Meet Lee Valdez | Tea Maker & Poet

We had the good fortune of connecting with Lee Valdez and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lee, alright, let’s jump in with a deep one – what’s you’re definition for success?
My process has taught me that success is the prosperous result of my focus, energy and effort poured into actualizing my deepest desires. It is the relief, ecstacy and joy I feel after accomplishing my goals, no matter the size of the feat.

It is the emotional and energetic payout of my consistent labor investments over time. Every accomplishment is a victory, and success is the diligence I deserve for my constant, seemingly imperfect growth. Success happens when I accept my process and do what is necessary to facilitate the natural flow of my life.

Because fundamentally, success is the natural flow of life. Everything in nature is naturally abundant and alive. Even a silent tree is teeming with life. When fields of grass are left to be, they naturally bloom into beds of beautiful flowers.

This inherent state of free, limitless growth and abundance is success.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I haven’t taken any formal art classes, but I’ve never needed a classroom to know that I am a real artist. My work feeds off emotion and reflects the many hues of my heart.

Sometimes, it’s playful and charming – other times, dark and dreary. It’s eclectic and contradictory, because I am too.

I use my art to laugh at myself and dismantle the versions of me I think I need to be. My work is alive and temperamental. It doesn’t like to be controlled or ignored. My art likes to flow, and I’ve learned to accept where it wants to go.

I know that being an artist is not about precision or technique but about presence and the willingness to be visible. It’s about being a conduit for creation and allowing my essence to exist without expectation.

Therefore, I chose to be courageous and show up authentically, because that’s what I know an artist to truly be. I create because I am. I live, and art lives through me.

Two of my most passionate pursuits are poetry and tea.

Spoken word has always allured me – there’s something raw and grossly human about speaking my truth before strangers and letting it resonate. It’s an ode to my sound.

I write and perform to free myself. In doing so, I have seen others freed too – it’s everything.
The other half of my heart lives with tea.

TeasbyLee – which I consider my most intricate and expansive art project yet, is a business that came from my natural affinity for tea. I drink tea religiously and use it every day to heal myself from various diseases.

Tea became a communal thing when I started making it for my friends. We’d have tea and gossip – it’s how my best friend and I grew closer. Things got serious when my friends got sick.

One friend was sick and feverish for days. I went to the House of Health off Lee Street and grabbed some herbs I knew would be perfect for their symptoms. Then I ran home, brewed some tea and delivered it to their house.

I didn’t know it then, but that concoction would help my friend heal in two days. It was magic. They healed miraculously fast, and my tea was partially responsible! I was proud of myself and thankful for the chance to realize what I had.

My tea is not a mere beverage – it is my ritual, my offering, my love language.

It is my delicate process of care and intention that takes time. I brew these teas to support the physical, emotional, and spiritual processes of life. Their power is fueled with my love and gratitude for the ultimate creator: mother nature.

My teas can expedite, soothe, or enhance any experience. With my gifts and the natural powers of water, plants, and honey, I brew teas that help heal my community.

Creating TeasByLee has been the most vulnerable and rewarding experience of my life. It’s forced me to meet myself over and over – to work through fear, resistance, and doubt. It’s taught me how to be responsible for my own life and to strengthen my resolve.

Like spoken word, this business is a living archive of my pain and pleasure, my healing and my hope. It’s proof that I am free, limitless and completely capable of turning my deepest desires into reality.

For anyone interested in working with me, I cater or sell individual orders of tea, coffee, and honey-based syrups which are perfect for mixed drinks, lattes, parfaits, and more. I also work individually with customers to develop specialized blends to their liking.

Of course, my expression as an artist is limitless, and I am constantly expanding my skills, tools and experiences. This year alone has been epic and exposed me to new mediums, community projects and business partnerships.

I have been working closely with The Mustard Seed Collective, a non-profit arts cooperative here in Greensboro, and it’s Creative Director, Micha’el Davis to host multiple exhibitions featuring young, Black, North Carolinian artists.

