Today we’d like to introduce you to Dayna Guinn
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Hey friends! My name is Dayna Guinn. Curly headed Dayna here 37-year-old and happily married to Luke of 12 years, plus a dog mom to Seymour and have owned my small business for 3 years now! AKA, Awaken Tie Dye Company! My life hasn’t always been easy, heck I’ve felt like I have had to work really hard to get where I am today. Looking back on my younger years of working for others and seeing the hard work I would dedicate to them and also wouldn’t. I would be lying if I didn’t struggle with having a job throughout my 20s. I’d either really strive and like the job or it be the complete opposite where I hated it. From working at a restaurant at the age of 16 till I was 17 being a hostess really taught me a ton of patience, how to have a job, work ethic, how to seat and clean up tables, than going from that to working for the state just a short time as a flagger for construction, I tried to enjoy it and I did but the employees made it hard for me as I was one of the fewer women working in that crew. Made it hard and I wasn’t confident within myself to do the job. One of my favorite jobs that I had was probably when I was in my early 20s, I got the opportunity to work at a government agency in Loveland, Colorado and I had the experience of typing, and computer knowledge. I thrived at this job enough that looking back now, I am so grateful for the experience and just the overall job that I got to do. Which was doing background checks for government jobs. I ended up quitting and moving away to California which I look back on now and enjoyed the new move but the overall changes not so much. That really shaped me and almost changed me in a way that didn’t need to be. People and life teach you who you are. After California ended up being a total du. I was in need of a life change, moving to Oklahoma was next on my adventure. I moved in with my parents who had been living there, shortly got a job with a hospital as a medical assistant adding in patient information, doctor orders and anything the doctor wrote down I would add into the computer. I did that job for a 1 year and then when I felt I needed a change of pace I got a job working at the local newspaper in Weatherford, Oklahoma and I was the secretary you met at the front and worked the classified ads. I would enter any new classifieds to be added in the newspaper, answer phones, and help around the paper. That was an exciting job, one that really taught me to pay attention to details, reread things over and to ask questions. I worked there for a 1 year and then decided I had wanted to live out a dream and work at a lawyer’s office, doing legal assistant work which I learned within a month that this job was going to be extremely challenging for me and realized quickly on that this would be a lot harder and I’d have to really put in the work to be a good helpful assistant. I didn’t’ last much to say the least. All of these jobs were fun to a degree, but nothing felt right like I didn’t find my purpose yet until I worked my next job which I did that for 10 years and I’m so grateful to myself for taking that chance! I loved working in the medical field, my mom worked for a psychology practice for a good bit of her life and seeing the help that was needed had an impact on me choosing my next job. I went to a Vo-Tech school in Weatherford, OK to get my Certified Nursing Assistant license, ended up getting a job in town helping this sweet older couple with laundry, and cleaning the kitchen, bathroom, bedroom and organization. I did that for a few months till my life had a big change again and I ended up moving to Arkansas where my parents had moved to, my dad worked in the oil field, so they moved often every couple of years, so I got to see a lot of new states! I ended up getting a job at nursing home in Searcy, Arkansas where I worked there for 2 years working the morning shift 7 am to 7 pm, 3 pm to 11 pm and then doing the night shift 7 pm to 7 am. I was young and loved helping others, it brought me so much joy in that I could help someone who may be needed more help or full help. I learned to do a lot of things I never dreamed I would do, and or see. We are all human beings that when time comes, we do need help, it’s those willing that have a special place in this world. To care for an individual and help their needs is so fulfilling. After the nursing home I went a rehab hospital which was a total mind experience for me and one that I wish I could have lasted longer but it was too much for me emotionally and physically, I am proud I did attempt that job. I saw a lot of things that I can honestly say I never thought I’d see or witness. Grateful to those who help other humans when they are in health’s need. When I knew the nursing home and rehab wasn’t for me anymore, I wanted to still be a CNA just in a different way. So, I worked for a home health facility going into homes, having a more one on one relationship with the patient and in ways I could be more helpful by being their vs having a whole entire hall of people to have to care for. Within the 8 years of working in home health I had 3 full time patients all males, 3 different lifestyles and needs. One being a complete paraplegia, I worked for him for a full year doing night shift from 7 pm to 7 am, that was hard but challenging that I enjoyed how far I could push myself. Second man was diagnosed in his early 70s with Alzheimer’s, that was challenging but so fun! We would hit up the senior center often to play games and visit with others. Last man who I got the pleasure to help take care of was an older gentleman in his late 90s, just needed some help with day-to-day things plus he lived with his daughter so she wanted to make sure he wasn’t alone on the days she would be gone or busy. I miss him the most and yes, he was my favorite. I had the chance to bond with everyone I had the pleasure to help take care of and looking back I am so grateful to taking that step to become a cna and help others. I quit that job of working in home health to keep pursing another dream I had becoming a massage therapist. Went to school, graduated in 2018 but just didn’t pass the main exams. I look back and say good job you tried and succeeded just not in the way you’d imagined. I’ve accepted that it wasn’t meant to be because now look where I’m at in my life, here in 2024 I own a small business that I created from the ground up. No more working for others, until I needed too but not in the sense of money but more for interaction with others. After massage school was over and I was in the linger stage of what should I do, during that time my husband got orders to move overseas to Germany as he was serving in the USAF. We lived overseas for almost 2 and half years before returning to the states and moving to Illinois. During that time living in a new state, I also worked for 6 months in New Baden, Illinois as a deep cleaner at a local bakery this was while I was