Today we’d like to introduce you to Diana Ramos.
Diana, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an entrepreneur.
Since I was a kid, I’ve always been more right brained. Out of high school, I pursued photography school, but it wasn’t what I thought it was so I dropped out. My next venture was fashion school, and I managed to graduate, and it opened my mind to tune into my visual creativity, and I grew to enjoy the multiple avenues you could take as a visual artist. The day finally came to look for a job, but I realized I was limited to working in the big cities and I was looking for something more flexible but still allowing me to work in the fashion industry. It wasn’t until I was talking to my hairstylist that she suggests I try cosmetology school and I decided to listen. I found a school and grew to love the hair and beauty industry. I would’ve never thought my path would lead me to hair and I enjoyed that it was hands-on, I could network with people, I get to provide a service for them, talk with them and the most rewarding part is feeling that I helped them feel better in some way once they leave my chair. Looking back at my journey since high school, I realize I like to dabble in different things so as I’m practicing my craft in hair, my next goal is to become an entrepreneur and be my own girl boss!
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
My art is basically the science and movement of hair. How to maintain it, how to take care of it, how to manipulate it, how to make it work with what you have. What I love most about being in the hair industry is hair styling. I always had trouble doing my own hair and making it do what I want it to do, and with some people it’s not achievable to do certain hairstyles, but I’ve learned by using the right products, the right prep, the right folds and twists, and placement can allow you to create art that a person can walk away with. A walking billboard of your work. Like any art, it takes a good eye, hand skill, and practice. The inspiration behind hair is to continue to challenge yourself and try new things. Repetition is good because it helps you master your craft, but it can also be a buzz kill for feeding your passion, so it’s good to dig for new things to try. Find some mentors who do the kind of work you want to achieve and practice some tutorials.
The stereotype of a starving artist scares away many potentially talented creatives from pursuing a creative career – any advice or thoughts about how to deal with the financial concerns an aspiring creative professional might be concerned about?
Sustaining yourself financially is a struggle, and we all know that living in San Diego. I’m still having to work two jobs, but it’s mainly to keep my life balanced. I listened to a TEDtalks one time, and the speaker was saying it’s good to have a creative job and an “office” job, which is what I do and it keeps another form of income coming in which is a plus! For most hairstylists who are independent contractors, we don’t get retirement, paid vacations, benefits or perks that benefit in the long run, so that’s why I have a business job to set me up better. To me, I have the best of both worlds. Working in a business environment, I get exposed to the back end of what runs a company, and then I can let loose and create something when I step into the salon. Most hairstylists power through until they get the clientele they want or own their own salon, so I guess it just depends on what your end goal is.
How can people connect with you or see more of your work?
As of now I only have an Instagram dedicated to my work, inspiration and anything visual that catches my eye. I can be found on Instagram as @bananasfordiana and reached on there as well. I’m also lucky to work alongside my mentor who founded Bridal by Haydee, and some of our work has been featured in San Diego Style Weddings Magazine and Exquisite Weddings Magazine.
Contact Info:
- Address: 9625 Black Mountain Rd. #304, San Diego, CA 92126
- Phone: 6194567572
- Email: dianaramos@mac.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/bananasfordiana
Image Credit:
Mrandmrsweddingduo
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