Today we’d like to introduce you to Dana Caldera.
Dana, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
From a young age, I loved making art, crafting, and creative problem solving. I diverted from art in college and worked as an engineer in my early career before embracing my identity as an artist and fighting to make my way back to the art world. I transitioned from engineering to teaching art, while building my personal art portfolio at night. In 2017, I earned my MFA, propelling my artwork and art business acumen to a new level. Today, I am fortunate to be pursuing my art professionally alongside some other small art business ideas as an art-entrepreneur.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
What a great question. While this road has not been smooth, when I look back it feels like all of the twists and turns taught me important lessons that prepared me for the unique position I am in today. There is a lot of advice out there for aspiring creative women and I’ll share a few of the things that helped me keep moving forward.
Trust that you know where you are supposed to be.
Leaving my secure engineering job to pursue my unrealized dream was one of the scariest things I’ve ever done. I had the support of my family, but it felt that they didn’t fully understand why I was upending my happy life. I had to stand firm in my belief that I was going to be successful, make my plan, and keep moving forward.
Be patient.
Looking online, especially today, it’s so easy to see where people are in their career and become discouraged because you’re not there yet. Entrepreneurship and art are long games, and I constantly have to remind myself that the people am aspiring to be like have been working toward their goals for 5, 10, or 15+ years longer than me. This is especially difficult and true as someone who started in this role as their second career.
Please tell us about your business.
I am a visual artist working mostly through collage and mixed media. My artwork focuses on human interaction with deep roots in psychology and sociology. I draw inspiration from my observations of community and love of humanity.
I am known for my work using found photographs, drawing inspiration from the images of people who are strangers to me. I combine layering and collage elements with representational images and abstracted areas of color and texture. Meditating on my work reflects the process of getting to know someone for the first time.
Do you think there are structural or other barriers impeding the emergence of more female leaders?
I have worked in three industries: as an engineer, teacher, and now independent artist, and in each, I could talk on this point with a different perspective. Through them all, however, I would say that one stand out the barrier to female leadership is the lack of female mentors at the top to help guide young women with leadership aspirations.
Contact Info:
- Website: danacaldera.com
- Email: dana@danacaldera.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/danacaldera
- Facebook: facebook.com/danacalderaart
- Twitter: twitter.com/danacaldera
Image Credit:
Jacki Schaefer from Water Oak Studio
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