Hi, I’m Dena, a 6/2 Emotional Manifestor.

I’m a designer, illustrator, writer, speaker, and thought leader with an interest in the human experience. 

Fashion Design

I began my career as a womenswear designer in NYC after graduating with a degree in the Science of Design. I was intensely excited and driven by the idea of moving to New York and working in the fashion industry after a summer internship with Charlotte Ronson my junior year of college. As a professional, I quickly became disillusioned by the lack of creative emphasis in the design process at the brands I worked for. The creative process felt undercut and repetitive instead of focused on what was next. I met my first freelance illustrator while working in the industry, and fell in love with the concept of creating with more freedom and autonomy.

Fashion Illustration

My muse of fashion had not changed. I often went out to the streets of New York to observe the street style, and conned my way into plenty of runway shows just to get a glimpse of new designs floating down the runway. Following my urge to begin a freelance career as a fashion illustrator, I spent years learning the basics of watercolor and building an anatomical understanding of the face and body forms. A process of trial and error paired with years of practice aided me in perfecting a style of portraiture and fashion illustration that led me to win the FIDA Fashion Illustration Award in 2020. 

Social Justice Projects

As the world began to change, my focus shifted away from fashion toward more socially conscious themes. I became more interested in using my work to say something intentional and impactful as a female creator, and beyond that I wanted to use my artwork to create the changes I wanted to see in our social and political landscapes. I designed a Harriet Tubman stamp for the $20 bill that was featured in Bust Magazine and Voice of America, as well as a tote bag that raised funds for Planned Parenthood in support of a woman’s right to choose. Through these projects I discovered my love of writing, humanitarianism, and creating far beyond the limits of illustration. 

Integration & Human Design 

My work has taken many focuses during the last decade, which has made it necessary for me to take a step back to observe myself in my creative process. To label myself as a designer, or an illustrator, or an activist, or a writer would only be part of the truth of who I am and all I have to offer as a creative. Integrating all of those forms and embracing them all has been like gluing the pieces of myself back together. 

Coming full circle to my humble beginnings as a design student, I have rediscovered my authentic Self through Human Design, a system for understanding how our unique energy flows and operates as a mechanical structure. My two main channels or themes as an output are: Structure and Transitoriness.

Structure (Design) + Transitoriness (Movement) = Artist of Many Mediums 

Nice to meet you :)