We were lucky to catch up with Dana Dougan recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Dana , thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

I always knew from a very young age that I would live a life of creativity . As far back as I can remember, I’ve always connected with art on a soul level. As a child, I would spend hours lost in a creative flow drawing pictures, writing stories, and playing the piano. Creating has continued to be a necessary vessel for channeling my creativity and intention. I’m grateful I have been able to turn this artistic passion into a part time career, as creativity will always be a part of my soul being and identity.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Dana. I am a mother, dog mom, manager of a cafe, and also an artist. My journey as an artist began at a young age. As a child, I enjoyed dressing up in my mom’s clothes and jewelry. I was always intrigued with how powerful jewelry can be and the way it reflects so much about the person wearing it. I have a background in art and attended college for Illustration, but I didn’t discover my true creative passion until years later when my son was born. The struggles I faced as a single parent inspired me to seek a creative outlet, which led me to experimenting with jewelry making. My work evolved over the next few years, and I eventually transitioned into resin work about a year and a half ago. My work consists of resin, paint, wood, flower, plants, and crystals to create one of a kind pieces that reflect vulnerability, culture, life and death, and our connection to nature and ritual. I currently sell my pieces at local shops, as well as shows and markets. Having a small business certainly has its challenges, but overall it has taught me valuable lessons such as discipline, time management, and setting healthy boundaries for myself.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Growing up as a Korean adoptee in Michigan, I experienced a lot of racial trauma, oppression, and abuse that I carried with me throughout adulthood. When my son was born with significant special needs, I was unable to work outside my home and it was a very trying and challenging time for me. This struggle and chaos inspired me to seek a creative vessel and find solitude through jewelry making. The process of creating jewelry has become an important ritual for me to channel my energy and intentions, and embrace the essence of nature and our connection to it. My work depicts my personal healing journey and represents my growth, freedom from oppression, resilience, and independence. Creating jewelry has taught me to embrace the darkness and lightness within myself and welcome vulnerability.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

Letting go of perfectionism and learning to set boundaries. My entire life I’ve struggled with perfectionism and being a workaholic, which has always led to burn out. Last year, I worked myself into absolute exhaustion, and I quickly learned that I needed to reevaluate my priorities, find balance, and set boundaries for myself. As a single parent of a child with special needs, managing a cafe, and also running my own business, I realized that this mindset of perfectionism wasn’t realistic or attainable. I had to accept that I am only one person, I am not superwoman, and I cant be the best at everything at once. I had a lot of unlearning to do from previous toxic beliefs I had about self worth and self love, and realizing that caring for yourself is not selfish, but necessary.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: mysticocelotshop

Image Credits
Seth Thompson