For our second interview of the 2023 Delaware Fun-A-Day, we talk to hair stylist Danielle Gaines about her ink pen doodles, starting something new, setting goals and sticking with them (like marathon running), and of course, the art of hair. Thanks, Danielle!
We like to know how people are connected to Delaware - are you a resident, born and raised? What brought you to Delaware Fun-A-Day (DEFAD)?
I was born and raised in Delaware. A friend of mine Beca Sanchez was the one who told me about Fun-A-Day back in 2019.
This will be your 4th year participating in DEFAD! This year will also be the 3rd venue that you’ve joined us at for the show. The first two years you participated (2019-2020) were physically held at the Center for the Creative Arts in Yorklyn, DE, followed by the virtual year in 2021 which was all alone, and this year the show is in Newark, DE. Tell us about your past experiences with participating in DEFAD.
My first year participating I volunteered to help set up, that year will always hold a special place in my heart. It was so cool to spend that much time being with the other artists' work. You can really feel all the different personalities! Looking back, the second year was crazy because that was one of the last times we were all in a crowded public space before the world shut down due to covid!! I was grateful we were able to be there physically not knowing what the future would hold.
What ultimately made you “take the plunge” and sign-up for your very first Fun-A-Day?
I won’t lie, I was a little scared to sign up the first time. It is intimidating to put yourself out there like that for everyone to see when you just make art for your own satisfaction. I enjoy a challenge so I pushed myself out of my comfort zone and signed up.
What do you look forward to about participating this year? Do you think that your kids or other family members may start to participate alongside you in the future?
I’m looking forward to the same thing I am always looking forward to, the variety! It blows my mind how we are all given the same parameters but there is never a duplicate amongst us!! It is so fun to see how everyone's minds work to create their own interpretation of the instructions. My oldest daughter Vanessa Gaines signed up for the first time this year! I guess I am also looking forward to doing this alongside her this year!
Have your children ever been the subject of your artwork? If so, how do they feel about it? For example, do they pose for you, or give you ideas/suggestions?
Last time I participated I used photos to make sketches of my youngest daughter who was just a baby at the time as well as my oldest grandson. My children are always an inspiration to make art.
Do you have any advice for other participants about how to juggle Fun-A-Day while also managing work, family, and friends? What works for you?
The best advice I have is start a little early or produce a little extra to give yourself a buffer. It is easy to think you’ll spend a certain amount of time working on your art but life can get in the way. Also give yourself grace, maybe you don’t complete a full piece every day, that is ok too. Another thing that works for me is keeping it simple.
Speaking of finding a work-life balance as a hairstylist, mom, and Fun-A-Day participant and trying to find time to “do it all” - you’re also a runner! You’ve run and completed A MARATHON?! That’s a huge accomplishment that takes almost daily running practice to prepare for - not only so you can run that distance but also so you can finish in a certain amount of time. Way to go! Do you think that your discipline as a runner has helped with your discipline with doing a month-long daily art-challenge like Fun-A-Day?
I am a very goal oriented person. I thrive when I have a mission I am trying to accomplish. Completing that marathon is definitely at the top of my list of my proudest moments. I never saw myself as being able to run that long of a distance but all it took was willpower and training, both physically and mentally! Being goal driven while also being a busy mom/business-owner/student means I have to have good time management. Time management is important in making sure you stay on track with your art for Fun-A-Day!
You’ve described art as being just a hobby for yourself, but you also make art everyday already as a professional hair stylist… Do you classify something as “art” when it meets a certain criteria or is in a specific medium? The definition of art can be very subjective - we’d love to hear your thoughts on how art is defined or what you consider to be art in your life.
I agree I do make art everyday with my profession, it’s probably one of the reasons I feel like I’ve never worked a day in my life! If I step back and look around me, I find a way to make art every chance I get in a multitude of different ways. For me I view it as more of a hobby because I’ve never crossed over into attempting to sell my physical art or creative services(outside being a hairstylist). I was never formally trained beyond the high school art classroom and I recognize there’s artists who have poured all their time into their craft so I suppose I support them by leaving the monetizing space for them. The world is full of beauty and pain, color and darkness… to me life is art. It doesn’t have to be on a canvas or in a sketchbook, but when it is, that's a human channeling that life art inspiration into a concentration of the emotion and vision life gives them so it can be shared and that’s beautiful!!
As a certified Devacurl hair stylist you have expertise with cutting and styling curly hair, and there’s so much fun you can have! You also do beautiful colorful hair. So have you ever participated (or thought about participating) in a hair show or hair competition, for example, like this? What about using hair as the focus of a future Fun-A-Day project?
I have never considered participating in anything like that since I was in Hair school many years ago. I took part in an updo competition, it was fun.
We love your doodles! You seem to prefer working with micron ink pens and you play with shape and form a lot. At least 2 of your past Fun-A-Day projects have centered around using these pens to make abstract works. When did you start exploring with your doodles? Are you consciously making these doodles or do you make them while you’re multitasking (such as while talking on the phone, or waiting for something)?
I stumbled on my doodles and the pens just by chance. I was trying to get back into making art and found myself drawing lines and shapes and them turning into actual pieces. So as I leaned into that I found the pens and quickly fell in love with how they work with my doodling. I love to sit with headphones on and just go into a flow state but I pretty much take my sketchbook with me everywhere so if an opportunity presents itself to put pen to paper I take advantage of it. Sometimes it’s fun to sit in chaos and let the calm of doodling take me away.
Some of your doodles have so much flow and movement to them that they remind us of hair… Is there any connection there? Could hair be a possible subconscious inspiration that’s carried over into your doodle work?
That very well may be possible. I often see water in them. I also feel there’s something mathematical about them. No matter how they turn out they all start the same way… a blank mind and a simple flow of subconscious.
If you don’t mind - tell us about your heart-shaped color wheel tattoo and the meaning behind it. It’s beautifu!l It’s a tattoo that many other artists would envy. Color wheels are definitely a fan favorite among artists and can take so many different forms.
In 2019 my previous business partner and I opened Meraki Hair Studio. Our logo was the color wheel in the shape of a heart. Meraki is no longer, we have gone our separate ways but I’ll be forever grateful for that part of my journey!
Anything else you’d like to share? Maybe where folks can book a hair appointment with you to get an awesome cut and color?
I’m super thankful for being able to be a part of this event for another year. If anyone is interested in my hair services they can check out my online booking site www.daniellegaines.glossgenius.com