Today we’d like to introduce you to Deborah Rodriguez.
Deborah, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I have been a creative person all of my life. As I have gotten older, I have felt an increasing sense of urgency that I wanted to use my creativity to make a living. As someone who travels extensively, it is not practical for me to have a studio like a more traditional artist, so the something creative also had to be something I could carry with me, so to speak.
For as long as I can remember I was using a computer to create artwork. Really, all I was doing was doodling in MS paint. It was just a hobby that I would pick for a while and then put down again as I was distracted by other things.
In September 2016 I was extremely fortunate to be able to retire from my career in the jewelry industry. The next eighteen months were filled with extensive national and international travel – as in the first twelve months alone saw well over 100 days of travel. All in, it was an incredible eighteen months.
I was somewhere in southern Italy walking through yet another old cathedral with the most incredible hand cut, inlaid, optical illusion floor, and all of the inspiration of my travels collided with the memories of all of those doodles in MS Paint, and combined with an old idea that I had of using production companies to design my own T-shirts. That epiphany was the genesis of DRodriguez Art.
I came home from Italy in May 2017 and I got to work. The following months were a blur as I taught myself how to use a more robust graphics program and I found production companies that could make the ethically sourced, quality products I wanted. The next thing I knew, I had become an creating artwork that is printed onto textiles. Now that I have that mindset, I find inspiration and am able to execute it anywhere. It is artwork that is designed with the intent to be used and enjoyed and someone with a jewelry background that means a good deal to me.
And here we are.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Well, I am just getting started, so there is a lot of trial and error going on. Generally speaking, starting your own business is not easy. Establishing yourself as an artist is not easy. I am working to do both at the same time. That is definitely not easy. But am so fortunate I am at a point in my life where I am able to take more risks, and I am also at a really great intersection of youth and experience to see it through. There has been very much of the “throw yourself into the swimming pool to figure out how to swim” going on, but those are the situations where historically I have been at my best.
So it is all challenging. But I think the biggest challenge I am working to navigate now is how to get the word out about the artwork and the products. After all, no one can buy something if they do not know it exists.
DRodriguez Art – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
DRodriguez Art, quite simply, is graphic design for textiles. The products themselves are not unique. How many companies are selling scarves and leggings right now??? But my artwork is what makes DRodriguez Art unique and this is for several reasons:
* Storytelling – each print has a story behind it of how it came to be. Some of the stories are more mundane than others. Some of the stories are more dramatic than others. Some of the stories are more relateable than others. But I feel that regardless of what the story actually is, it is important to me as an artist, to be honest about it and to share it. Life can be very hard. But we also all have within us the ability to make it more beautiful as well.
* Thoughtful Execution – with fabric printing technology it has become very easy to print artwork onto textiles. But I take it a step further. Instead of making the fabric fit the artwork, for me the process is reversed. I design the artwork for the fabric. That means the elements are sized to look their best on fabric. Each artwork is ultimately a math exercise so that it repeated flawlessly across the fabric and showcased, so it looks its best on whichever product it ends up on. Being who I am the challenge of the mathematical precision and making it work with the whimsy of creativity is very rewarding for me when ultimately it becomes something that can be used.
* My Dogs – dogs are my favorite animal. They are animals that evolved together with humans in such an intertwined way that it ensured our mutual survival. The result is that humans have a bond with dogs that is unique on Earth. My dogs are the center of my universe and as part of sharing my life with people who enjoy my art, I talk about my dogs as well. My love of my dogs is what inspired me to become active working on animal issues in Dallas, where we have made sweeping changes in the past three years to make the quality of life in Dallas better for people AND animals. My love of my dogs also inspired me to launch the Mi Corazon collection, where 100% of all of the profits from the sales of those items will go back to the community to help pets in need.
Finally, as something quirky and fun, my dog Baboy is my pit bull supermodel extraordinaire, and I photograph him in the products as much as I possibly can. Not only is he super cute and his pictures a fun way to show off the products, he loves having a job to do and it sends a positive message about how great adopting a homeless pet can be. I strongly recommend taking a look at my Instagram account because there are pictures of a pit bull in leggings. For real. What else is there to say? Just go take a look. 😉
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
For me, success growing my business to be able to make a living with my fabric design, and doing so in a way where I can give back to the community and create win-win situations to help other people wanting to start their own business to reach their own goals. As a Dallas native, the idea of using my hometown as ground zero for this is very appealing to me. Since I hope to do what I can to make the world a little better place by the time I leave it, I feel Dallas, Texas is the best place for me to get started.
Contact Info:
- Website: Etsy.com/shop/DRodriguezArt
- Email: ArtistDRodriguez@gmail.com
- Instagram: Instagram.com/DRodriguezArt
- Facebook: Facebook.com/ArtistDRodriguez
Image Credit:
Carlos De Leon – photo credit for all of the pictures with a human in it.
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
