We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Shirley Diaz. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Shirley below.
Shirley , appreciate you joining us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?
As a child, my parents (specially my dad) used to be extremely overprotective of me when it came to the outdoors. Any outing or “hangout” that involved water was an instant “no”
I remember not being allowed to go to the beach alone with my friends until I was in my mid teens, not being allowed to go on pool parties…things like that. Because of that, my eagerness to explore & be in the water just kept growing and kinda “piling up” Inside of me as I grew.
At some point in my late teens, I remember saying to myself: “I don’t want to keep waiting for the right time or the right people any longer… I want to be outside, I want to explore, I’m doing this”
So I started reading & getting into a ridiculous amount of articles, books, historical archives, old maps… you name it. I even started attending to random outdoor field trips from other universities just so I could be around outdoors experts, tour guides, arqueologists, etc (while still doing my bachelor’s in hospitality management)
and… that’s kind off when everything started.
When we’re talking about my love for the water & the ocean… it’s something that has always been there. An intense attraction that I can’t explain. Also, I have always been just randomly “good” at swimming.
I never got lessons as a kid, nobody actually ever taught me. All of my current knowledge in it has been almost completely self-taught.
Spending time by the beach, Freediving and even spearfishing are now a big part of my life.
Not so long ago I was invited to get some apnea clinics, where I was taught a series of in water safety measures, but everything else has been… well, a work in progress through the years.
Getting those apnea clinics, and also being able to combine the knowledge I acquired throughout my years in the hospitality industry with a couple of certifications like CPR, First Aid, WFA (wilderness first aid) and so on, has been extremely helpful in this constant process of growth & learning.
I will also be getting certified as a NAI interpretative guide in the next upcoming months, which I’m very excited about.
Shirley , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
About 6 years ago, when I finished my bachelor’s in the hospitality industry, I realized that I wanted to start monetizing some of my passions.
However, I wanted to draw a line. I didn’t my want this passion to become… monotonous, boring… I didn’t want to stop loving it! So I came up with my current most popular AirBnB experience “Rainforest Hidden Gems”
I wanted to create an extremely customized and eco friendly rainforest experience. Keeping it low-key, small, and intimate. My main goal was to avoid the crowed spots at all cost, as well as the areas inside the “touristy” park.
I wanted to give my customers the type of experience I would like to get myself when traveling somewhere new. Getting off the beaten path with a knowledgeable local that knows the area like the palm of their hand.
As years went by, I started realizing that my passion for the outdoors and nature overall was a lot more powerful than I previously thought.
And along the way, I also realized I had ANOTHER passion; educating people.
That’s when I also started creating cool and educational videos for tik tok. I posted videos of my shark dives and my shark interactions to create awareness on the species. As well as a lot of free diving, adventure & animal videos.
Then my first “viral” video happened.
It was a clip of me swimming in about 15 feet of crystal clear water, when suddenly the singing of humpback whales can be clearly heard on the background.
By the time this happened, I also had a part time job at a wholesale store, since I couldn’t make a living just off the forest experiences.
A couple of years went on, and I got noticed by a couple of renowned companies that offered me partnerships & deals.
So I had to quit my part-time job to be able to focus on the experiences and the content creation.
In a way, this led me to have more “free” time, so I started creating detailed “PoV” videos to show people some of my outdoors adventures. The catch? I never disclosed locations, in order to protect these hidden gems from overcrowding.
I think that was one of the aspects that people starting respecting first from my content. It’s also what set me apart from the rest of the “outdoors” content creators.
At the same time, I also started to pursue a couple of hobbies that I had been putting off for a while, like spear fishing.
I started out by learning to hunt for invasive lion fish & “lobstering”
Not even a month after I started learning, I did a lobster catch & cook video, and it turns out… that was IT.
People really seemed to enjoy that type of content, so I did a couple more videos that also did really well.
Suddenly I had people inviting me to be on podcasts to talk about spearfishing like I was an expert, and truly, I felt like some sort of fraud.
I then slowly started understanding how irrational that is, because I was (am!) still just learning. And after all, I AM doing the thing.
Even as a beginner , I AM holding my breath while hunting for my own food in the ocean.
It’s been over a year now, and even though sometimes I still struggle to understand that my imposter syndrome might never go away completely, I do understand the positive impact I’m making with the things I am doing and the content I’m creating.
My main focus right now is being able to use my social media to educate people. About the outdoors, native wildlife, sustainability, the ocean, and many more topics.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
The most rewarding aspect of my work will always be understanding the importance of the knowledge I’m providing with my content and the experiences I host.
For example, every time someone stops me in public to tell me how much they love my content, and how much it has inspired them to explore more, or to not be afraid of certain animals, or even to fish! I’m always extremely humbled and excited by that. But when there are children involved? That is when I feel the most joy. Having a 6-7 year old “future marine biologist” come up to me at a gas station to tell me how much of a fan he is, then watching the mom’s eyes just light up and telling me: “this is all thanks to you!” Is a feeling that will never be topped.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
This is always a tough question to answer, since there are so many things that are currently fueling up my journey.
I would say that currently, my eagerness to bring awareness about eco-tourism & sustainability are a big part of my motivation. But like I said, there’s so much more.
Contact Info:
- Website: https:// https://linktr.ee/paradojalogica?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAaa7487OI70MSY4MbBmNmmpnOjOIHWdHS2KPHHBzQNAQrVDZInWPAI5Gr2M_aem_3E_ORZQT4wE9Zr26y6CjAQ
- Instagram: Paradojalogiica
- Facebook: Aventureo con Shirley
- Other: Tik Tok: Paradojalogica
