Jona Monet Wigfall

 attribute my success to my mother, first and foremost. She’s a Leo, I’m a Capricorn, so naturally I can be more reserved, more calculated. Where I hesitated, she pushed. Where I questioned, she told me to go.

There was a moment early on, I drove 45 minutes to a small music event by myself. I almost didn’t go. I remember sitting in that anxiety, navigating a city I wasn’t familiar with, feeling completely out of place. But I went anyway because that’s what she instilled in me, to move through discomfort, not avoid it.

That night, I met artists who were already moving in the industry, musicians connected to major records, and even crossed paths with Ari Lennox before the world knew her name. That moment shifted something. It showed me access isn’t always given, sometimes you have to walk into it.

My foundation really started earlier though. I grew up in Germany and had a speech delay due to an ear issue, so I relied heavily on computers. I always say I learned how to type before I could fully express myself out loud. That created a natural connection to digital tools, design, and visual communication.

At the same time, I was surrounded by strong cultural influence. European fashion, party culture, and global media. Spice Girls, anime, Pokémon, television storytelling. All of it shaped how I see the world now. It wasn’t just entertainment, it was structure, identity, and expression.

So when I look at it all together, my success comes from a combination of discipline, exposure, and being pushed beyond comfort early. My mother gave me the courage, and everything else gave me the language.

The best career advice I’ve received is simple, listen to your gut and move on it.

Not just hear it, act on it.

I was just speaking to a student from my hometown who’s studying the same field I did. She was stuck between staying in graphic design or shifting more into marketing. She already felt ahead in her program, but she was overthinking it, sitting in that decision for days.

I told her, just do it. Try it.

When you’re young, especially in spaces like college, that’s the time to experiment. You can pivot, you can change direction, you can stop and recalibrate. But if something is pulling at you, if it’s keeping you up at night, that’s your intuition trying to guide you somewhere.

Ignoring that is where regret starts.

So for me, the best advice is to trust that internal signal and give yourself permission to explore it fully. Action brings clarity, not overthinking.

My advice to young women entering this industry is to know your value early and move like you believe it.

This is a space where people will test your boundaries, your pricing, your time, your confidence. So you have to be clear on who you are before the industry tries to define it for you.

I would say, build your skill, but also build your voice. Your perspective is the asset. There are a lot of people who can design, create, or curate, but not everyone can do it from your lens.

Also, don’t wait to feel ready. Start before you’re comfortable. A lot of my growth came from putting myself in rooms I wasn’t sure I belonged in yet and figuring it out in real time.

And lastly, protect your energy. Everything doesn’t deserve access to you. Not every opportunity is aligned, even if it looks good on paper.

So overall, trust yourself, stay consistent, and don’t shrink to fit into spaces that weren’t built with you in mind.

One of the biggest challenges right now is instability, especially with employment. A lot of creatives are navigating layoffs, inconsistent contracts, or roles that don’t fully support their growth. That uncertainty can feel heavy.

But at the same time, that’s where the opportunity is.

More people are choosing entrepreneurship, not always by choice at first, but by necessity. And what that’s doing is forcing creatives to really understand their value, build their own platforms, and create income on their own terms.

The real challenge becomes balance.

Even if you are employed, there’s this ongoing question of how do you maintain your job, build something for yourself, and still have a personal life. That’s the part people don’t talk about enough. It’s not just about getting in the door anymore, it’s about sustaining yourself without burning out.

So I see the moment we’re in as a shift. It’s less about relying on one path and more about learning how to operate in multiple lanes at once, career, business, and self.

If you can figure out that balance, that’s where the real power is.

In both my work and personal life, I value creativity, cultural authenticity, and real connection.

Creativity for me isn’t just about making something look good, it’s about meaning. I want the work to say something, to carry a story, to feel intentional. Cultural authenticity is just as important. I’m very conscious about honoring where things come from, whether that’s my Geechee Gullah heritage or broader influences, and making sure I’m not just creating, but representing with respect.

Connection is the third piece. That shows up in everything I do.

I co-founded a community-based event series called IYKYK with my neighbor Ruby Terese. It started as small, intimate house gatherings, and even as we grow into larger spaces, the goal is still the same, to create environments where people feel comfortable, seen, and free to express themselves. It’s about bringing back real interaction and the joy of shared experience.

I carry those same values into my brand, 40ft.Tall, where I design and curate jewelry inspired by lineage, tradition, and storytelling. Every piece is meant to feel intentional, like it has history and purpose behind it.

So overall, I’m guided by creating with intention, honoring culture, and building spaces, whether physical or visual, where people can genuinely connect.