We recently connected with Dakota Tracht and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Dakota, we’re so appreciative of you taking the time to share your nuggets of wisdom with our community. One of the topics we think is most important for folks looking to level up their lives is building up their self-confidence and self-esteem. Can you share how you developed your confidence?
Confidence and self-esteem is an incredibly personal journey.
When I was younger, I had a bold, blind confidence, the sort of confidence that one has when they have not yet faced significant challenges in life. I have always been incredibly driven and excited, and this is what gave me the belief that I could do anything that I wanted. It served me well at the time, because I shot for the stars from a young age. But it wasn’t until I faced true adversity that my core inner confidence began to blossom.
My confidence and wellbeing took a huge hit when I was laid off during COVID. I realized that just because you work hard, or “do all the right things,” doesn’t mean you are going to flawlessly succeed or reach your goals. And I needed to shift gears many times in life, but this situation had me carelessly questioning my life choices.
My confidence now, both personally and professionally, is a quiet, inner confidence. And this only came with overcoming significant challenges in my life. It was a difficult process that began by getting to know myself, my habits, my true desires, and my values. I had to learn to allow myself to fail gracefully – this is incredibly challenging! What ultimately mattered was that in my failures, I didn’t attach meaning to them and instead learned to switch gears, to try again, and to enjoy the ride. I learned not to view myself as flawed, but instead took each step as an opportunity to learn and experience. This is where my true inner growth came from, and subsequently I gained the confidence to be my true self.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I work as a freelance designer in the areas of experiential / immersive environments, interiors, and textiles. Much of my childhood was spent on the floors and hallways of my family’s luxury textile factory, Millma, in La Paz, Bolivia. Memories of crawling through scraps of discarded yarn, playing hide-and-seek with my older brother, hiding underneath the ironing tables, and forging lifelong bonds with the craftsmen are some of my fondest memories growing up.
As I worked in the factory, my relationship with many of the craftsmen grew into friendships, and eventually I became a knitter myself, trained by the same women who raised me on the factory floor. I spent countless hours at the hand-loom knitting machines, honing my craft. This is where I developed the guiding principles that I apply to my life as a creator.
It is important to me to work with people who respect craft, value how things are made, and honor the people who make them. From the person cutting a piece of fabric, to the person who is installing a large interior space, everyone plays a part in making something fantastic, no matter how much credit they get. I believe this is the backbone to successful creative partnerships, and in turn successful creative projects.
In March of this year, I installed the most significant project of my career so far. I was fortunate enough to work with art director Alex Calle of Hidden Lemons on the Spellbound Bar: an immersive collaboration with the Magic Castle in Hollywood. We worked with numerous talented artisans, prop shops, framers, and technical teams and sourced original magic memorabilia from lifelong collectors to bring this project to life. We’re currently looking forward to developing the second iteration of the project on the new Princess Cruise ship, which will be similar in nature, but offer an entirely new environment, look, and story.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Curiosity, empathy, and an open mind have served me well in my journey. Curiosity allowed me to ask the right questions, go further and deeper into a design project, and learn new skills. Empathy allowed me to forge important connections with co-workers, partners, and enjoy the journey with others. We will always encounter challenges with the people that we work with, and with empathy, we can overcome these and arrive at solutions together. Keeping an open mind was important for me, because I rarely had the answers to tough questions, and keeping an open mind allowed me to be truly creative and discover new ways of problem solving.
My advice to those early in their journey would be to make as many connections as possible, and find a way to work with people that you admire and respect. I wouldn’t be where I am today if it weren’t for the mentors I have had and the people who have inspired me along the way. I would also tell folks to be true to themselves, and use that as an inner-compass, because it is easy to get lost sometimes, but if you can find a way back to yourself, it’ll never steer you in the wrong direction.
A friend sent me this quote by Martin Luther King: “Faith is taking the next step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.” It reminds me to be bold in my decisions and take risks with new ideas.
Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
I’m always looking for folks to partner and collaborate with. At the moment, my focus is to work with people in the areas of experiential design as an interior designer and visual storyteller (art direction). I love the narrative aspect of this line of work, especially in themed entertainment. I’d also love to collaborate on textile projects, whether that means developing a collection for an established brand, or producing fine-art (collaborative gallery or museum show).
Museum and exhibit design is an area that has fascinated me for some time now, so I am manifesting that in my future as well!
For anyone who would like to collaborate, I can be reached on my LinkedIn profile, or my professional website.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.dakotatracht.com/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dakota-tracht/
Image Credits
Brett Henrikson
Dakota Tracht
Nicolette Nunez
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