We were lucky to catch up with Domenica Bernetti recently and have shared our conversation below.
Domenica, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?
Being an immigrant has taught me more about resilience than anything else. When I first moved to Chile as a child, I learned what it meant to adapt, to a new culture, a new country, and even a new way of communicating. Migration pushes you to your limits; it forces you to bring out the best in yourself so you can adjust and survive. Sometimes the path is rough and confusing, but other times it reveals the incredible adaptability humans carry within us.
My second migration happened when I moved to the NYC area two and a half years ago. Here, I not only had to rebuild my career completely from zero, but I also had to learn how to navigate life in a country on the other side of the world, without family close by and in a language that wasn’t my own. Starting over isn’t easy, emotionally, professionally, or culturally, but this journey has shown me how much strength, flexibility, and courage I’m capable of.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I’m Domenica Bernetti, and I usually describe myself as a multidisciplinary artist because I’ve never been able to stay in just one lane creatively. I’ve always been curious drawn to bold colors, storytelling, and creating things that feel expressive and alive. After studying Fine Arts, I got into makeup artistry because I wanted to experiment with portraiture in a different way. Makeup, for me, wasn’t just about beauty, it became a creative tool and a way to help people feel empowered in their own image.
That eventually pulled me even deeper into photography, which I had already started exploring in university. Over time, the two things blended together and shaped the style I have today: colorful, playful, a little bold, and very people centered. I love working with individuals and brands who want photos that really reflect personality and emotion, images that feel like them.
Another big part of my life is yoga. I started practicing consistently two years ago, and it’s changed so much for me. Yoga has taught me to slow down, be compassionate, and really pay attention to how people feel in their own bodies. I’m currently doing my first Yoga Teacher Training, and I’m so excited to bring that into my life and the way I work. For me, art and yoga connect in a really natural way, they’re both about creating a safe space for people to express themselves and feel seen.
Right now, I’m focused on expanding my photography business, especially portrait and beauty work, and collaborating with brands in the beauty, wellness, and lifestyle space. I love building visual stories that feel human, soft but full of personality, and I’m excited to keep creating with people who resonate with that energy.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Looking back, I think the three qualities that shaped my journey the most were creativity, determination, and curiosity. Creativity has always been my way of understanding the world, and it pushed me to explore different mediums, painting, makeup, photography, and eventually blend them into something that feels true to me. Determination kept me moving even when I didn’t know exactly where I was going. And curiosity… honestly, that’s been the engine behind everything. It’s what keeps me learning, experimenting, and evolving.
For anyone who’s just starting, the biggest advice I can give is to stay curious and keep learning, but not just in the “formal education” sense. You don’t need a fancy academy or the “perfect setup” to grow. If you have the desire to learn, that’s already enough to begin. Some of the most important things I’ve learned came from trying, failing, and trying again.
When I think about my younger self, I’m sometimes surprised by how unafraid I was to experiment. I didn’t worry so much about getting things “right” or about imperfections. I just created. And I think that’s something worth keeping: make things, even if they’re not perfect yet. Don’t wait to reach some ideal skill level before starting a project or launching a business. Growth comes from doing, not from waiting.
So my real, practical advice is: produce, explore, and allow yourself to be imperfect. The “perfect moment” doesn’t exist, the moment you start is the moment that matters.
Thanks so much for sharing all these insights with us today. Before we go, is there a book that’s played in important role in your development?
One book that really shaped me creatively is Unmasked by Elizaveta Porodina, it opened my eyes to the way photography and fashion can merge into pure art. It showed me that images don’t just document, they can be theatrical, conceptual, playful, and emotionally charged. It pushed me to think beyond “taking photos” and instead to build visual worlds.
Another book that marked me deeply is The Character of Rain by Amélie Nothomb. It’s a short novel, almost deceptively simple, but when I read it for the first time it completely shifted my perspective on life, spirituality, and even death. The way Nothomb narrates early consciousness, with humor, innocence, and a hint of existential reflection, helped me reconsider the weight we give to beginnings, endings, and everything in between. It reminded me that life can be both absurd and meaningful, that spirituality doesn’t have to be rigid, and that our understanding of the world is shaped long before we realize it.
Just Kids by Patti Smith also became incredibly important to me. Someone recommended it right when I had just moved to the NYC area (well… Jersey City, technically!), and it hit me at the perfect moment. The book broke my heart and inspired me at the same time. It made me want to live fully, to wander through New York’s creative chaos, and to make art without apology. It felt like a companion during a very uncertain but exciting chapter of my life.
And then there’s The Artist’s Way. The methods in that book helped me build a real creative practice. It got me out of a major creative block and reminded me that consistency and self-trust matter just as much as talent. Every time I feel disconnected from my work or unsure of my voice, I go back to it. It recenters me and brings me back to that basic truth: creativity is a habit, not a moment of inspiration.
Each of these books influenced me in different ways, but together they shaped how I see art, how I understand myself, and how I move through my creative life.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Www.domebernetti.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.co/domesays
- Youtube: https://Www.youtube.com/domebernetti
Image Credits
All images by Domenica Bernetti
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
