DeJa Jovon wears many hats, including visual artist, certified sex and relationship therapist, and owner of Unladylike, LLC, a business that promotes mental health through art, music, and events. At her signature event, Puff Her Paint Her Path, attendees can smoke a cigarette and unwind while doing a Paint Her Project to a killer She Playlist. Somehow, Jovon also finds time to play bass.
In the 2022 University of Chicago (UofC) Community Health Survey, South Siders ranked mental health as a top concern for both adults and children. Jovon’s work explores how cannabis and creative spaces can come together to provide healing to the Southside community.
for south side weeklyLuz Magdaleno-Flores recently spoke with Jovon about the inspiration, personal practice, and vision for the future of Unladylike’s services, which center mental health in communities of color. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
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Luz Magdaleno-Flores: Let’s start: Who is Deja?
Deja Jovon: That’s a good question because Dejah is a complicated person. First, he describes himself as a creative person. I also work in the mental health field as a counselor, specializing in sex and relationship therapy, so what I do is an extension of that. I am a visual artist and work primarily with acrylics and oils. [paint]. I like trying my hand at other things. The name of my business, Unladylike, itself reflects my desire to defy traditional expectations and social norms and define myself. This whole place is a community space.Feels like you’re doing a lot, but it’s all falling short [the umbrella of] Just me being creative. Therefore, I would clearly define myself first of all as a creative, that is, as an artist.
That’s why I was so excited to talk to you too, because you’re a bad girl. You’re doing a lot of things. I would like to know about your background. Did you have any mentors who helped feed your spirit in that regard?
I think my upbringing was really good. I remember her mother making us do different activities.I think so [why] I’m open to trying things and don’t immediately think, “No, I’m too old to learn this.” I think my sense of playfulness stems from the fact that I played a lot as a child and had a rich imagination. I’m definitely a romantic too. (Laughs) I definitely think my mother had a big influence on me. Her side of the family raised her as a Jehovah’s Witness, so it was more restrictive. When she got out of that situation, she decided to try different things to see what her sister and I were attracted to. She always believed in me and my dreams and even when things didn’t really go well she always pushed me.So I think she was definitely the biggest. [mentor].
My encounter with art came late in my life. How did this happen?
Yeah! After graduating from undergrad and before deciding what I wanted to do with my life, I decided to teach English in Madrid. Because I had no idea and I didn’t want to go back to school and waste my money choosing something. That’s why I decided to live my life (lol). Again, I also have a bachelor’s degree in psychology and Spanish, so I’m open to things. That’s why I always wanted to go to a Spanish-speaking country. I just loved it there.I had a lot of free time [compared to] The hustle and bustle of America, the refined culture. It was really great to be in a different country and not have that pressure to show up like that. I had to do something with the time I was there. So I just started drawing. There was an art supply store near where I lived, so I grabbed a notebook and pencil, and started enjoying a wine night while drawing. So I started. When I returned to Chicago, I began painting and soon began attending art shows. It was a wild journey. To be honest, I never thought I would be in this position.
That’s impressive. That space, that sanctuary you created for yourself when you were painting, drinking wine and being in the moment…do you think that might have influenced your puff-and-paint journey as well? I’m curious, how did you get that inspiration? Did it come from that atmosphere?
Like you said, I was creating my own atmosphere, drinking wine, smoking cigarettes, just vibe out, and doing that with my friends. In 2017, I started to get more interested in cannabis as I wasn’t a smoker before, but that’s when I started learning about it and learning how to approach it more intentionally. So I really created my own vibe and always have to have a good playlist as well. Many of Unladylike’s events often ask for playlists, so we wanted to continually publish playlists for people to download. We strive to create a nice atmosphere so that everyone can relax. The first thing you say when you look at a picture is, “You can’t do that” (laughs). I say to them: I have really good teaching skills so trust the process. ” And when you notice that your kids are criticizing themselves or being mean to you, tell them to really bring out their inner child and try to show compassion for that child. And if you’re still being mean to yourself, take a breath, take a breath (lol), and try letting it go. And their pictures are so amazing that sometimes you can’t hear their conversations. And then you have to check your temperature and think, “How are you doing here?” And everyone is high and dazed. Then you can hear chatter and laughter.
I like that. It’s been 5 years since I started Unladylike. Is there a special moment that stands out or a favorite puff and paint scene?
Puff and Paints also had live models come to the show. Those were a lot of fun, so let’s switch things up a bit. I really like doing the black light edition. We had a DJ come and play some music, which was really nice. And I brought a fog machine.