in the beginning of opening Awaken Tie Dye Co and seeing the excitement of starting something just for me! When I went from being a cna to school to not working for 3 years to staying home fulltime being a housewife, dog mom and doing the day-to-day life things that I enjoyed like cooking, crafts, gardening, being outdoors. I had tried the whole let’s subscribe to “young living” and “beachbody” to see if I could make myself some cash on the side till, I figured what I could do with my life. It wasn’t until after a few tie dye sessions with family members, friend and doing it alone that I knew I was onto something and now looking back on the past 3 years I am so beyond proud of where I started working as a hostess and now, I’m a small business owner! Fast forward to 2024, in April of this year I celebrated 3 years of opening up Awaken Tie Dye Company and it truly has been the best decision I could have done for myself, to see how far I could push myself in creating, the content I created and just showcasing my work at vendor shows. This year I will be a vendor in 3 NEW STATES plus obviously here in Oklahoma for some local shows! Back in March I had the joy of vending in Rogers, Arkansas for the Time Travelers Vintage Expo and will have a few more shows with them this year, one is June 15th in Wichita, Kansas and on July 27th I’ll be in Omaha, Nebraska, on October 12th I’ll be in Oklahoma City, OK. Just got accepted to the 918 Day Celebration for Tulsa, Oklahoma! September 18th in downtown Tulsa. You can always find my vendor show dates in my tab on my website! Want to see me at your show, please email me at [email protected]
Feeling super grateful for experiences like these that are shaping me, teaching me to be patient, giving me growth. It has come with its down too, not creating for 7 months and just taking a much-needed break really taught me that it is okay to not create every day, you don’t have to do everything that all these other artists are working on, with online sales slow during winter months and the loss of my grandma in
December, I needed time to grieve and just rest. Now I’m back creating and feeling the ideas flow again!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
No, I’d be lying if I said it was smooth. Being an artist comes with its downfalls just as any other job title comes with its struggles. Owning a business has its exciting moments as well as the negatives. My main struggle is growing the business online, increasing reach and engagement. It’s a slow growth but I am seeing growth! I remind myself daily that this is something you didn’t have 3 years ago, look how far and how hard you have worked to get here today and in all the other days that were “hard” not to give up. Instead taking breaks, resting, not creating when I don’t feel it or pressuring myself to create when I need to or must. Removing the guilty feeling and replacing it with positive mindfulness, intentional sayings.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a self-motivated individual who taught herself how to tie dye! After watching countless videos on YouTube and just allowing myself to dive deep into this new art form, that I really had only attempted 4 times prior to starting my own business that I knew I had something special, a gift that I could create really pretty works of wearable art. Ones I could be proud of and would eventually feel the excitement to start sharing with my parents, in-laws, family members of my new journey that I would be embarking on! I specialize in creating wearable works of tie dye art for people and their furry friends! I use ice & hot water techniques to create my colorful works of art. I use only high-quality dyes, that are made right here in the USA! I offer over 90 colors to choose from my own dye collection! I also specialize in offering custom orders, customers can select their specific design ranging from your basic spiral to a mushroom or a smiley face, also get to choose from a wide variety of colors to pick 1 or 5 or all of them! Now that’d be super colorful!! I offer kids sizes, baby, toddler, adults unisex, ladies’ styles from dresses to skirts, taller sizes, accessories like socks, thigh highs, bandanas, bucket hats, beanies, tote bags, aprons with and without pockets, beach wear (sarongs) youth girl dresses, tank tops, anything you think that could be tie dyed I probably have in my inventory!
Most proud of, sending 2 tapestries to SWEDEN! This still feels like a dream! Not just that but the fact when on my days when I feel defeated by lack of online sales, or less engagement from social media I remind myself of where I started and where I am at now. I have completed 27 vendor shows in the last 3 years! That’s amazing to me just from how I felt at my 1st event from farmers markets to now doing larger convention shows. Just look at me GO!
What sets me apart, I think my drive and the experiences I’ve learned in my previous life of not creating to now creating to not compare myself to other artists. I have moments where I catch myself doing things that don’t fit what I’m trying to do, then I have to remind myself of what I’m here to do and show to the world. I like to create with color, it’s the magic of tie dye adding color to white fabric! It’s fun to see what I tie up and what the reveal ends up being, sometimes I amaze myself with what I created and other times I am able to laugh at whatever design I tried. Being an artist isn’t about being perfect it’s about creating and allowing your mind, body and spirit to all flow together in harmony. It’s truly a beautiful thing when it all flows evenly together and the work your creating tells a story!
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
I think we tend to flow towards others who share the same interests and have a similar mindset of were all just trying to be creative and make the world a better place. I have a few different artists on my Instagram that I follow that I can ask questions, get ideas from and feel the support without thinking that there is different motive. Not everyone has the same mentality as me and I’ve learned that not all artists will help, and support its about finding the connection, vibes and yes, its social media but look outside of that. Can you see yourself being friends, spending time with that person. That’s where my thinking goes when it comes to finding a mentor. Can you see yourself getting the needs you have met and vice versa will it be a good fit. Also looking within to be your mentor is a must because if you’re not fully invested it’s not the other persons job to do it for you. Much love, Dayna! Dare to be different in this beautiful world we live in!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.awakentiedyecompany.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/awakentiedyecompany/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@awakentiedyecompany
- Other: https://www.pinterest.com/AWAKENTIEDYECOMPANY/
Image Credits
Photos were either taken by myself or my husband Luke Guinn