MEET: Diana Figueiredo
Diana Figueiredo
Artist Extraordinare
We’re on the streets of Stokes Croft, it’s cold, and we’re making Diana take off her jacket for her photo - just to reveal her incredible tattoos. We were laughing so bloody much. Why? Diana is just a ball of energy, a ball of really funny energy.
And to make it better, her love for what she does is more than tangible. To call it her ‘passion’ would be an understatement, creating is her life. It is her, hence why she does everything - workshops, tattoos, ceramics, painting, drawing etc etc.
We can’t wait to introduce you to her.
Tell me about yourself?
My name is Diana. My Dad’s Brazilian and my Mum is English so I’ve been back and forth to Brazil my entire life. I was born in Brazil but I did all my schooling here. I went to Bower Ashton for my degree where I did Illustration. I’ve been selling paintings since before I graduated so I mainly went down the painting route, rather than illustration, simply because those doors just opened up to me. So over the years I’ve been selling work in little gift shops and galleries. I do so many things though - painting, illustration, ceramics, tattoos, making jewellery here and there. Basically anything creative or if I can make it with my hand. I like to call it arting.
What work are you doing now?
I lost my job in November and I thought “right this it, I’m in my mid-thirties, it’s now or never. So I enrolled in a business school through the job centre. It’s like a Business Enterprise Scheme run in part by the government. I’ve had a lot of mentoring from that - lots of studying, lots of exams and I got a grant too. I’ve been working with a Business Consultant to build my business and my brand, so there’s been lots of networking. I’m just trying to make this the big launch. I’ve got a new name, new logo, a lot is new. I’m also focusing on the tattoos because that has kind of blown up; lots of interest and lots of people coming my way.
What is the new business you’re working on?
So with my main new business, aside from me continuing as a maker, I really want to be doing workshops and teaching - specifically art for mental health workshops. Through creativity, someone can go and get away from a hectic lifestyle - like an art escape - and they get to learn something new, make something and then take it away with them. It’s a real confidence boost; they’re proud of themselves. I will continue selling in shops and doing private exhibitions and commissions, I’ll always do that, that’s my thing, but how I see my career moving forward, how I want to make a positive impact on people’s wellbeing, is to do these workshops.
How do you imagine being a Creative Mentor and doing these workshops?
I wanna do stuff for corporate clients, like team building - like bodysuits and paintball machine games and crazy canvas. Or I’d love to work with Hen-Do’s. The workshops can also work alongside retreats, so I’ve got a massage therapist on board, I want to talk to a nutritionist, get meditation and yoga involved. It will be like an Airbnb!
Who do you think would benefit most from your workshops?
I specifically want to work with kids because kids who have a creative outlet when they’re young learn to understand their emotions a little bit better. They can express themselves, whether that’s through dancing or drawing or painting, and, when they get older, they’ve got coping strategies to deal with their mental health. Just the power of creativity within wellbeing is so profound. Right now we’re just touching the edge of it. Wellbeing has become this cool word and that’s great for me because people now have an understanding but also it’s still at a breakthrough stage. I want to promote an experience; it’s not about learning how to paint but how to express yourself.
What do you when you’re not making art?
So I’ve got a part-time job up in the airport, working for special assistance, because I felt like the pressure of doing my art work full time was really intense and with my mental health background I recognised I need a social connection. But I am always thinking of the business and how to build it up, so I’m moving into a new studio in Hotwells, I’m tattooing, I’ve selling some work at the Windmill Hill City Farm Shop, I’m in communications with Hall and Woodhouse and I’ll be setting up a regular Art market at the venue near me, I’ve been teaching life drawing…. I have lots of balls in the air but it’s the workshops that I want to get lifted off the ground.
To you, what does it mean to be creative?
