Today we’d like to introduce you to Daniela Varela. She shared her story with us below:
A curious, funny little girl from Uruguay that loved playing with her imagination ended up being a Creative Director in New York City. She had fun at school loved learning new things. She was a nerd when that still wasn’t a thing. She enjoyed the opportunities that a good story provided: discovering new worlds, realities, and people. Who knew she will grow to become a discoverer herself. Everyone suffered from not knowing what to do when they grew up; but not her. She wanted to be everything: a chef, a therapist, a tour guide, a cinematographer, a writer, a producer of music shows, and a hotel owner. Well… she ended up being in advertising, and a good professional in this field is pretty much a little bit of all of the above, all together at the same time! Her journey started in Uruguay but took a 180-degree swerve when she moved to Vietnam to become a content writer in a language she didn’t speak but in a culture that conquered her heart – and belly!-. She continued her discovery journey in Stockholm, where she professionalized her book-worm passion and got her Masters before returning to Asia. While in Singapore, she continued grooming her craft before moving to the US, not without a pit stop by Barcelona. It’s been almost six years in the East Coast, and she keeps conquering the world, one ad, one world, and one dish at a time.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Fears are monsters that take different shapes depending on which stage of life they encounter you: fear of failure, fear of disappointing those who believe in you, fear of f*cking it up, fear of not being enough. They managed a way to get into my luggage and followed me around for a while. Sometimes, until today, I keep having extra weight and I’m wondering… wait a minute… what’s this… And I found some of these little creeps. And I look at them. We talk. Sometimes, we even cry. Ultimately, we became friends. And we get along as much as possible; when this happens they are not that scary anymore. These can be named different from person to person but at the end of the day, we need to remember two things: 1) monsters are not real, we just need to turn on the light 2) if we fear, that is a good symptom, that means that we have something important to lose, and even more important to win.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
People will define me as a creative director, but that is not what I am. That is just one of the many things I do. Hence, I prefer to say I master the craft of writing and I am an apprentice of the art of hustling with joy. Or… you can call me Bat(wo)man as well: Bruce Wayne during the daytime and Gotham’s protector by night. With a subtle nuance and way less millions, of course: my 9-5 will be Creative Director, and after-hours I am a writer hustler, a doer who pursuits social projects, a relentless traveler, an amateur chef, a boxer warrior, a female and under-represented talent champion and a passionate mentor.
Empathy and curiosity, together with humor and a smile are my weapons of choice and I would say these particular set of tools set me apart, and make me be myself.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://danielavarela.com/
- Instagram: @donnatts
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danivarela/
- Other: https://bites-kms.tumblr.com/
Image Credits
Main photo – Johnny Vacar https://www.johnnyvacar.com/ Article photos – Asia Geiger https://www.asiageigerphotography.com/bio/
