Meet Daniela Yepez | Creative Strategist, Designer

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

Hi Daniela, how do you think about risk?

My entire professional and personal life has been marked by taking risks and getting out of my comfort zone. Just to highlight a few: starting from choosing between going to study abroad (scad) or playing it safe and study in my country (Ecuador). Choosing between finding a job in NYC or finding a job back home. Later, leaving my stable NYC full time job for opening my own design studio ¨daye¨.

Currently, I am taking the risk of expanding my design studio ¨daye¨ to Miami, which means giving my complete attention to this dream while remotely managing daye Ecuador. Attached to this decision are several sacrifices and risks that while they are worthwhile, they are never easy. Some of these sacrifices involve delegating most of my projects to my team back home. Leaving my friends and family. Temporarily removing myself from the commodity of my Ecuadorian firm. Pursuing this dream means starting from zero in a new city as an entrepreneur, without knowing if I will succeed.

Nonetheless, this decision represents: following my dreams, being truth to myself and truth to my talent, growing professionally and personally. It is not being afraid to fail because if something doesn’t work out, I am strong enough to raise again, like many other times. It means opening our lives to new opportunities, experiences and learnings.

Taking risks to accomplish your visions is vital and inevitable, and accepting the changes that comes with it, requires courage of embracing the fear of uncertainty. No matter the outcome, we grow through the process and we become more confident and resilient.

But it is important to leave those fears behind because we only regret the chances, we didn´t take.

We only get one shot in life, we better have fun with it.
If the result of taking a risk is what you expected you will be happy, if it doesn’t happen as you wished, you will be wise.

Either way it’s a win-win.

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 very proud of DAYE, my design studio. DAYE is a conceptual design firm that embraces different designs fields, such as, architecture, interior design, product design, branding and real estate development, focusing on a holistic design concept. I am proud to say that my firm was a one of the pioneers of Conceptual Design in Ecuador and new to offer complete design services. I am very happy that we introduced a new approach of thinking towards design in Ecuador and every project done there and in other latin countries are absolutely captivating.

This being said, I always knew I wanted to have my own creative firm and I knew I wanted it to be someway internationally, so my career could be attached to my love of traveling and knowing new cultures. This is the reason why I am currently in this metropolis called Miami. I consider this city a great strategic location to be, therefore I can be close to LATAM while growing in the states and it is a great connector to the rest of the world.

I would say that having my objective clear has helped me take the right steps towards my dreams and the process has naturally flow and has fitted adequately. I am a true believer that ¨ you are exactly where you need to be ¨. The decisions Ive made were not simple and challenges will always be in life but when you feel insecure or things are not going smoothly, it is important to go back and remember why are you doing this in the first place and always be truth to yourself , to your intuition and know that it is ok to redirect your plan. Keep in mind that success its not a straight line and there is not a perfect recipe to follow.

I want the world to know that my work is driven by passion and love therefore my work and life is not static, but always curious of innovations.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would suggest OJO DE AGUA or PURA VIDA (South Beach, Design District), to start with a great breakfast. I would take them to visit the RUBELL museum and see different expositions like the SUPERBLUE. I would lunch at LEKU (the museums restaurant). Also, would suggest the BASS museum and the PEREZ MUSEUM.

Going to DESIGN DISTRICT its always fun and for sure we would eat at MANDOLIN.
I would walk there, shop there and the we could go to WYWOOD and have a drink at la CERVECERIA TROPICAL or LAGNIAPPE.

Another day they could eat in at KYU or UCHI.

For sure at day at the beach at SOHO HOUSE or FAENA.
Watch the sunsets at LIDO or at the RITZ CARLTON in Key Biscayne.

I would try to go to the ballet or to some concerts.

Visit Faena hotel to see an eclectic design where my guests can also have dinner or go out.

SOCIALISTA at Brickell also a great place to have a blast.

So many fun stuff for sure!.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?

Yes, plenty, however, it is hard to think about all the people that have supported me in this crazy journey because there has been many. All the success; little or big, is a result of my work, but also it is thanks to a group of people behind me. Whether is my family, friends, mentors, professors, clients, my college (scad), my team, creatives, artists, colleagues or simply a person I met randomly and talked about an inspirational topic that would somehow impact my designs or life.

Nonetheless, if I have to highpoint someone who deserves credit for my achievements it is my dad.
He´s been my role model since little and he has always encouraged me to follow what I love and dream because he knows that when you work with passion most of the job it done. His support has been unconditional and his teachings are a reflection of his examples. What I admire the most of him, it’s how proud he is of his journey by acknowledging his successes but even prouder of recognizing and loving his failures; both personally and professionally.

He has been present every step of my life and my work ethic is shaped by the beauty of transparency that I’ve learned from him. I want my story to be real, full of ups and full of the stunningly downs.

Website: www.designbydaye.com

Instagram: designbydaye

Facebook: designbydaye

Image Credits
For the image of the exterior facade that says DISTRICT. I would like to highlight that the architect´s name is LUCAS CORREA