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Diego, tell us your real name and where you are
born and raised?
My Real name is Diego Valdez I am from Colombia.
Did
you had a good youth ?
Yes. Amazing times.
Can
you share some words about your personal life? And are your
parents/family very proud of you?
My personal life is a normal life; I walk the dog, I love making salad
for lunch, I am going to the gym every single day for a two
hours-workout, I develop my art and projects and I take car of my
family.
When did your career as a fashion-model started? Or when did you
decided to become a male-model?
I never did the decision to start a career as fashion model; things
happens in life. I have been artists all my life, involved in arts,
theater and graphics.
In
my country Colombia long time ago, I was going to Gold´s gym – and a
photographer asked me to be the face for one of his personal
photography portfolio. The same photographer gave me more and more
work for prints, commercials, catalogs and advertising. By the time I
was 17 year old, I modelled for catalogs, TV local commercials, and
campaigns for different small brands of jeans and underwear.
Did
you had a good start?
Yes I think so. I had a normal start; modeling for me was a hobby the
first 4-5 years. I had fun in front of camera and walked around with
different clothes and got paid.
Which are the big names in the fashionworld you worked with?
Its a hard question because I can talk about the brands everybody
knows. I had the chance to model for runway, collections, prints, but
for me the first brands, where as interesting as the big names,
because everything in life is evolution, and working for unknown
brands where like baby steps to manage the big steps and the big brand
names later in my career.
How
long did you worked as a fashionmodel and which shoot or show made you
become a big name in fashion?
I
worked 15 years of my life as a fashion model; I tried to do each
single job with the same responsibility. The first time I saw my name
between the best 10 models in South America was in 2005 and at the
same year I had the chance to be between the list of the best 17
artists & professionals of Colombia for the Colombian Day in Miami
Florida 2005.
Did
you liked being a male model? And what is your best memory?
I think I am an artists and actor with the capacity and the looks of a
model.
I
really consider myself a better actor than model and I do not consider
myself as something special. I just did my very best as model, with
discipline and effort; like: studying fashion, going to the gym every
single day to face the responsibility of be in auditions, castings.
In
the world of fashion the most common word seems to be: “No” (you have
been not selected for this role) but when I got the “Yes” I was so
happy that these moments are always great memories.
What would be an advise you would point out for models who want to
start a career like you had?
My advice for models is the same always; Be prepared, because the
Fashionworld is a difficult Industry. Try to study fashion and in the
same time focus on other things in life. Doing a sport is also very
important; not only to burn the fat but to des-stress ourself as well.
About castings: try to deal with the “NO” and but never loose hope and
stay positivie because you might get the next time a big “Yes”.
About the pictures: I remember I got an
audition for Tommy hilfiger in Colombia just because of the picture of
my ID. The casting director wasnt pleased with my portfolio and ask
for the picture on my ID. He said something like: “wow, you are the
same on a polaroid as on the professional pictures” and I got the job.
Sometimes the casting director, designer, assitant director etc, just
know in a few seconds if you are the person they are looking for.
Good pictures are important, but your “real” face/looks are the most
important thing you have to offer as a model.
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About your physics: how do you maintain your
good looks? Are you afraid of getting older or are you relaxed about
Diego being a senior one day in future?
I have my workout time on the gym every single day and all the time I
am under a diet; salad, protein, water, no bread, no fast food, no
coke, no smoke, no alcohol. I love baileys and I am not perfect. In
2009 I was 45 pound over my weight that means I have been working two
years and a half to recover my fashion weight ... today I am almost
ready again for acting, commercials.
I
think everybody is worriend about getting older; but it is life. Just
take advantage of positive things and move on in life.
When did you start your work as an artist? From
model to an artist; did this career-change went smoothly or was it a
giant step in an other direction?
I have been always artists; from my childhood I have been around
theater, arts, poetry, acting etc .... in fact I am artist before than
model.
Do you prefer to work by yourself or are you a
team-player?
I love to work in a team but I know sometimes its complicated because
of the ego. Sometimes in a team of work everthing becomes in a inner
contest of ego and feedback can be really difficult. Projects seems
not to go anywhere.....
But
I have an art studio where I work in a team of work with my friends
Edward, Mauricio and Luisa. It is the Voilartists Art Studio.
Currently we have more than 7 projects in progress with amazing people
around, tons of support and love. As founder of Voilartists Art stSdio,
I gave everybody the possibility to work with passion and love.
Everybody loves what Voilartists is doing; we are getting every single
day more support, contacts, friends and chances to develop new
projects. I love that !
What are your biggest projects? Tel us something
about the work you did sofar as an artist and about future projects.
The projects we are working on right now are:
Bella B n´the seventeen nights, Master Bee the positive Bee, Anntenna,
Paco the goose, Artist together voices of hope, Lula n´the dragon fly,
Master Bee II, Bella B II. Everyname of project is on Google or go to
www.voilartists.com or
www.visionanimationstudios.com our company
partner in LA and enjoy all the things we are doing as a team of work
working in amazing environment.
Tell us something about your network and about
the thousands friends/fans you have on the internet and on forums.
How do you maintain your network?
As I have published in my public profiles, I am just sharing with
people and I invite people to enjoy what we are doing. More and more
people are involved and in love with the projects.
What is your goal in life or as an artist? and
would be your biggest reward?
Inspire others is the goal and reward the same time, that is what an
artist does.
Try
to inspire others with the own vision we have of life.
Do you think of yourself as a brandname ?
My name represent something for others, like perseverance, honesty,
art, inspiration, passion.
If
we would take a jump in time, twenty years forwards, where are you
standing or what would Diego Valdez mean to the people in general?
A good friend and a point of reference for a new generations of
artists.
Latest: what is your secret about your
self-marketing vision in life?
My secret is never stop to believe in what I do and never stop to
share what I am doing with the world, every day I am sharing a new
drawing i did as a practice, or personal pictures or poetry, or the
new mega project I am working on with amazing people around, that is
the secret.........
I
am not talking about what I did or what I am doing, I am showing the
world with proofs and facts what I am doing what I did and what will
be next. Facts are more powerful than words; that is why people love
Diego Valdez because they can see everything of me with facts.
Interview by Maria,
www.model-maria.com
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