Connector Spotlight: DeJa Jovon Survillion on Art, Intimacy, and Getting Curious About Each Other
At her core, DeJa Jovon Survillion is a creator: a visual artist and mental health therapist who specializes in sex therapy and relationships, and who recommends {THE AND} conversation cards to couples.
At her core, DeJa Jovon Survillion is a creator. She paints, she practices therapy, and she builds spaces where people can slow down long enough to actually connect with themselves and each other.
A Las Vegas-based visual artist and mental health therapist who specializes in sex therapy and relationships, DeJa is one of the voices in The Skin Deep’s Connector community, and she recommends {THE AND} conversation cards to the couples she works with.
Who Is DeJa Jovon Survillion
DeJa is a visual artist who works in vibrant acrylic and oil paints, depicting her personal experiences, dreams, and nightmares in a surreal way. She’s also the owner of The Love Within Space, where she helps couples and individuals struggling with intimacy issues reconnect with pleasure, shift out of survival mode, and build emotional safety through one-on-one therapy, groups, and events. She’s been working in art and mental health for going on 10 years.
Her fascination with relationships started in childhood. She was confused by the stark contrast between what movies and TV showed and what real relationships looked like. It’s easy to get swept up in romance on screen, she says, but once that bubble bursts, the real questions begin: how do we actually relate to each other, and how do we maintain our relationships? Her own path wasn’t linear. She kept an open mind, listened to her intuition, and “swam with the current,” and that’s how she found her calling.
From a Madrid Sketchbook to Sex Therapy
DeJa’s curiosity about why people are the way they are led her to a bachelor’s degree in psychology. Unsure what she wanted to do with it, she took a gap year and moved to Madrid, Spain, to teach English. She was enamored by how much more relaxed the culture was, compared to the States, where productivity is so often forced on us. Madrid gave her room to explore other interests, so she bought her first sketchbook and a set of graphite pencils at an art store near her flat. She’d sip a 2 euro glass of wine, play music, find a reference photo, and attempt to draw. It wasn’t always beautiful, but the joy kept her going, and with time and practice her skills grew.
Back in Chicago, she was invited to take part in an art show. She was nervous, but she went for it because she didn’t have much to lose. She went on to show her work in exhibitions across Chicago, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles, and eventually began curating her own art events, including cannabis-friendly art classes and exhibitions for local Chicago artists.
At the same time, she was working in community mental health, helping members of the community who experienced mild to severe mental health and substance issues become more acclimated to the community, and connecting them with resources and advocacy. She saw firsthand the trauma, the dysfunction in families and relationships, and the lack of sex education on Chicago’s Southside, where there were very few resources to offer. That pushed her toward therapy, and toward specializing in sex therapy, so she could help couples build functional relationships with each other.
Where Art and Healing Meet
DeJa is inspired by sensuality, creativity, joy, and connection, and much of her work blends them: using creative expression to cultivate sensuality, joy, connection, and healing. It helped her on her own journey, and she felt called to create spaces where others can disconnect and unwind.
She sees a lot of people living in chaos, burning out, and facing financial and relational challenges and trauma without the tools to cope or make meaningful changes. Through her own experiences and training, she’s learned to prioritize her well-being by slowing down and being more present, and she encourages others to do the same. She believes people have suffered a lot and often feel they have to earn rest or pleasure. “I simply believe it is our birthright,” she says.
Related read: Unmasking Desire: How to Reveal What You Really Want
How She Discovered The Skin Deep
DeJa found The Skin Deep on YouTube years ago, watching people from different backgrounds and beliefs have deep, intense conversations. She felt deeply connected to the stories, and admits she shed quite a few tears. She loved how real, raw, and vulnerable people got.
The Skin Deep also sits where many of her own interests meet: human connection, emotional intimacy, storytelling, and creating experiences that help people see each other differently. When she heard about the opportunity to join the Connector community through our team, she says she jumped for joy.
To DeJa, The Skin Deep represents the power and struggle of being truly seen, heard, and understood. She appreciates how the brand creates space for people to slow down, get curious, and be intentional in conversation. For her, intimacy is about remaining curious, creating room for experiences, and allowing ourselves to be known in return.
