Meet Trailblazer Leah Diament

Today we’d like to introduce you to Leah Diament.

Leah, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Pursuing art is only a recent passion, five years at most, but it has come to be an enveloping, fulfilling aspect of my life that I can no longer live without. I had always drawn and written creatively but had avoided the idea of being an artist. All of my ideas surrounding artists and their lifestyles were solidly negative. So, I went to business school. After receiving a bachelors in business management and Entrepreneurship, I took off to Australia for a year-long, solo, motorcycle trip around the country. It wasn’t enough, something was still missing, I kept going. I bounced from country to country for months, beginning to pull out a Nikon that I was gifted for graduation. As the people and scenes became more and more bizarre, the camera came out more frequently and the shots started to improve. Hundreds of thousands of images later, a year in Vietnam, and a rough flight home, I landed back in Denver to sober up and figure out what I was doing with my life.

Art and work began to consume similar amounts of time with art taking most of the money work provided. Work started to take over again and I felt content that I was pursuing a career finally, making something of myself, using my degree. However, I missed making art. Not only that but to make art is only a small fraction of what it takes to succeed as an artist. I quit the job and found another that allowed more balance in my life. After three years of networking, volunteering, gallery’s, shows, creation, I am beginning to see the fruit of my energy. Being able to grow into my passion has been the most amazing and surprising thing I have experienced so far.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has been a gnarled, twisting, pothole-filled road with some of the most amazing scenery. The unfortunate thing about learning is that it is almost always painful. From having to learn how to manage sexism in the workplace to discovering where my responsibilities lie in my responses and my perspective, It has been a difficult road filled with self-doubt, job changes, and some truly baffling situations. Each time something comes up I am lucky to be able to rely on the previous experience to stay more calm and move forward more gracefully than the previous time. It has been all about learning the ebb and flow of my creativity, being in touch with where I am physically and emotionally, and being completely honest to myself while being kindly truthful to others.

The advice I have is don’t let others tell you how you feel or what you should do. If you feel like something is wrong or you are not being treated correctly, write it down first and track it. It will be easier to see the issue objectively and move forward to get help if you need to. Advice is great, but take it with a grain of salt, including mine.

Please tell us about A Vagabonds Visual – what should we know?
I specialize in Cyanotype printing using primarily my own photographs typically on 35mm Film. I do a ton of work around multiples and using different materials to print on. I am constantly evolving the work that I do in an attempt to experiment and to find the path the feels right with my art. I am most proud of my ability to push past mental barriers and “Follow the Rabbit Hole” of art. Trying new things that may fail is terrifying and rewarding simultaneously. I believe that my ability to accept and move through failure, following through with projects and ingenuity are truly the foundations of my success.

What’s the most important piece of advice you could give to a young woman just starting her career?
It isn’t going to be what you think it is. Let there be room in your head for it to be better or worse or just different, and find a good female mentor in your field who has the kind of success you are looking for. If you can’t find one, strive to be one for others.

Pricing:

• 8 X 10 Cyanotype Prints on Watercolor paper $40
• Larger Sizes available upon request $60 and above
• Custom Pieces Available starting at $100

Contact Info:

• Website: avagabondsvisual.com
• Phone: 720-737-6817
• Email: avagabondsvisual@gmail.com
• Instagram: avagabondsvisual

Image Credit:
Vanessa Moyle, Lily Grant

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