Today we’d like to introduce you to Domonique Battle.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Domonique. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
It’s hard to say when I got started since I could remember I’ve always been working on being bigger and better than the person I was the day before My grandpa taught me. At a younger age the value of a dollar but time experience and every book I read as a teen taught me about Passion. I’ve been into fashion and costume for forever, the plot twist to my life is where I decided to make this a career. When going on stage in my acting class turn it into a stage fright nightmare, where I ended up on costume duty. From there I went to a fashion design high school and furthered my education in college as a Fashion Major Costume Minor. My 1st year of college I spent the better part of that year exploring all mediums, doing any and everything but fashion. In the long run that became a huge benefit into who I would become a woman of many many talents.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
O the road has never been smooth and still isn’t. The biggest struggle with any creative is struggling against your own mind and ideas. I’m one who would juggle many jobs at once. Maybe a sewing job here, a drawing job there, my actual 9 to 5, helping advising a friend, decorating my house and trying to figure out what’s the next meal I’m going to make. Aside from the challenges All entrepreneurs have with finances and a following to keep a float, my biggest challenge is focus. I never know if I’m doing too much and/or enough. If people will grasp the vision and am I directing it to the right audience.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the DomDiva Does it story. Tell us more about the business.
So the funny thing is I am my business. I spent years trying to be one thing when I realize I could just brand myself as my business and do everything. Hint the name Dom diva does it. I spent years as a freelance designer/seamstress. Starting off making prom dresses, Halloween costumes. My specialty was embellishments mints and making everyone over the top and extra as f****. The business eventually evolved into outfits for parties special events and pretty Much anything anyone could ask for in a custom. I was dressing my city under the name Trilodee in no time. With a growing confidence, I created a few collections of my own with my own vision inspired by movies. This went on for about six years on and off between proms customs and my own vision. But along came those challenges I already spoke of, with a few other challenges; working with people is not easy. This made a cause for me to want a shift in direction.
After taking some time off and focusing on my design skills and my career on a broader span in the real world I found some solace in doodling. Doodling turned into something bigger than I expected I went from apparel designer to character designer creating digital artwork of whatever came to my mind. I’ve done a few pop-up shops and sale some of my artwork from time to time online under Dom diva drew It. When the timing a lots me, I take on commissions for logos and portraits. The best Parts of DDD I is I only take on work at my own creative wheel which keeps the creative juices going. I’m working on many new exciting projects to come and even a possibility of a reprise for Trilodee.
I think the biggest thing that sets me apart from other designers and artists is that I stopped boxing my creative into one line of work and it spread over many. Making it hard to die out because there are countless things to be creative with. That’s what makes it special you feel Passion behind whatever I’m giving to you. I take pride and all of my work everything you see is a piece of Dom Diva.
What’s your favorite memory from childhood?
One of my favorite memories as a child was the Summer I spent chasing that coin with my grandpa. Not your typical childhood memory like going to Disneyland, I grew up to be a really big kid that does that every week so that is not how I idolize my childhood. The summer of 5th grade going into 6th grade my grandpa helped me make money to fund what I thought was going to be a thriving business. Making denim purses out of jeans with the pockets and everything. Every Friday we would go recycling, at that time you could make a nice buck off of glass, plastic and papers. He even help me set up clientele where every Thursday I will go and water the grass of a few houses in the neighborhood. It was chump change but at 9 and 10 I thought I was ballin.
By the end of that summer I had enough money to buy printer paper for my business cards. And a few jeans from a second-hand store to stop me from cutting up my own my mom was not happy about that. At that time he took a percentage of what I had made that summer and I was definitely confused by that but His next move made it so worth wild. My grandpa and my grandma Yvonne bought me a sewing machine. He eventually told me that I paid for 1/4 of the machine which isn’t a lot but it makes you appreciate what you have so much more when you know that you worked so hard for something that you wanted. From that summer on, I was always working on or towards something.
Pricing:
- If you’re coming to me for a logo you could spend anything from $75 to $200 depending on detail and the use of the artwork
- For portraits that can go anywhere from $35 to a $125 depending on the idea the detail and the vastness of characters. Is it just a head shot? Is it full body? Are there other people included in the drawing? This is what determines the price.
- And when it comes to design or a custom garment price the pins on the design or the garment itself. I’m not the person to come to for a custom look expecting to spend less than a $100
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/domdivadoesit
- Email: divabattle@gmail.com
- Instagram: @domdivadoesit
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