Meet Diana Davis of Los Angeles / OC

Today we’d like to introduce you to Diana Davis.

Hi Diana, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I grew up on a ranch in a very small town in Colorado, which is definitely where I get a lot of my work ethic. Very cliché small-town-girl story, but after college in Montana, I decided I wanted to move to New York City.

I had studied graphic design and photography and had actually been photographing professionally since I was 16. When I moved to New York, I had zero job, zero plan, and knew no one. But I basically networked my way into the magazine world, eventually working at Time Inc. for a few years before getting poached over to Hearst as an art director and designer.

This wasn’t my forever career by any means. I was just stoked to be in NYC and actually be doing something related to my degree. Then I got laid off in 2017, which was literally the best day of my life.

I had always wanted to work for myself, but I didn’t necessarily know if it was possible or how I would actually do it. Getting laid off kind of forced the decision. I started photographing women in wellness full time, with some freelance graphic design mixed in, and about three years into working for myself, I was making six figures doing my art, which was really freaking cool.

I was also really burnt out and anxious. I never knew when the next job was coming in. I didn’t know what I should be doing for taxes, how I should be marketing myself, or really how to run a business. The information overload wasn’t what it is now in 2019. I knew how to make the work. The business part I was figuring out as I went.

During that time, I started sharing more of my actual entrepreneurship journey on Instagram instead of only using it to market my photography. Then 2020 happened, everything shut down, and I hired my first business coach. Around the same time, I realized there were a lot of people coming to me wanting mentorship, but they weren’t asking me how to become photographers. They wanted to know how I had built a business doing creative work.

So I leaned into it because what else was there to do in 2020? I launched my first group coaching program with 18 people, started coaching creative entrepreneurs, and the rest was kind of history.

Eventually I dropped photography and graphic design altogether and went completely into coaching. I actually haven’t really picked up my camera in about five years, which lately I’ve been craving doing again, but just for myself.

My life changed quite a bit along with my business. I moved to Denver, went through a breakup, and ended up going nomadic for about two and a half years. Because my business was completely digital by then, I could run it from the road, which was a pretty incredible thing to realize. I eventually landed in LA about two years ago, and now I’m actually moving to Ireland for a few months with my Irish partner, who is a screenwriter, before coming back to LA.

Today I coach creative entrepreneurs, especially multi-passionate people who don’t want to niche themselves down into doing one thing for the rest of their lives. I also run Recess for Creatives, a community for creative entrepreneurs. A lot of what I do now comes from the things I wish I’d had when I was figuring all of this out myself: business support, people to ask the “stupid” questions to, other creatives who get it, and permission to build a business around who you actually are instead of trying to squeeze yourself into someone else’s blueprint.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Definitely not. Burnout and boundaries have been a big struggle, which I think a lot of creatives can relate to. Anxiety has been a major one too.

I really believe entrepreneurship is one of the biggest personal development journeys you can go on. It will bring up all of your BS and make you face it. It is not for the faint of heart. I’ve done a lot of healing and coaching over the years that has nothing to do with business, but at the end of the day, of course it affects my business.

Comparison has also been a big one, especially in both photography and coaching where everyone is constantly touting how much they’re making or what they’re doing. I think that can be really expansive, and it’s also something you have to check yourself on. Do I even want what that person has? That’s a huge part of what I’m big on now with the creatives I coach: carving your own path that is actually aligned for you instead of just copying what someone else is doing.

Even traveling full time was both amazing and really hard. There was a point where being nomadic felt incredibly easy and freeing, and then eventually it became really taxing. I think I’ve learned that you’re allowed to change your mind about what you want as your life changes.

I also lost my brother this year, which has been extremely difficult and also incredibly clarifying. I feel like a lot of the imposter syndrome I carried around kind of disappeared. At the end of the day, you really don’t know how much time you have. Just freaking go for it.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m a business coach for creative entrepreneurs, specifically multi-passionate creatives and artists who have a lot of ideas and don’t necessarily want to niche down and do one thing forever. I help them figure out how to actually make money from their creativity and build a business that works for their life, instead of following some blueprint of what a successful business is supposed to look like.

I think what I’m known for is being really honest about business and also not taking it too seriously. I’m very strategy meets mindset. We can talk about your offers, pricing, marketing, sales, and how you’re actually going to make money, but we’re probably also going to talk about why you’re avoiding the thing you know you need to do or whether the goal you’re chasing is even something you actually want.

I’m also really big on breaking the starving artist narrative. I made six figures as a photographer before I ever became a business coach, so I know firsthand that creatives can make really good money doing their work. And I don’t think we need to become these super polished, hustle-y business people to do it.

A lot of what sets me apart is that I’m not trying to give everyone the same formula. I actually don’t believe there is one. I want to know who you are, how your brain works, what kind of life you want, what you’re good at, and then figure out what makes sense from there. Sometimes the smartest business decision for one person would be absolutely terrible for someone else.

I’m probably most proud of the community I’ve built around that. I run Recess for Creatives, which is a community for creative entrepreneurs to get business support, meet other creative people, share ideas, collaborate, and honestly just not have to do entrepreneurship alone. Seeing friendships, collaborations, referrals, clients, and opportunities come out of people simply knowing each other has been really freaking cool.

More than any specific revenue number or launch, I’m proud that I’ve built a business that has continued to evolve as I’ve evolved. I’ve been doing this for almost nine years now, and it doesn’t look anything like it did when I started. I think that’s kind of the point.

What do you like and dislike about the city?
What made me land in LA is honestly how good my nervous system felt here. Coming from traveling full time and, before that, New York City, LA just felt easy to me. I know people who have lived here their whole lives would probably laugh at me saying LA is easy, but compared to where I’ve been, it’s pretty chill.

Just the fact that there are butterflies and flowering plants in January is a huge upgrade and has lessened my anxiety a ton. I love a good farmers market. I had a lemon tree in my backyard at my last place. You don’t get that in Colorado.

I also once heard a cab driver say, “This is a city for creatives built by creatives,” and I really feel that. You don’t get this feeling everywhere, by any means, where everyone is doing something and really trying to make their art known or get their next big break. There’s an energy to that that feels really addictive and empowering.

As for what I like least, I do think people can be a little flaky because we all have our own agendas going on, but I’ve found the entrepreneurship community to be pretty solid.

I’m not even going to lie, the driving doesn’t really bother me. I was in an LA long-distance relationship where I lived in Silver Lake and he lived in Santa Monica, which I’ve now moved to, so I’ve done my time. I get so much done in the car. And after living in New York City where you don’t have a car at all, there’s something nice about having that little bit of independence.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://dianadaviscreative.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dianadaviscreative/