01 Blog — Welcome to the World of Yaya
I’m Dakotah—the founder, creative director, and the mind behind it all.
For a long time, I spent my life running toward a version of myself that I thought would be easier for the world to understand. A version that felt more acceptable. More polished. More expected.
Only to realize that the person I had been searching for was the one I had been all along.
The freest version of myself.
The version that doesn’t separate curiosity from strategy, research from art, or imagination from reality.
That person, that brand became YAYA.
Before Yaya, there was Hello Dakotah. There was Hello Kody. There was my own name attached to every project. Those identities made sense, but they never felt complete.
YAYA did.
My middle name is Aiyanna. “Yaya” lives inside of it.
It’s not my legal name. It’s a nickname. It’s something made up.
And maybe that’s why I love it so much. Because made-up things have infinite possibilities. When I scroll through Pinterest, I never stop on the realistic images. I stop on the impossible ones. Giant flowers floating through cities. Astronauts sitting on petals. Dreamlike landscapes that couldn’t exist—but somehow still feel true.
Those images remind me that creativity has never been about recreating reality. It’s about expanding it. That’s how I approach everything I make.
A brand isn’t just a logo.
An event isn’t just an event.
A room isn’t just four walls.
A research study isn’t just data.
Everything is an opportunity to build a world. When I left my job—and that’s a story for another day—I prayed one simple prayer:
“God, show me how good it can get.”
Then I jumped. I’ve been jumping ever since. YAYA isn’t a design studio in the traditional sense. It’s a place where research, technology, art, fashion, branding, interiors, events, and storytelling all exist in the same conversation. Because that’s how my mind works. I’m fascinated by artificial intelligence. I’m obsessed with design. I love styling clothes, designing spaces, creating experiences, asking questions, and discovering things no one has noticed yet.
To me, research and art are doing the same thing.
One discovers worlds.
The other creates them.
Both require curiosity. Both require imagination. Both begin with believing there is something more to find. That’s what YAYA is.
A place for wondering.
A place for building.
A place for people who refuse to believe creativity belongs in one box.
Around here we’ll talk about design, technology, culture, fashion, branding, community, research, and whatever else captures my curiosity that week. Some essays will be polished. Some will begin as voice notes. Some will simply be questions I’m still trying to answer.But they’ll all come from the same place:
A belief that creativity isn’t decoration. It’s a way of seeing the world.
So whether you’re here because you love design, research, AI, beautiful spaces, impossible ideas, or you’re simply curious about where this journey goes—
Either way,
Welcome!