Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Dionna Sharay Smith. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Dionna Sharay, so excited to talk about all sorts of important topics with you today. The first one we want to jump into is about being the only one in the room – for some that’s being the only person of color or the only non-native English speaker or the only non-MBA, etc Can you talk to us about how you have managed to be successful even when you were the only one in the room that looked like you?
Being the only one in the room is something I know too well. As an African American with not-so-average curiosity and endeavors, I often find myself in spaces where people who look like me are absent.
Hmm, college has been the most lessons learned space for this dynamic. This is because every day, it was a consistent experience of being the only one in the room that looked like me. Sometimes it was uncomfortable, or this feeling of being alone, misunderstood, and powerless would transpire. Each day I fought those emotions by telling myself I belong here. This is for me as much as it is for the majority; saying that every day pushed me through. As well as strengthening my mindset to believe and have faith that what I’m doing here is necessary.
So learning that being your whole self, strengthening your mindset, and knowing you belong in those rooms if you are there has made that dynamic in my life successful and effective.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
Reflecting on where I am today and how it all started is a long journey. It all began with purchasing my first camera, a Canon T2i, in 2012. Now that I think about it, it’s wild that I financed that camera with a credit card because I didn’t have the money for a $900 photographic tool. On the contrary, it didn’t matter because my passion for photography was strong enough to take the risk and invest in myself.
After that, I started a photography company named Fake Los Angeles Photography and collections of t-shirts to promote the brand. Fake Los Angeles began to catch on amongst my hometown community, Compton, CA, and neighboring cities. Local businesses, brands, and rappers began hiring me for photography services. While running Fake Los Angeles Photography, a long-time friend, Eric Daniels, was doing videography and creating t-shirts and hoodies to promote their brand LVL HEADZ. I noticed that the clients around the town I was working with needed video services. Eric and I started a company named UNDRGRND MVMNT, where we collaborated on projects and created posters and stickers to market our brand. Fake Los Angeles and UNDRGRND MVMNT lasted for a few years until 2016.
In 2016 something inside me felt like there could be more, like I was hitting a glass ceiling. At that moment, I decided to expand my knowledge as a self-taught photographer into a trained professional. I enrolled in the commercial photography program at The Arts Institutes of California Orange County. During my time there, I learned new techniques and business skills. After two years, I completed the program and graduated with an associate’s degree in photography. Thirsty for knowledge at the time, I enrolled in the bachelor’s program. Unfortunately, before completing the bachelor’s program, The Art Institutes of California shut down in my last year due to mishandling of funds. I was devastated and did know what to do from there.
While thinking of my next move, I realized that I could not let that stop me from achieving and began searching for another art school to finish my bachelor’s degree. In Fall 2019, I started at Otis College of Art and Design, majoring in Fine Arts with an entrepreneurship minor.
I’m a 2022 graduate, working artist, and business owner. Fast-forward to now. I graduated from Otis College of Art and Design spring of 2022. It is 2023. I am running a creative consulting business, Thee Smithington, while maintaining an art practice.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Consistency, willpower, & communication are the three qualities/areas of knowledge that are most impactful on my journey. Being consistent has resulted in the fruition of whatever is planned or sought after. Then mix consistency with willpower, and you are unstoppable. The willpower gives you the strength to continue when you want to give up or things don’t go as planned because the ultimate goal is to finish. It doesn’t matter how you get there. Lastly, developing communication skills are essential in life and any endeavor. Communication allows you to talk to others and sometimes understand others because along your journey working with others is vital to success.
What advice do I have for folks that are early in their journey? Stand firm in what you want to do and start as quickly as possible. When you are on any journey, knowing your motives help you have clarity, which results in you making the correct moves that will propel you into whatever it is you desire. Then starting on those endeavors quickly as you can helps you realize if it’s something you want or not so you can be on to the next thing. Sometimes starting immediately, you get to the learning lessons quicker that teach you the necessary qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge needed to accomplish your goals.
As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?
The book that instantly comes to mind is Mastery by Robert Greene. That book changed my life’s creativity and psychology. It’s a roadmap to greatness in anything you desire to accomplish on a high level.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://dionnasharaysmith.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theephotosmith/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dionna.smith.33
