!

There is a great green space, with a fountain near the centre. My first time visiting City Place, I was visiting with my business partner Maggie (who’s a local!) and we were wandering around the area at dusk.

As we got closer, we saw hundreds of tiny glowing paper boats being released in the water. There were hundreds of people- families, couples, solos, all engaged in the festival of light celebrations together, bending over the water and lighting up the whole surface.

I thought that was the most incredible community moment. I am so inspired to bring that in more often to the North Houston area. These are the moments that I find make me feel most alive- spontaneous, community-driven, full of magic.

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?
Dedicate this Shoutout to my incredible, amazing, talented partner Maggie Judge & the incredible, amazing, warm & creative personalities of the North Houston community.

I am so grateful to have the opportunity to build with all of you.

Website: oilerstud.io

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Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/oiler-studio/

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Image Credits
Yvette Dzumaga