Influential Woman · Creative
Ayona'lee Tidwell
Owner and Creative director, 11 design studio
Chicago, IL
Her Story
About Ayona'lee
Ayona’lee is a Chicago-based designer who leads the creative vision behind an experiential design studio. Over six years in the creative industry, she has built a practice rooted in creative direction, brand design, and web design, guiding how a brand looks, feels, and is experienced by both the founder and their customers. She brings a distinctive edge to her work by blending esoteric strategies, from human design to numerology, into her creative direction, helping founders bridge the gap between who they are and the brand they are ready to step into.
Ayona’lee started her studio in 2020, after the pandemic cost her her job and she turned to her creativity as a way forward. What began as freelance design work grew into a full studio, and she later earned a grant that supported her docuseries project. She has interned with La Casa Norte on branding and social media, and gives away free branding services each year to a business owner in need. She credits the unwavering support of her best friends and her own personal drive for her success, and she advises aspiring designers to remain students of their craft, embrace vulnerability, and follow their hearts toward work they are truly passionate about.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Ayona'lee
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to my grandmother and my best friends, whose unwavering support has carried me through every season, and to myself, for having the drive and resilience to keep going even when things were uncertain. I have learned that success is not built alone, but it also requires you to show up for yourself and believe in what you are creating, even before anyone else can see it. Many people will doubt your vision, so It’s important to have unwavering confidence and belief in yourself.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
My professor told me to always be a student no matter how far you get in your career. Never feel like you are too far to learn something new, even if you're learning something new from someone who's a freshman in college or high school. You can always be the person that's going to listen and learn something from them rather than the person that's this big hot shot all the time.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Allow yourself to be vulnerable especially in the beginning. Don't worry about things being perfect, just allow yourself to be a beginner as many times as you need to. Put yourself out there. Feel the fear and do it anyway. I started because of the pandemic when I was out of a job and nowhere near ready but I posted my work and got freelance jobs which led to opening my design studio.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenge is making sure that I stay up-to-date with how to collaborate with AI tools because they are here and people are using them even top designers. You have to learn how to collaborate with these tools. The greatest opportunity is understanding how to create the best experiences for your client and for their brand so that when their clients interact with the brand they have a memorable experience that makes them want to come back and spread the word.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Always follow your heart. Pick a career that you feel passionate about and that you can have fun with. That's the easiest way to create expansion in your life, creates well-roundedness, better mental health, better finances, and the beginning of creating generational wealth. When you follow your heart you can create something that outlives you and creates social economic growth.
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