Dabito: A Conversation From Los Angeles

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I’M KASSATA BOLLMAN. 

TODAY MY GUEST IS DABITO.

HE JOINS US FROM LOS ANGELES.

DABITO IS FOUNDER AND CREATIVE DIRECTOR… OF DESIGN STUDIO… OLD BRAND NEW….THAT NAME AND HIS JOURNEY BEGAN AS A BLOGGER… MANY MOONS AGO….

NOW HIS COMPANY SERVES CLIENTS FROM CRATE & BARREL TO GOOGLE AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN…

HE’S ALSO AN AUTHOR….DABITO’S BOOK "OLD BRAND NEW: COLORFUL HOMES FOR MAXIMAL LIVING"... WAS RELEASED LAST YEAR…

I’LL OPEN OUR CONVERSATION….BY ASKING YOU TO REACH INTO YOUR MEMORY….

HERE…. “HAVE YOU EATEN YET ?”....IS FOCUSED MORE ON THE GREETING…IT’S A CHECK-IN OF SORTS….

WE’RE TWO MINDS…. ABOUT TO TAKE A TRIP INTO YOUR LIFE….

SO THIS IS AN OPENING… FOR US TO CONNECT…THROUGH FOOD….

THIS CAN BE A MEAL FROM ANYTIME IN YOUR LIFE….THE HOPE IS WHATEVER MEAL YOU CHOOSE TO TALK ABOUT…. IS MEANINGFUL….THAT IT BRINGS UP A  MEMORY…..OR EMOTION….

ONE OF THE BEAUTIFUL PARTS OF A MEAL…HAPPENS LONG AFTER THE ACTUAL EVENT….THOSE MEMORIES CAN BE POWERFUL….AND WE LIKE TO HONOR AND EMBRACE THAT  CONCEPT HERE….

[[DABITO DISCUSSES]]

BOOK

WHEN I THINK ABOUT INTERIOR DESIGN I THINK ABOUT ACCESS….THAT GROWING UP I DIDN’T KNOW ANYONE WHO HIRED AN INTERIOR DESIGNER…YOUR BOOK ……"OLD BRAND NEW: COLORFUL HOMES FOR MAXIMAL LIVING"…GRANTS ACCESS TO THE MASSES….YOU INCLUDE ALL BUDGETS…WHETHER YOU RENT AN APARTMENT, OWN A HOUSE…OR 

LIVE IN A MULTI-GENERATIONAL HOME…LIKE THE ONE THAT YOU WERE RAISED IN…

CAN YOU TAKE ME BACK TO THE MOMENT THE IDEA FOR THIS BOOK CAME TO YOU….THE INTENTION BEHIND IT…AND HOW IT ALL CAME TOGETHER ?

[[DABITO DISCUSSES]]

ADVICE

WHAT’S THE BEST PIECE OF ADVICE THAT YOU'VE EVER BEEN GIVEN ?

[[DABITO DISCUSSES]]

NEW HOME

YOU’RE EMBARKING ON AN EXCITING JOURNEY… IN NEW ORLEANS…..BUILDING A HOME FROM THE GROUND UP…AND DESIGNING IT…

HOW DID YOU KNOW THIS LAND WAS MEANT FOR YOU ?

[[DABITO DISCUSSES]]

PLEASE ALLOW US TO DIVE INTO YOUR MIND…THE BRILLIANT MIND OF A DESIGNER……WHAT DOES YOUR PROCESS LOOK LIKE FOR THIS PROJECT ? AND WHERE ARE YOU CURRENTLY IN THAT PROCESS ?

[[DABITO DISCUSSES]]

TRUE

HOW DO YOU STAY TRUE TO YOURSELF WHILE NAVIGATING THE UPS AND DOWNS OF LIFE ?

[[DABITO DISCUSSES]]

INTERIOR DESIGN

WHEN IT COMES TO THE INTERIOR DESIGN INDUSTRY…WHAT’S ONE THING THAT YOU LOVE OR ADMIRE ABOUT THE CULTURE….THAT YOU FEEL GOES UNNOTICED OR ISN’T TALKED ABOUT AS MUCH ?

[[DABITO DISCUSSES]]

JOB

I WANT TO GO BACK IN TIME….TO YOUR POST COLLEGE YEARS….. YOU MOVE  HOME TO L.A. 

INTERN AT A PRINTING COMPANY….THEN CAN’T FIND ANY PRINTMAKING JOBS…..

SO YOU START WORKING FULL TIME….IN A JOB NOT CONNECTED TO YOUR FIELD OF CHOICE…AT THE SAME TIME…..YOU ENROLL IN A COMMUNITY COLLEGE…TO STUDY GRAPHIC DESIGN.

LOOKING BACK AT THIS TIME…..YOU’VE EXPRESSED THAT YOU WERE INSECURE ABOUT YOUR DESIGN WORK…BECAUSE YOU DIDN'T GRADUATE FROM A QUOTE “REPUTABLE” SCHOOL. 