For me, without sounding too wanky, it is the essence of life. It is absolutely innate in me; I’ve always been creative. Everything I do is creative, whether it’s laying the table or putting up pictures in my room, dancing, singing, learning languages. Just that feeling of having a pen or paintbrush in my hand and feeling the paint go on - when I don’t do it, I get really sad. I feel like I’m not living my life. This is why I want to launch it now, if I don’t do it I’ll never forgive myself. I’ve always been struggling, part time doing this, part time doing that, thinking of money, always sacrificing something, but I have to do this. It’s what i’m about, it’s my core. Creative, designer, maker.
What do you do that makes you different to most people?
Well with the drawing that I do, I’ve never seen anything else like it within the shops. I feel like my individuality and my background has brought me to a place where I’m able to express something which is a different mix. I’m half Brazilian, half English; I’ve got all my different experiences and they influence what I do. We’ve each got our mix of good stuff and bad stuff that makes us who we are and, with me, I have that fiery expression of my Latin American blood, the way that I am quite vivacious and quite outspoken, I’m loud and bold and I like to have a laugh. I don’t mind being the centre of attention or making a fool of myself. I’m an intense person. I feel pain very badly but I experience such highs.
What motivates your work?
For a long time it felt like I had the plug taken out of me and I was far too vulnerable, whereas now I can help people. Mental health takes over everything and sometimes you don’t have a choice in it. Society doesn’t accommodate to that, like in my last job I was given a week off and told “come back well or don’t come back at all” and it’s like what the fuck is wrong with you guys?!
I want to create a lifestyle for myself but it’s more than that, it’s the innate feeling in me that I have to do this - I just HAVE to do it. I spent all of these years doing things that I thought I should do because everyone else was doing it, like “I should have a proper job’ or “I should be in an office” because that’s reliable, that’s proper, but actually that’s bollocks. I want to create this structure, bring other teachers in with workshops, where I can create a better lifestyle for others too.
What challenges do you face as an Artist?
I don’t feel proper yet, like i’m treating it as a hobby rather than a business. There is a lot of stuff I don’t know and I don’t know what I don’t know. As a one man band it’s really flipping hard.
What was the happiest moment of your career?
So, I love it when my artwork makes people happy. I did this street fair down at the Watershed and I don’t like pretentious art so I’ve always had stuff from £5 to £100. If someone wants something I don’t want them not being able to have it because they cant afford it. But that day, I remember I was selling this tiny little canvas and this little girl, she must have been 5 or 6 years old, came up to me. Her tiny her hands were cupped together and she just pointed at this little canvas and gave me these little coins, like 1p’s and 10p’s, and she had got £5 together. I gave it to her and she went on her way and I just thought “oh my god, that is incredible”. With paintings you’re selling emotion. It’s whatever they feel when they look at the painting. I know when I look at others peoples work it sometimes feels almost life changing - so I can appreciate how I want other people to feel and I work because I feel that.
When you’re feeling down, what’s your best way up? I have a feeling you may say art...
You know what, it’s not. All throughout my depression, I couldn't do it. It’s really awful because I would love to be able to paint my depression and my feelings, the things you can't say with words, and I expect and hope that one day I will be able to do that. I had depression for 10 years. 9 years and 10 months it was and next week it’s gonna be my 1 year anniversary free. It’s incredible. Throughout the time, I just couldn’t work for myself. So, know what I did? Got some beats on.
Do you have a go-to song?
I fucking love Missy Elliot, I love 80’s power ballads, I love hip hop, just heavy stuff, stuff that you can proper dance to. And every day i listen to Classic FM, I go to sleep to that every night, it’s creative, expressive, incredible. But there's nothing like getting on the dance floor, sometimes I’ll just go out by myself and rock out.
Last question, you up for a collab?
Definitely. I want to infuse what I do with other people’s work - I can learn from everyone and I’ve got stuff to offer to anyone. There’s so much I want to do, I don't know how to get it out of my head.
If you’re interested in working with Diana, just let us know!
Diana will also be working with Doppler to hold our Creative Soul Sessions where you can experience wellbeing with art. We’ll be telling you more as time goes on but save the date for 23rd April!