Wait, is the fog machine exclusive to the Blacklight Edition?
That’s the only thing I use at the moment (lol).
Is it because it has a darker, more eerie atmosphere?
It’s very trippy. I love setting the mood. So it seems like the sound has to be good too. The feel, the look. There was a big screen TV showing some weird visuals from YouTube. I like to be in a nice and uplifting atmosphere. Even the erotic art I drew, [host]. Sometimes I try to use rose petals or fake candles to make everything sexy and sensual.
When I think of curation, I mean creating an art show. Tell me about it.
Well, our anniversary was actually in December, so it’s been a long time coming. I celebrate his 5th anniversary with an art exhibition focusing on the femme visual artist along with DJs and burlesque performers. I’m really looking forward to it. I just finished choosing an artist. So, we will be releasing that information soon. It will be held from 5pm to 9pm on April 27th. If you have free time, please drop by. The dress code is “fierce AF”.
I see, I’m ready. Are you exhibiting?
So I have this painting that I’ve been working on for over a year and now I’m really stuck. It’s also a huge piece of work, expressing a lot of heartbreak, loss, and sadness. The last three years have been really terrible for me. There are many ups and downs. I think it would be great if we could actually exhibit this work on the occasion of his 5th anniversary. Because some of those downs were also about this business. It has to go through various changes and transformations over time. Unladylike used to have a gallery space. And I dealt with discrimination and a lot of drama around that. I had to bring Unladylike back from the darkness, and now things are moving at a good pace and direction. I just want to celebrate all of that. Opportunities are coming to me one after another, and more and more consumption lounges are interested in working with me. A great change is that you no longer need to make your location private. That’s great because we’re finding other spaces and expanding. I really want to celebrate all of that, all of that hard work, consistency, dedication, tears, all of that. So I’m really looking forward to it. It will be an emotional day.
Do you know what you’re wearing?
no! You need to actually figure it out because you want to feel good.
I’m sure it will be wonderful. Unladylike, tell us about why you chose that name. What does that mean to you?
Unladylike described my business partner and myself at the time. Because we weren’t really traditional women. We just started with puff painting and passing classes. It expanded further and also addressed social issues that were considered unfeminine. When I first started Unladylike, I was a graduate student honing my expertise in sex therapy. Especially when the pandemic hit, I took it and started hosting workshops and educating people. I was putting out a lot of social media content. It was interesting to see things pick up and start digging deeper into mental health issues for people of color. I think Unladylike is a great fit for the events we’ve been hosting. Because it’s against a lot of things and we’re picking up a lot of things. And like puff-and-paint, cannabis itself remains stigmatized to this day. That’s not a feminine thing to do. We were both smokers, so we were like, let’s normalize this a little bit more.
We’d love to hear what you have to say about sex and cannabis when you put on your sex therapist hat.
Jobon:
Sex and Weed: That might be fun (laughs). I definitely think about the right amount depending on the strain. Because I know that strains affect everyone differently. I’m a sativa guy so I don’t think I’d do that during sex because I might pass out from the indica. I think it really helps us be more present and in tune. You can focus more on those sensations. Nowadays there is a lot of technology, a lot of stress at work, a lot of things going on, so there are a lot of distractions. You may be thinking about this in your head during sex. I think cannabis can be a good way to tune into your body and focus on your partner, whoever it is you’re having sex with. I think you will feel more of a presence.
Where is your favorite place to smoke on the Southside?
This is going to be awful, but it’s true. I always go to Oakwood Street Beach and just sit in the car parking lot and hotbox whatever comes out of the car while looking out at the lake. And I have a particular parking spot where I like to park because it has a direct view of the lake and I sit there and listen to music. Because it is necessary. During those dark times, my only safe place was my car. I would go to different beaches and just relax and smoke. So now that things are better, I still do it. When I’m jamming, I feel like I’m pumping myself up in the car. It is necessary enough.
It feels good to smoke by the lake. Is there anything else you would like to add?
I can’t wait to see what more Unladylike does. I was surprised, I must say. We look forward to hosting even bigger events. Please expect by all means. I would like to plan more art exhibitions. I didn’t always enjoy teaching, including puff and paint classes. But I really fell in love with it. I really love planning. It’s probably Virgo, but I like to plan things. I like putting things together. I like creating atmosphere and I like to do that in large spaces. I’m definitely looking forward to doing that and collaborating more and developing it further that way. stay tuned.
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Luz Magdaleno-Flores is a Chicano art curator, poet, textile artist, DJ, and photograph Based in Plzen.
