Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Perla Diaz. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Perla with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?
I grew up in an environment where I believed the only way to escape your current situation was through hard work. Being a daughter of an immigrant made me understand that things never came easily. I got my working papers and a job as soon as I could, at the ripe age of 14. My step dad would say, “don’t rush to work, you’ll be working the rest of your life.”
Growing up as a millennial American, it wasn’t long enough until I realized that work doesn’t always get you where you’d like, but rather end up exhausted and with a dead end, “American Dream.” This became true to me during my late twenties, where I worked an exhausting side job while I pursued my dreams in Photography on the side. I had zero emotional & financial support, as I was across the country from my family. I filled the gaps with both toxic romantic and platonic relationships, feeling more and more isolated. To keep up with high costs of living, the only thing I made myself available for was work. I started questioning, “what is this all for?” I dedicated every hour of every day towards my future, leaving me unsatisfied, burnt out and with zero work life balance. Don’t get me wrong, at this point I was making a good living, I had landed my first billboard, first song cover art, worked with my first big brand and my favorite artists, all of the exciting things. But at what cost? They say, if you want something you need to sacrifice. Reality is, I was sacrificing too much, and by the time I was 27, I had nothing left to give. It wasn’t sustainable for my mind, body, and soul. If I wanted to see myself thriving, I realized I had to “work smarter” rather than “work harder.”
So, after years of being burnt out and essentially treating myself like a machine, I’ve reconnected with my mind and body, my work ethic looks a little different. It took quite a few years to not feel “guilty” for having free time, and to use it wisely rather than to spiral mentally.
As an artist, if I’m not working, I’m basically keeping myself inspired by maintaining my well being spiritually, emotionally, and physically. I spend a lot more leisure time with hobbies, nature, friends and family, and finding new ways to be connected to God. I learned a difficult lesson of filling your own cup before filling into others. I enjoy finding inspiration in other things aside from photography, like psychology and humanity, other art forms, craftsmanship, and so much more. The culture we find ourselves in is always a psychological case study to me. I love to challenge myself to see how I can share those messages through my work.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
My story is not so much like others, where photography was first a hobby which turned into a formal education, and in which later turned into a career. My story is much more of an untraditional personal story….
I grew up in New Jersey, and have 3 other sisters, and one half sister. Coming from a family of beauticians and very few men in the family, I’ve always been surrounded by strong women. Things were a bit rocky in childhood but later found stability with the blessing of a stepfather, great childhood friends and their families that raised me, and I consider my own blood.
Creatively speaking, I’m a “late bloomer,” so instead of being the one ‘who always had a camera,’ that wasn’t really me until I turned 22 or so. Sure, I was always more of a creative person, and I always did take party photos on my little digital camera just to upload them onto Facebook the next day, but that’s really it. Growing up in a small beach community in New Jersey, most of the industries I grew up around were in the finances, real estate, or hospitality world. I had no idea what a career path in an artistic field would get me, or what that even looked like. So when it was time for college, I just picked my first real curiosity in life- psychology.
3 years in, something that I can only describe as being sort of magical happened. I had already known that I wasn’t going to pursue a career in my major, not because I didn’t love it, but because the thought of unpacking such heavy topics day in and day out would be pretty difficult for me. I was over all the binge drinking, drugs and partying (my sole “hobby” in my teens into young adulthood), and was living in an insanely underground and creative hub in Tallahassee, FL. My psychology courses taught me how little we actually use our minds, as if our brains were the true last frontier to be discovered. It was inspiring to think about how beautiful and fulfilling life could be if we fully challenged ourselves. Gosh what a beautiful time that was of endless and the most raw creativity and zero doubts. I started a little online shop reselling vintage clothes and was introduced to photography this way. The rest is really history. Sometimes I think it was divine intervention guiding me because it was honestly such a drastic change…. as if I were a completely different person.
Only 6 months after graduation, I was LA bound. Unbeknownst to me, this 3000 mile move in a completely new culture and no family, in a new career path would be way more difficult than my naive mind could understand. As quick as I closed up one chapter, I had just entered another wild, unpredictable ride leading to more lessons gained. It was tough learning as I went, keeping up with high living costs, working full time, trying to become a better photographer on the side, and still using photography as a creative outlet. I even put the pressure of escaping my generational trauma on my camera. I struggled really hard with imposter syndrome. I shot every genre of photography you could think of, from interior design, to celebrities, to beauty, to events, and so much more. Looking back, the pressure and my expectations were kind of insane and not the most fun to talk about. As an artist learning on the go… I know I’m not the only one experiencing this!
So now, I’m 31 and I’m in a whole new era. Lifestyle changes and healing has occurred and the dust has settled. I have an amazing and supportive partner and quality friendships. I’ve reworked the toxic narratives that ruled my perspective and life is beautiful & optimistic again. That exciting, limitless inspiration I once experienced at the beginning of my career is back. I’ve had to be reborn and die a thousand times to be where I’m at but this time, it all makes sense and feeds my soul instead of depleting. Once I make a personal breakthrough, that same breakthrough brings my career to the next level, and I’ve fully accepted it. My soul purpose is to figure out how to harness a beautiful relationship between the two, just so I could continue to grow and to share my gifts with the world.
At this moment, I’m about 10 years into my photography career and have made a full commitment to a career in fashion & beauty photography (and continue my portrait photography). It’s an amazing feeling to finally know exactly where I want to go and have a better understanding on how to get there! I know the story I want to tell, my subject matter, what jobs I will or won’t do. I’m confident in my technical skills that I’ve been developing, and will continue to develop! It all feels like a really great place to be in!
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?
The three most important qualities in my journey is…
Resilience
Discernment
Worthiness
Resilience is so important because let’s face it.. We all get dealt different cards, and life is full of challenges and suffering. If you’re concerned with how much it sucks, you’ll miss out on all the beauty. There’s always a silver lining. There’s a better you at the end of our struggles, but only if we allow it to teach us. We’re students of life and the duality of it all is what makes the human experience so rich.
Discernment is something that took me a while to gain a full grasp on, but I’m learning to be more and more important. What’s you is meant for you, and what isn’t will quietly make itself known. Trust that. Allow what is true to come forward. There is a time and place for everything. If you’re lacking discernment in an area of life, that probably means you’re struggling to accept something for what it is. And if you’re in that case, you’ve got a bigger lesson at the end of the road.
Worthiness
I was going to put confidence, but worthiness is more important in my perspective because it is pure and more of an intimate look at ourselves. Feeling worthy means feeling good enough no matter the circumstance. I think if you have a healthy view of worthiness, confidence will come naturally and with full truth. On the contrary (gaining worthiness from confidence) I’m not sure if you can say the same, “true” experience.
Who is your ideal client or what sort of characteristics would make someone an ideal client for you?
I’m not really a “show up and shoot” type of person so an ideal client is one that gives me creative direction and respects my process! If I can’t creative direct, I like to be on the same page with all the aspects of a shoot, like model selection, hair, makeup, and wardrobe, set styling, locations, etc. I love to submerge myself in a concept “as if I were there” and bring all the supporting elements together to tell a certain story. It’s like an ecosystem- every difference is honored and all elements must work together for a desired outcome.
Also, I’m not so much a surface level type of person, I’m ideal for clients and brands who want to show themselves, their product or service in a more intimate, in depth perspective. Using moody and editorial imagery, I love to share a sense of humanity, authenticity and connect with the audience on a deeper level.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.perlaxdiaz.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/perllllz
- Email: [email protected]
Image Credits
All photos taken by Perla Diaz
