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Bio My parents named me Dierdre. We’ve all heard the usual pronunciations of this name – “deer-drah”, “dee-drah”, “deer-dree”. However, my family is from the beautiful island of Barbados in the Caribbean and West Indies. The r’s are sometimes soft and the speech is always musical. Therefore, my name is pronounced “day-dree”. I connect with this pronunciation and its root in Barbados. Even though I was born and raised in Brooklyn and cherished every moment of my growing up there, I also spent many summers in Barbados surrounded by loving friends and family. There was no sweeter summer spent than in Barbados with my dear Granny. There I was seduced by the warm winds of the Caribbean, the generous spirits of the people, the spicy savory foods and the overall open-heartedness of the island. I was brought up there in the summers as a child and returned to Brooklyn for the street sense, which tempered the warmth from the island birthing inside of me. I was caught between two cultures – the sweet and the strong. Wonderful parents and the island culture taught me a sense of community, where we take care of one another, even if we’re not family. We share our food and our stories, our laughter and our - did I say food? (A wonderful form of loving to share one’s culinary talents.) Both the men and women are strong, kind and nurturing. And both men and women are expected to be. There is no sense of other. You are part of me and I am part of you. This concept is inherent in African cultures where the Goddess Oshun originates. As an adult, I became more and more curious about the folklore of not only Africa, but other cultures where the major roles that women have in society are talked about and furthermore – celebrated. My desire has been to connect my culture, both Caribbean and African – to my American existence as “Daydree” through art and beautiful products that inspire a general good feeling and celebrate the Goddess feminine in every woman. |
