Today we’d like to introduce you to Dana Smith.
Dana, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Art has always been something I gravitated towards; It was natural for me. I’ve been drawing, painting, and creating for as long as I can remember. It was always a fun, constructive way to express whatever frustration or feelings I wanted to voice. Because of that, I always wanted to figure out new ways to do that. After years of countless art classes and personal exploration in the arts, I decided I have to do something that allows me to create every day. So, throughout my journey, I slowly established a consistent way to create- starting with simply creating graduation caps for my peers in college to purchasing my own power tools to create furniture and home decor pieces. I never really planned to use my passion to start a business, but due to all the support and encouragement of my work over the years, I finally decided to venture out and begin creating work for others and Urban Art by Dana was born.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Haha, there has definitely been many challenges along the way. Success is never a straight route. There have been many individuals, some being women, who’ve had a hand in helping me get to where I am today. I think my biggest struggle has been time management- and not compromising quality for quantity. My business is not my only job, so figuring out a way to balance work, business, and life in general I think is an ongoing task for many. My advice to young women starting a business is to give it your all. If you’re going to do it, do it and don’t half step.
Please tell us about Urban Art by Dana.
I am an artist. Many people think that just means paintings, but I create all types of art – canvas paintings, wood home decor pieces, newspaper paintings, and graduation caps just to name a few. I am most proud of my level of care when it comes to my customers and my creations. I think that is also what sets me apart from others. I always go the extra mile to make sure my customers are beyond satisfied with their creation and their experience – even if that means I have to go straight to the studio from the airport just to finish a piece to meet a last minute order deadline. I am known for a little bit of everything, but my most popular items are probably graduation caps or my newspaper paintings.
Do you think there are structural or other barriers impeding the emergence of more female leaders?
I think the biggest barrier for female leadership, in general, is probably the belief that women are inferior or incompetent. People tend to think women just aren’t capable for one reason or another- whether it’s because she’s too emotional or she’s a mom or she’s too pretty or she simply doesn’t have the strong presence that men often have. That couldn’t be further from the truth. Any successful woman shows that not only can we be successful, but we can be successful while you do everything but show us respect by giving us the equal opportunities we deserve.
Pricing:
- all custom pieces are priced to order
- graduation caps base price is $60 (includes materials, design, and shipping)
Contact Info:
- Website: https://urbanartbydana.wixsite.com/creations
- Email: urbanartbydana@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/urbanart_bydana/
- Other: https://www.pinterest.com/urbanartbydana/urban-art-by-dana/
Getting in touch: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
