We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Dario Valenzuela. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Dario below.

Dario, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Are you happier as a creative? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job? Can you talk to us about how you think through these emotions?

Am I happy as a creative… Short answer is yes, I am. My life has radically changed ever since I made up my mind to pursue my own business full-time. My fellow believers out there may call it “A God thing” where everything lined up. I met the right people and connected with amazing business owners.

However, not many creatives/freelancers get the opportunity to make those connections. But if that’s you, do not worry, it’s gonna happen. You just gotta put yourself out there and be consistent. Someone will see your value and will want to work with you, hire you, support you, and then even make more connections for you. I don’t often wonder how my life would be with a “regular job.” I think we all work hard to support our families or just pay the bills and carry on. Believe it or not, I originally wanted to join the National Guard and see where it would take me. Obviously I didn’t, then I started thinking; perhaps I could become a Cop and then join SWAT. That didn’t happen either. Instead, I’m that friend, husband, or family member that’s Golfing on Monday mornings, at home editing content, available the majority of the time to do spontaneous stuff.

We live in a world where you’re in control of what you want to do with your life. Choose wisely!

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I was born in Newark, NJ, raised in Guatemala and grew up in Houston, Texas. I started my photography and videography business, Darvalife, back in 2015. It started as a hobby actually. My family got really into mountain biking when I was younger and we were the ones always taking pictures and videos. I had “experience” with editing and such but it wasn’t until my uncle bought me a GoPro that I got really into it— that was the first camera I ever owned. I started out working as a health facilitator with Harris County Public Health. After showing my former boss a video I had created titled: “visiting Guatemala after 5 years”, he made a call to the media department and to my surprise, I was transferred to the media department a month later. It was right then and there where everything made sense. I had finally found my purpose and what I wanted to do. I had an amazing mentor Henry Bradford, who saw something in me and just poured a wealth of knowledge into me so that I am able to do what I do now.

I worked there for about 3 years making documentary short films, brand videos, headshots, with long hours of editing videos, and the behind the scenes of the industry.

My transition to fully dive into my business was to focus on brand campaign videos, brand awareness, story videos, etc. The ultimate goal was to improve online presence to businesses that didn’t have that.

With Darvalife, my role and purpose is to create a captivating video to connect a potential client to these businesses. To give you an example, imagine explaining what you do to a new client. I would take that information and create a video of that to attract that population to that specific business. Another example would be “How to videos”, these in particular are crucial in explaining any questions or concerns that may come up in the future. I’ve done photo and video for weddings, & I’ve also worked in the Real Estate industry. In my opinion, shooting photo/video of Real Estate is super fun and a great option if you want a change of pace. These are just a few of the many types of services I do.

I believe in making a difference and leaving a mark not just with our craft but treating others & their projects as if it’s our own. I create to make people feel the passion that I feel in each project I get to work on.

One of the projects I am most proud of that I had the opportunity of working on was a non-profit in Africa & Rwanda — Cindi’s Hope. I was able to travel a long way from home to learn and capture the essence of their culture & it was hands down one of the best experiences I’ve ever had. I’ve visited there twice, the first time in 2018 and the second in 2021. Each year had its unique experiences and to see the growth from 2 schools to now almost 7 is incredible. Having the opportunity to be a tiny part of that is what gives me life, purpose and the “why” behind what I do.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

For me, the most rewarding aspect of being a creative is always allowing myself to dream. I’m constantly trying to create something new and share what’s going on in my mind through a video. Being a creative helps people view things the way I do and presents a different perspective. My wife can attest that she watches movies in a completely different way now because of me. I’m constantly analyzing how certain scenes are shot, appreciating the colors, sounds, and emotions. To be able to share the same personal projects with others and hearing: “wow, that was really good”, “I really enjoyed watching your video”, “I relate to this story, thank you for sharing”—that is as rewarding as a pat on the back from your father after years of needing that affirmation.

How did you build your audience on social media?

Be yourself! It sounds cheesy I know, but it’s as simple as that. About 5 years ago, I was looking for inspiration from other creators and I found this one creator that spiked my creativity further and helped me find my style. I started doing day to day vlogs on Instagram stories back when you used to only have 15 seconds to share. So that challenged most of us to be eye catching and fun to watch in order to attract followers.

It’s entertainment at the end of the day. I also think the main key is to connect with people in person.
I have found that meeting people in person and just clicking that follow button after a gig makes that connection a little stronger, and that will build your audience from a genuine place of connection moving forward.

Last but not least, don’t be mean on social media. It costs nothing to be nice and support us creators.
I started with about 200-400 followers and most of them were friends, family, and people I knew in person. Now having triple that, I’m able to network with clients through social media that support my business. However, I am at a point where I have diminished the amount of creating videos for myself or for my brand; because creating for clients are higher priority and that’s the balance with being a creative and having your own business. You have to have the passion to keep going and create for yourself, but also have to keep food on the table.

It’s important to be consistent and I’m speaking to myself here but I’ve noticed that makes a huge difference to growing an audience quicker. Authenticity & Consistency go a long way.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://darva.life/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/darva.life
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/darva.life
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darva/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/DarvaLife
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@Darvalife?si=yLrBthTTv23zkSnS

Image Credits
Charlie Garwood, Ben Petchel, Sergio Luviano