Rising Stars: Meet Aimar Díaz Tatá

Today we’d like to introduce you to Aimar Díaz Tatá.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I am originally from Venezuela, but I grew up moving around a lot. My family’s biggest move was to Saudi Arabia when I was 15; this move opened my eyes to the world and gave my family and me the opportunity to travel. My time in Saudi and the humanitarian crisis in Venezuela inspired me to study Politics and Diplomacy at Texas A&M. I loved learning about international relations, history, and sociology but I soon realized that a career in the US government, perpetuating the horrors I learned about was not for me. I graduated in 2020 in the midst of the pandemic, so I decided to work for Teach for America; my parents had just moved to Oklahoma so Tulsa was a good stop for me to be near them as well. There I worked at a Title 9 school as a Bilingual elementary teacher for two years; I first taught 1st grade and later 3rd grade. Though I loved my kids, as soon as my time at TFA was over, I decided to use my education award to pursue my MFA in Advertising. I have always loved art and design but had never had the confidence to pursue it fully. I wanted to find a creative career that incorporated what I had learned in both my collegiate years and my time in education. Advertising is that for me. In my opinion, like many other fields advertising can be used for good or evil, and it is an incredible tool to impact society; thus my goal is to translate my experiences into my designs and create culturally relevant work to leave a positive impact on the world.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It’s never a smooth road, but I truly believe that everything happens for a reason and we don’t always need to know why things happen. I went to eight schools, four of those high schools in two years. These moves taught me a lot about people and how to be social; more importantly, they taught me to be adaptable. In my freshman year of college, my father lost his job but then found one abroad my sophomore year, this taught me resilience and determination. Covid hitting as I graduated college and then teaching online through the pandemic reiterated this lesson of resilience and taught me the importance of human connection. Those are the bigger bumps amongst many small ones on the road, but each one comes with a lesson learned that ultimately has made me a better person.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
This is a big question, I consider myself a multi-hyphenate. In advertising, I love creative strategy and art direction, and in my personal life, I love illustrating and learning about history and politics. All of this informs my work, allowing me to be culturally relevant and inclusive in my campaigns. My career goal is to one day be a Director of Creative Strategy or Art Director for an agency or brand. In life, I want to dive more into my art. This past year has been a time of rediscovery for me as I bet on myself and dive into a new passion that will hopefully lead to a successful career.

Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
People want to help you when you are genuine and curious so reach out to people and build connections as much as you can. Also, reach out to people and talk to them about things that you both have in common to truly connect. When looking for people, go on LinkedIn, speak to professors, or join networking events in the area, for design I know AIGA does a lot of fun events.

All in all, kindness and confidence are key. My grandpa would always say to give “cachetadas de amor” or “love slaps” meaning if you find yourself in a difficult situation with someone else, kindness will take you further than anything else. As per confidence, if you believe you are deserving of a role or opportunity others will too.

Pricing:

• $30 Custom Portraits Illustrations

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.aimardiaztata.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aimardiaztata/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aimar-diaz-tat%C3%A1-2b369b174/