Recommending {THE AND} Conversation Cards to Couples
DeJa has recommended {THE AND} conversation cards to her couples as a resource to help them build closeness.
Her favorite part of her work is the “Ah Ha” moment, when the light bulb goes off for someone who has realized something, made a connection, or feels proud of their progress. She sees it in sessions with clients and in the art classes she teaches. Her number one rule in those classes is not to speak negatively about yourself or your art, and she says you’d be surprised how amazing people’s work turns out as a result. As a community, they hold each other accountable and help each other reframe when someone gets critical. She feels grateful to be “a blip in people’s healing journey.”
Curious where to start with your own partner? Browse our couples decks, or warm up with How To Keep Choosing Each Other: 15 Deep Relationship Questions for Married Couples Who Want More.
What She Hopes People Feel
DeJa hopes people walk away feeling more empowered to believe in themselves. She speaks life to most people she interacts with, and she says people from all walks of life are surprisingly comfortable sharing intimate details with her, even strangers. That’s what led her to a career in therapy: it feels natural to offer a non-judgmental space for people to be vulnerable.
She also loves when people are inspired by her artwork. When someone asks what a piece means, she flips the question and asks for their interpretation, and the responses are often fascinating.
What’s Next: The Pillow Talk Couples Retreat in Las Vegas
DeJa is expanding her private practice, moving away from the traditional one-on-one therapy model and toward group work, workshops, and retreats.
Her first retreat, The Pillow Talk: The Art of Intimacy Couples Retreat, is in the works for Valentine’s 2027 in Las Vegas. It’s designed to help couples slow down and reconnect through creative activities, meaningful conversations, and mindful touch. She plans to host couples retreats nationally and internationally.
She’s also looking for partnerships and affiliations that align with her mission, building a blog on Substack, and always working on art projects and opportunities to exhibit and sell her work.
Her Life Philosophy: “The Sky’s the Limit”
The belief DeJa operates from most is that the sky’s the limit. From personal experience and her studies, she’s learned how limiting our beliefs can be. When she affirms herself, catches the criticism, and takes in compliments and encouragement, she tries to believe them, and it’s built her confidence and let her go after what she wants.
She loves the acronym for FEAR: false evidence appearing real.
“Fear will prevent you from going after what you truly want in life. It takes so many different shapes and forms.” — DeJa Jovon Survillion
Related read: Turn Fear Into Thrill: How to Make Taboos Playful Instead of Scary
A Fun Fact
DeJa likes to dabble. She’s learned Spanish, written, painted, learned to play the bass guitar, taken up roller skating and yoga, read a lot of books, and gone hiking. Some hobbies have their seasons, and she has plans to add more. She likes to exercise different parts of her brain, and she really enjoys the process of learning.
DeJa Jovon Survillion FAQ
Who is DeJa Jovon Survillion?
A Las Vegas-based visual artist and mental health therapist who specializes in sex therapy and relationships, and the owner of The Love Within Space.
What does The Love Within Space offer?
DeJa helps couples and individuals struggling with intimacy issues reconnect with pleasure, shift out of survival mode, and build emotional safety through one-on-one therapy, groups, and events.
What is The Pillow Talk: The Art of Intimacy Couples Retreat?
It’s DeJa’s first couples retreat, in the works for Valentine’s 2027 in Las Vegas. It’s designed to help couples slow down and reconnect through creative activities, meaningful conversations, and mindful touch. Follow her on Instagram for updates.
How does DeJa use {THE AND} with couples?
She recommends {THE AND} conversation cards to her couples as a resource to help them build closeness.
Where can I see DeJa’s art?
On her portfolio at dejajovon.com and on Instagram at @deja.jovon.
Connect with DeJa Jovon Survillion
Follow along with her work:
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Want to Be Featured Next?
If DeJa’s story resonates with you, and you’re part of The Skin Deep community too, we’d love to hear yours.
Karissa Basalyga
The Skin Deep | Global Community Activator
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