00:00 – From Job Loss to Purpose | Episode Introduction
How getting fired can become the beginning of legacy.
01:02 – Meet Dontae T. Muse | Cultural Producer & Artrepreneur
Creativity, arts administration, and choosing a nontraditional path.
03:11 – Choosing Yourself & Trusting Your Creative Gifts
Why self-trust is foundational to purpose-driven work.
03:38 – Getting Fired Changed Everything
The moment job loss became a catalyst for reinvention.
04:02 – A Vacation That Sparked Transformation (Colombia)
Travel, clarity, and spiritual downloads that shifted direction.
05:02 – Stepping Into Purpose & Creating Opportunities for Others
Ownership, control, and why community matters.
05:23 – Opening an Art Gallery with No Roadmap (2016)
How Above Art Studios was born out of uncertainty.
07:11 – Building Legitimacy in the Art World
Mentorship, credibility, and navigating the visual arts industry.
08:02 – Studying 16 Art Galleries in 15 Days
Learning the business of art through immersion.
10:15 – Ownership, Wealth & Creative Control
What entrepreneurship really teaches you.
12:03 – Launching a Gallery With No Art on the Walls
Risk, faith, and the power of preparation.
13:53 – It Only Takes One Yes (Sometimes Two)
Momentum, trust, and early breakthroughs.
15:17 – What Above Art Studios Represented for Black Culture
Redefining art spaces as safe, creative, and accessible.
16:16 – Using Events to Make Art Accessible
Poetry, music, wine tastings, and experiential art.
18:11 – Becoming a Black Art Collector
How collecting Black art builds culture and wealth.
19:33 – Selling Black Art: Then vs. Now
What’s changed since 2016—and what hasn’t.
22:06 – Why Events Were the Gateway to Art Sales
Creative strategy that brought people into the gallery.
25:55 – What Building a Gallery Taught Him About Legacy
Consistency, intention, and long-term impact.
29:27 – Why He Started Writing & Documenting Knowledge
Books, authority, and preserving cultural wisdom.
33:30 – Advice for Artists: Don’t Quit—Adjust
Pivoting without abandoning the dream.
36:49 – Inside the Harlem Fine Arts Show
The largest diaspora-focused art show in North America.
41:03 – Preserving History at Newark Symphony Hall (100 Years)
Black cultural legacy and institutional memory.
42:28 – The Future of Black Art Entrepreneurship
Adaptation, resilience, and moving forward intentionally.
44:50 – Wisdom for Black Women 50+ Reclaiming Creativity
Using experience, age, and intuition as advantages.
47:37 – Defining Legacy Through Impact
Why legacy is about people, not platforms.
50:51 – A Message for Black Women Watching
“If I can do it, a Black woman can do it three times over.”
51:53 – Final Reflections & Where to Connect
In this powerful conversation, Cultural Producer and Artrepreneur Dontae T. Muse joins Women of Color: An Intimate Conversation to explore creativity, reinvention, community leadership, and legacy-building in Black art.
Dontae shares how getting fired became the catalyst for stepping fully into purpose, how a transformational trip abroad sparked clarity, and how he went on to build Above Art Studios into a cultural home for creatives—without a roadmap, collector list, or traditional backing.
This episode pulls back the curtain on what creative entrepreneurship really looks like: building legitimacy, earning trust, documenting knowledge, and creating opportunities for others while staying aligned with purpose.
We also explore Dontae’s leadership at the Harlem Fine Arts Show, the largest diaspora-focused art show in North America, and his work preserving 100 years of Black cultural history through the Newark Symphony Hall Centennial Program.
At its core, this conversation is about legacy—not as recognition, but as impact.
These themes deeply align with The Dream Lifestyle™ Collective, a sanctuary for Black women 50+ reclaiming creativity, joy, and bold reinvention in their next chapter.
🔥 Topics We Cover
• Getting fired as a catalyst for purpose
• Creative reinvention and choosing yourself
• Building an art gallery from scratch
• Making Black art accessible through experience
• Art entrepreneurship and ownership
• Preserving Black cultural history
• Documenting knowledge through writing
• Legacy, impact, and community leadership
• Wisdom for Black women 50+
🌟 About Don’tae T. Muse
Cultural Producer, Artrepreneur, and best-selling author working at the intersection of art, culture, and community.
Former Owner, Above Art Studios
Co-Founder, HEArt Festival
Director of Artist Relations, Harlem Fine Arts Show
Centennial Program Manager, Newark Symphony Hall
📍 Connect with Dontae
Instagram: @iamdmuse
YouTube: youtube.com/@iamdmuse
LinkedIn: Dontae T. Muse, MPA
💫 Connect with Deneen
If you’re a Black woman 50+ ready to reclaim creativity, joy, and reinvention, explore the Dream Lifestyle™ Collective—a sanctuary to Dream, Design & Drive™ your next bold chapter.
👉 https://deneenlgarrett.com
Subscribe @DeneensDreamLife