March saw the debut of TeasByLee in The Mustard Seed’s “Equinox Exhibition” – an arts show which celebrated the commencement of Spring and provided a platform for me and fellow artists to showcase our work, connect with one another, and develop our careers.

I dropped my Spring Tea collection that night: (Blueberry) Blue Dream, (Strawberry) Spring Fling, and (Lemon-Lavender) Lemon Joy. It was my first time catering and was a huge success! That night, I walked away with 10 tea orders and the motivation to keep going.

Fast forward to June, I worked with the Mustard Seed Collective again, but this time as a model in “The Hair Journey Catwalk”. This event was a part of “The Hair Journey”, a production presented by Princess H. Johnson with Royal Expressions about Black hair, womanhood, self-love, acceptance and family.

Being a model has revolutionized the way I perceive and appreciate myself and my art. It was thrilling to be the art and discover deeper parts of my personality that I had once inhibited myself from expressing. The drama, passion and beauty of me were on display, and I felt amazing.

I am extremely grateful to Micha’el, Princess and everyone else involved in curating my first modeling experience. It taught me much about allowing myself to be creative and feel good in my skin, something will forever cherish and take with me everywhere – on and off the runway.

Currently, I am working with Pink Knife Marketing to model in their very first fashion show this Friday, July 18th, at the Continental Club in Greensboro, NC,
from 6:00p.m. – 9:00p.m. Come out and show support for the artistic youth of Greensboro!

I have also been working closely with Charmaine Johnson, the Creative Director and Founder of The Cut GSO, another creative arts collective here in Greensboro that focuses on curating spaces for under-represented artists to finally be heard, appreciated and seen for the work they do.

Back in June, we partnered with Taylor at We Be In The City to host our first event – a kickball game with concessions. It was a beautiful experience of love, laughter, family and fun. Even with the mistakes, high temperatures and hard work, it set the tone for the type of experiences we want to cultivate with our community – deeply personal and real.

As a Grassroots organization, we support our community by showing up consistently, being authentic and putting in the work to be the change we wish to see.
Please join us on October 10th at the Greensboro Cultural Arts Center Downtown to enjoy our first creative arts showcase: Artistry Unleashed! We will be exhibiting work from local artists of all ages and mediums ranging from visual to performance art.

My art is a reflection of the divine source within me, and I am endlessly grateful to be alive. Expressing myself through poetry and healing myself with tea has transformed my life. It is a blessing to share my love, gifts, and talents with the world.

Thank you.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If my best friend came to visit, I’d want them to feel grounded, inspired, and connected – so we’d start in nature. I’d take them to Lindley and Hester Park, two of my favorite green spaces in the city. I love being surrounded by trees, songbirds, and stillness – I only wish we had more accessible public green spaces like that.

Sometimes the most sacred thing you can do with someone you love is simply be with them, outside, under the sky.

Afterward, we’d wander through the Spring Garden/Downtown area on foot. I’m a huge coffee nut, so we’d absolutely stop by Common Grounds or Spring Garden Bakery – especially on a Friday, when they do their buy-one-get-one-free muffins. (They’re really freaking good.)

For food, I’d take them to I Love Pho off West Gate City. The owner, Long, is one of those rare souls who pours intention and love into every dish. You can taste the care in every bite – it’s nourishing in a way that goes beyond food. It’s community.

And to close the day with something reflective and soulful, we’d head to Sensuous Scents off Lee Street for a Wisdom Wednesday community circle. There’s something beautiful about sitting with strangers and sharing thoughts about life, love, struggle, joy – it makes me feel alive, human, and connected.

These places mean a lot to me – not just because of what they offer, but because of how they make me feel: held, inspired, and free.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I am dedicating my shoutout to my mother who has dedicated her life to providing the security, comfort and stability necessary for me to thrive. I deeply appreciate her and the actions she takes to be a positive and motivating force in my life. She is hilarious, loving and devoted to those she deeply cares for. I am lucky enough to be her child.

Instagram: teasbylee