Facts about Dina:
- Even though she lives in Dallas, make no mistake - she’s a New Yorker
- She is the Creative Lead for a large jewelry retailer
- She is well known in her local Starbucks and so is her order - Venti Pike Place with one pump
toffee nut syrup
- She is close with Simon Doonan and has the picture of them together to prove it
(yes, bumping into him on a recent NYC trip totally counts)
- She has tiny tiny nose bling and it seriously looks amazing on her
Daily commute
How long of a commute do you have and what is it like?
It’s a ten-minute commute (not to make anyone jealous), but yeah - ten minutes.
I HAVE to listen to music, but I can’t stand hearing advertising on the radio, so I keep switching between my “go to” stations until I find music (no “news” please).
Describe a typical workday routine.
I love routine - almost rigid to a fault. I need about 45 - 50 minutes to get ready in the morning. I snooze twice, shower, hydrate my skin, stare into the abyss of my closet, blah blah blah - get ready.
I always need Starbucks first thing every morning. I find for the nearest location when I look for a job and they know me within the first week.
No day at the office is the same because the projects I work on are all different. BUT, there is a lot of creative thinking, which I LOVE.
The “routine” part is the creative process. I love looking for inspiration, researching, reading, talking with people and implementing that into my work.
I’m home by around 6-6:30 and I work out on the elliptical for about an hour every day.
Then I spend a lovely evening with my husband (watching TV together).
I also talk on the phone in the evening with my sister and my mom almost every day, and my friends. When I had a longer commute, I used to spend that time talking on the phone (which was very convenient and a good use of time), but my commute is very short now.
What is one of your favorite things about your job?
Being creative - definitely the creative aspect.
I love working with people who are super passionate, inspiring, positive, ambitious, visionary and FUN.
I’m fortunate to work with people who are just fantastic, and they love the company they work for. They have a thirst for growth and success. And you just want to be a part of that. It’s definitely what I look for in a job and in people. It’s important.
When you leave the office, what goes home with you and why?
Barely anything. I really try not to take work home with me and I feel like I don’t need to. In most jobs I’ve had, my superiors would say, “There’s no need to take anything home. We’re not curing cancer.”
A few times, I have taken work home, just to prepare with an idea or a sketch in my head of what I want to try for a project.
I bring work home more vocally - basically saying how my day was (not that I rehash EVERYTHING), and then move on with life.
How do you balance your work life and your personal life?
I think it’s really important to laugh a lot.
My husband is a comedian and he makes me laugh all the time. I know I can count on him. He puts a smile on my face. There’s always a party by us, even when I’m in “cranky” mode - we’re laughing and being silly which just clears the air.
Working out is also how I balance the tension from work. It’s very cathartic. After an hour of working out, I feel invincible - like I can conquer the world.