YOU’RE APPLYING TO ALL TYPES OF COMPANIES AND YOU’RE GETTING TURNED DOWN.

BUT THEN ONE DAY YOU CONNECT WITH SOMEONE…WHO RECOMMENDS THAT YOU INTERN FOR APRIL GREIMAN AT MADE IN SPACE.

I WANT TO FOCUS ON THIS TIME IN YOUR LIFE WHEN THINGS START TO LIFT…

I THINK IT’S REALLY IMPORTANT TO TALK ABOUT THE TOUGH TIMES…

AND EVEN MORE POWERFUL TO DISCUSS WHAT IT TAKES TO STAY ON THE PATH…BECAUSE WHEN YOU’RE ON IT…SOMETIMES IT CAN FEEL LIKE YOU’RE AT A DEAD END….PERHAPS WONDERING IF THE DESTINATION EVEN EXISTS…..

SO PLEASE SHARE YOUR REFLECTIONS ABOUT INSECURITY, REJECTION AND THAT CHANCE ENCOUNTER ….

[[DABITO DISCUSSES]]

TRIP

WHAT’S ONE TRIP THAT YOU’VE BEEN ON THAT HAS POSITIVELY IMPACTED YOUR LIFE…THIS COULD BE AN ACTUAL TRIP….. OR….MAYBE IT’S A GOOD MEMORY….LIKE A TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE…OR...IT COULD BE A PSYCHEDELIC TRIP…

[[DABITO DISCUSSES]]

NEXT

WHAT’S NEXT FOR YOU ?...….WHAT ARE YOU EXCITED FOR IN THE MONTHS TO COME ? ……IT COULD BE TRAVELING….CHANGING YOUR DAILY HABITS….SLOWING DOWN IN LIFE….A WORK RELATED PROJECT…WHATEVER YOU’RE LOOKING FORWARD TO….

[[DABITO DISCUSSES]]

DEATH

DEATH IS A TOPIC THAT WE OFTEN AVOID OPENLY DISCUSSING IN OUR SOCIETY…YET IT’S SOMETHING THAT WE ALL FACE AT SOME POINT IN LIFE….

PERSONALLY, HAVING HEALTHY CONVERSATIONS ABOUT DEATH PRODUCES AN AWARENESS ABOUT THE PRESENT MOMENT…AN APPRECIATION FOR LIFE….AND IT HELPS ME LIVE FULLY…

DO YOU HAVE ANY THOUGHTS, EMOTIONS OR INSIGHTS ABOUT DEATH…. FROM YOUR UPBRINGING….. OR LIVED EXPERIENCE…. THAT YOU’D LIKE TO SHARE?

[[DABITO DISCUSSES]]

SYNCHRONICITIES

HAVE THERE EVER BEEN ANY SIGNS OR SYNCHRONICITIES IN YOUR LIFE…. THAT GUIDED YOU IN SOME WAY  ?…IT COULD BE A CHANCE ENCOUNTER WITH A STRANGER….A CONVERSATION THAT LED TO AN OPPORTUNITY….THAT YOU COULD NOT HAVE ARRANGED….EVEN IF YOU TRIED….THERE’S A WIDE SPECTRUM HERE…..NOTHING IS OFF LIMITS…

[[DABITO DISCUSSES]]

REMEMBERED

HOW DO YOU WANT TO BE REMEMBERED?

[[DABITO DISCUSSES]]

TAKEAWAY

THANK YOU FOR SHARING YOUR WISDOM WITH US …

I BELIEVE THAT THE JOURNEY…. IS ALWAYS GREATER THAN THE DESTINATION. 

IT’S ON THE PATH THAT WE LEARN….EVOLVE AND….. ENCOUNTER LESSONS…. THAT SHAPE US…. INTO OUR BEST SELVES.

I ALWAYS LIKE ENDING…. BY ASKING…. IF THERE’S ANY TAKEAWAY THAT YOU’D LIKE TO LEAVE WITH LISTENERS…..THAT CAN POSITIVELY INFLUENCE THEIR LIVES.

IT COULD BE SOMETHING WE JUST DISCUSSED…. A LESSON YOU’VE LEARNED ON YOUR JOURNEY…. OR GENERAL LIFE ADVICE THAT YOU LIVE BY...

[[DABITO DISCUSSES]]

AND WHERE OR HOW …..IS THE BEST WAY FOR PEOPLE TO CONNECT…. OR GET IN TOUCH WITH YOU  ?

[[DABITO DISCUSSES]]

OUTRO

THANKS FOR LISTENING….AND IF YOU HAVEN’T ALREADY….... FOLLOW  “HAVE YOU EATEN YET?” ….WHEREVER YOU GET YOUR PODCASTS….

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