I wish somebody would have told me that good things take time. So many times, especially when trying something new, things don’t seem to work out or get results. But because I read books, look for answers, and keep trying, I eventually succeed and feel great that I found the path I’m on. This is the kind of journey I believe all entrepreneurs have to take before finding success.
As a part of our series about “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Became An Artist” I had the pleasure of interviewing Dariana García.
Dariana García is a passionate Medical Aesthetician specializing in beauty and Stretch Mark and Scar Camouflage and is the owner and founder of Dariana García Studio. An entrepreneur originally from Venezuela, Dariana left a 25 years old family business to pursue her dreams and open a beauty clinic in a foreign country. With 6 International Certifications in Permanent Makeup (PMU) and Aesthetics, Dariana now offers services in Calgary, AB and Chicago, IL and gives back to her community by offering tattooing services in the form of free eyebrows to alopecia patients and cancer survivors and free areola reconstruction to those in need.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?
It’s my pleasure to have the opportunity of being in this place. I grew up in a traditional, Catholic, and low-income home. Because my father had to start working when he was 15 years old, he was the one who had to bring food to the table for his younger siblings. He never had the chance to go to school but my dad was a visionary who built a business in my home country, Venezuela. Along with my mom, he worked hard to provide a good education for myself and my siblings.
I learned about hard work from my father and because my mother had a skin condition called vitiligo on her legs, I learned about the difficulty women have with trying to hide imperfections. Because she had a lack of information about that kind of skin disease, and especially at her young age, she decided to hide it from everyone. During the family vacations to the beach, my mom always hid her vitiligo by sitting on a chair with long pants while watching her fun loving family play together.
Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?
I waited a long time to find a career where I could be creative and change people’s lives. I graduated from the University as an accountant in 2011 and worked in the field for seven years, but that wasn’t my passion. When I left my home country and moved to Canada I saw this change as a new opportunity to follow my career dream. I went back to school to study Medical Aesthetics and that’s how I started in this career path. After being a Cosmetic Tattoo Artist working with people with Alopecia, I found out about the Medical Tattooing technique, and I instantly knew that was my path.
Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
A very interesting story happened when I had a young lady come to me for help with covering scarring. She had caused the scarring herself when she was much younger because of the anxiety she felt after having to move from one country to another. She came to see me because she knew I was able to cover up her scars with a new technique I use that was discovered in South America using natural skin tone to hide scars with medical camouflage tattooing. That was a very satisfying way to help someone overcome a troubled past. Another young client I had came to me hopeless and with a scarring on her leg from a burn her ex partner caused. After a few sessions, I successfully covered up the scar. With tears in her eyes, she was beyond grateful for being able to cover up this traumatic scar. I find my work is able to do as much for the outside as for the inside: covering up a scar, discoloration, or stretch mark can also help improve a person’s confidence.
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?
The most exciting project I am working on right now is teaching Medical Tattooing in different countries. I’m teaching my tattooing technique in South America, Europe, and the Middle East next year (2023).
Where do you draw inspiration from? Can you share a story about that?
Inspiration in my life comes from the people I meet and surround myself with. Once, I saw a young woman in my tattoo studio. She was in her mid twenties and she came to me hopeless, with a scar on her leg made by her abusive ex-partner. This ex-partner branded her with his name on her leg. This horrible past experience was still affecting her in her present day life. She had to see his name every day and the whole situation was taking her happiness away. I did two camouflage tattoos over the scar and I was successfully able to cover it up. She texted me a year later with an update: she got married to a wonderful guy and she is very happy with the results.
Another story and source of inspiration for me is about a very nice young woman who came to me with a scar on her forehead. While I was covering it up, I saw tears coming out from her eyes. I said to her, “Whatever it is, it’s temporary.” She told me how grateful she was to have come across my site. She said that during the toxic relationship with her ex-husband, he threw a water glass at her face in front of her kids. That was where the scar came from!
I hear of traumatic stories that leave behind scars, both physical and emotional and I am happy to know that I’m able to help people with my camouflage technique. My clientele is where I draw my inspiration from.
How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?
Coming from the second poorest country in the world is a lesson for life. I don’t take anything for granted. With that being said, life is a gift and everyone has something different to offer. I offer areola reconstruction, free of charge, to women who have overcome breast cancer. Why? Breast cancer runs in my family. My mom got her breasts removed to minimize the possibilities of developing this illness. Being able to help women who have been through the whole process of chemo, and everything that involves, fills my soul. It connects me with amazing people and it creates awareness on how important it is to get your breasts checked regularly.
I also teach my tattoo camouflage technique to other artists. By sharing this knowledge, others also are able to change people’s lives. This also makes this service more widely available for those who want or need it and it’s something that I’m proud of.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why. Please share a story or example for each.
1. I wish somebody would have told me that good things take time. So many times, especially when trying something new, things don’t seem to work out or get results. But because I read books, look for answers, and keep trying, I eventually succeed and feel great that I found the path I’m on. This is the kind of journey I believe all entrepreneurs have to take before finding success.
2. Properly managing expectations. I sometimes have clients who have very unrealistic expectations of what we can do when they bring a picture of a celebrity and want to look the same. I must be clear and help them understand what we can and what we cannot do. Once we understand the beauty of medical camouflage tattoo techniques to cover scars, we are much better together.
3. Learn to have financial freedom. If I knew more about business expenses, and how to take care of them, before my business grew I would not have overspent at the beginning.
4. Knowing what my message is and not feeling ashamed of anything. When I first moved to Canada as an immigrant, I had to begin my business with broken English. Because of this, I had a lack of confidence. It took me time to understand that this was just a part of my journey. Now I am much more confident and I know how important my services are to help other people cover scars and overcome their own lack of confidence.
5. Not being afraid to grow. I started out not having my business figured out as well as I had hoped. However, as my clients grew in number, I grew as a provider for a welcome service. I now see their appreciation for what I do and I’m happy to grow my business even further.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
I would speak to young women who are afraid of going out of their comfort zone to avoid rejection. I would speak to women who still think they don’t have a voice.
What is the best way our readers can follow you on social media?
You can find more information about my services on darianagarcia.com. You can also find me on Facebook (www.facebook.com/darianagarcia.med) and Instagram (@darianagarcia.med).
This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!
Dariana Garcia: 5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Became An Artist was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.