Meet Diana Rodriguez | Makeup Artist & Co-Owner of Long Island Fashion Week

We had the good fortune of connecting with Diana Rodriguez and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Diana, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
They say newborns and babies see only limited colors from new born to 4-5 months. By 1 years old my favorite color was already purple. Imagine being gravitated to just one color at such a young age? It was only then that I started to realize color and art was so beautiful to me. I was about 7 yrs old, when I would sit on the toilet seat top fully dressed watching my mother do her makeup each evening for a night out. I remember being so amazed to watch her transform to a new person. She never noticed how I would observe her, and be truly amazed by the different colors she used each time. Kids where drawn to toys and games but I was drawn to art. I was drawing full sketches of Cartoons, Nature, Fashion clothing , etc by the age of 8. If it involved Coloring, Sketching, and Painting, I was sure to be participating. My childhood created the foundation for my current career and it was no doubt that I’d have a career in being an artist and creative.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I am a certified Makeup Artist and Co- Founder of Long Island Fashion Week. I Take a lot of pride in my businesses and career. Art has always played a very important roll in my life. It’s a pleasure to be making a living while utilizing my creativity. Makeup is an art and each face I service is my very own canvas. I feel grateful making people feel inimitable. I think what separates me from other artist’s is that makeup isn’t just a job or hobby for me. I tap into another world when I am servicing a client. I can be tired and drained and still deliver my client’s vision. I take pride in learning my clients and delivering their wants and needs.  It was because of my creative talent that I was able (Alongside my business partner) to birth Long Island Fashion Week. My goal was to create an event where I can showcase my art , however the event was so successful my partner thought it would be a great idea to turn it into a brand. This business definitely isn’t easy and We have had some challenges but I’m grateful for it all. My brother would always says “If everything in life was easy we’d all doing it.”

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If I had a friend visiting my area I would definitely take them to the Nautical Mile located in my Hometown Freeport, Ny. It’ is a strip of restaurants, lounges, businesses and local entertainment events. Two of my favorite spots on the strip would be, Puerto Plata it’s a Hispanic restaurant/lounge. They make very good frozen alcoholic drinks and have live concerts. Another one of my favorite spots is a small food business that I absolutely love called Backyard BBQ. This place is very popular in my hometown and is known for it’s flavored wings and other comfort food options.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I have had a life of trials and tribulations. I could tell you stories about my journey but I would only be admitting that I lived my life pleasing others and learning valuable life lessons. I had to go through many people to find the solid inspiring people I have in my life today. I owe much of my current success to these two people Tanyria Byer and Melissa Butler who have mentored me and guided me throughout my journey. Tanyria was my first REAL boss. I remember my first week working for her she pulled me aside she said to me “Listen when your writing a parent you want to be as direct as possible, people don’t want or care to hear a full story or excuses. You don’t have to write a full paragraph just to explain the incident so be as direct as you can” She probably won’t remember giving me this important message but I carried that with me for years and applied it to my current life. I have not always been a direct and confrontational person. That taught me that I shouldn’t waste time in over explaining myself. If I was going to be a business woman I have to be as direct as possible even if it hurts anyone.  She always believed in her staff and had high expectations for us, which I could admit at times was kind of intimidating. If I’m being honest I didn’t believe I could meet those standards consistently and I also didn’t have the qualities to be a leader yet, and if there’s anything I fear most it’s not being good enough. But she never left any room for Doubt. I believe that’s what inspires me most about her, It didn’t matter who you are or where you came from she will always push you to reach your full potential. Tanyria played a big part in the success of my career. She allowed me to run my very own first Makeup Class at her event space. She is the owner of Boss Babies Learning Academy and A successful event space called Royal Room. I believe the support and encouragement she provides is the reason her businesses have been able to reach the levels of success that it has.

Melissa is probably the person who has taught me the most of anyone in this lifetime. If I could give a gift to everyone it would definitely be her. She is the owner of Your Life Style Events and my Business partner/Co- Owner of Long Island Fashion Week. She is one of the many hard working women I have around me. Watching her dedicate her life to making her clients  visions (Including mine) come to life is truly an honor. All while teaching me to be graceful, patient, humble, and wise. I remember giving her my idea of what I wanted this year for our fashion show and to watch her successfully excute them was incredible. All I could remember was a significant amount of pride as I walked into our second Annual Fashion Show. She has no idea how much she inspires me. She juggles multiple businesses so flawlessly you would think she has a team of 100 employees. Event planners don’t get much credit for the work they do but I will always make sure I give her the flowers she deserves. Melissa also owns an event space called Midza’s Studio where she successfully hosts Women’s Empowerment Events. I take pride in showing up to those events where I get to network and soak in a lot of the knowledge that she shares about her success. This studio is also where we host our casting calls for our Fashion Show. She really is a women of many talents and I am grateful to have her in my corner. It is hard to find people who want to give you the key to victory without wanting something in return. In this lifetime your gonna meet people who want to compete with you until the end or people who want to sit right next to you at the finish line and share the win. These women have no idea what they do for young independent women like me. It would be a privilege to meet someone even half as successful as them.

Tanyria Butler – @bossbabiesla and @royalroom516
Melissa Butler – @Yourlifestyleevents and @Li_FashionWeek

Website: Lifwny.com

Instagram: Dianaaaa_r