Demitria (Demi) Seva’aetasi is a cartoonist and illustrator who joined the Youth Arts Collective (YAC) in Monterey, California at the age of 14. Her talent, dedication, and proximity to working artists eventually created opportunities for art commissions, and this is how Demi came to be a contributing artist for Thomas Gold’s illustrated story Hey Dad, I Don’t Like You. 

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Luca Oake is a seasoned strategist and advisor with an MA Anthropology of Media from the University of London, an MBA from the Monterey Institute of International Studies, a PhD in Education from Florida International University, and a 30-year career in media, management, and professional development.

Nurturing the Hearts of Gold vision, mission and message from inception, Luca brings together artists and ideas with potential to cultivate beauty, connection and awareness for mental health and well-being. As a gay nonbinary woman of color, Luca is a passionate advocate and coach for people grappling with personal barriers. From overcoming challenges to stepping into personal and creative power, Luca supports all kinds of humans with becoming stronger, brighter versions of themselves. 

Demitria (Demi) Seva’aetasi is a cartoonist and illustrator based in the Monterey Bay Area of California. At 14, Demi joined the Monterey Youth Arts Collective (YAC), spending more than a decade developing her artistic ability with the guidance and support of YAC mentors and working artists. Demi’s talent, dedication, and proximity to working artists created opportunities for art commissions, and this is how she came to be a contributing artist for Thomas Gold’s illustrated story Hey Dad, I Don’t Like You. 

Mindfully inclusive of all readers, Demi created the artistic style in Hey Dad, I Don’t Like You to represent the soul. She intended her illustrations to be simple, abstract, and to give a surreal feeling to the story, like being in a dream. Hearts of Gold Creative provided Demi with her first commission as a book illustrator. 

Sophia Wilson came to collaborate with Hearts of Gold Creative as a 14-year-old artist growing up in Carrollton, Texas. Though Hey Dad, I Don’t Like You was her first illustrator commission, the young teen was no stranger to art as a profession. By 2022, she’d won several art competitions including the Texas State Fair’s Creative Arts contest, and the annual Dallas Area Rapid Transit art competition. Sophia’s pieces have been displayed in prominent Texas public spaces such as the Texas State Fair, the Dallas Museum of Art, and Dallas Love Field Airport.  

In Sophia’s own words: “I'm great at reaching my goals, even though I'm short. My teachers caII me by many names: ‘super smart kid' or ‘super funny kid’ or sometimes ‘Hey kid, can you stop talking!’ But I think the best name that describes me is ‘winner.’”

Partners in life and work for more than two decades, Shane and Bonnie launched Dennehey Designs to craft custom wooden decor from inspiring reclaimed wood. These artists transform old furniture, barns, instruments, and so on into unique pieces that tell unique stories and become metaphors for our own lives.

Hearts of Gold connected with the Denneheys for a gold-themed heart-shaped talisman to support the launch of Hey Dad, I Don’t Like You and found kindred spirits. Shane and Bonnie designed and crafted reclaimed wooden hearts incorporating the Japanese practice of kintsugi: mending broken objects with gold-dusted material. “Like the wood we reclaim, we're all marked by the events of our past,” say the Denneheys. “Yesterday's challenges made us who we are today. Every day, we're being made new, crafted into beautifully imperfect people.” 

Demitria (Demi) Seva’aetasi is a cartoonist and illustrator who joined the Youth Arts Collective (YAC) in Monterey, California at the age of 14. Her talent, dedication, and proximity to working artists eventually created opportunities for art commissions, and this is how Demi came to be a contributing artist for Thomas Gold’s illustrated story Hey Dad, I Don’t Like You.