Susan’s 5 questions for Doralys Britto

Doralys: The key to my creative process is a combination of things, but most of all, it's about experiences. I love traveling and exploring new cultures, flavors, languages, places and sensations. I believe that the more you immerse yourself in different experiences, the more creative and connected you become. You realize that there are so many beautiful dimensions to things and that allow you to be open and find inspiration in everything you experience. I also love reading, it really lets my imagination flow and it helps me "travel and meet new people" without actually going anywhere. 

Another big part of my creative process is finding time for me to relax, unwind, and disconnect. I work a lot. Most of my time is consumed with making my videos, brand partnerships, business deals, panels, etc., so finding "me time" really helps me find the balance I need to come out with new ideas and do well.

Susan: I love how you highlight the different aspects of your personality in your Alter Egos series just by changing your makeup and clothes. Every alter ego emphasizes a different part of your identity - from the romanticism of Olivia to the decisiveness of Rubi. How did you come up with the idea? 

Doralys: I am always thinking of ways to grow, to evolve and to become a better version of myself. I love reading, and the concept of "alter egos" was something that would keep coming up, so I did further research on it. (The concept of alter ego is frequently used in the art world, especially in literature). When I first read about it, I thought that it was a great tool to explore different parts of someone's personality that you don't normally allow access to. It's a tool that can empower you, get you out of your comfort zone and that will help you develop a deeper connection with yourself. An alter ego is a great way to free yourself from the limitations imposed by society, your personality and your ego.

I love to talk about self love on my different social media platforms and one thing that keeps us from becoming our best version is fear. People are scared of change and having an alter ego can create distance from yourself. You'll notice you'll be more willing to take on challenges because it is not "you" who are taking those challenges, it's your alter ego. You'll be more bold and fearless.

Roberta, Olivia, Rubi and Alexis are not really a new version of myself, they are more different versions of myself. It's really fun! 

Susan: How has your Afro-Latina heritage influenced your content creation? 

Doralys: It influenced it a lot. I am a very proud Afro-Latina and a very proud Dominicana, and I love shouting it to the world every chance I get. I have very fond memories of my country, my parents still live there, and my childhood was very beautiful. The Dominican Republic was a great place to grow up; it really did shape me into the person I am today. Now that I live in the U.S., I love it too, and I take my heritage and culture with me everywhere I go and with everything I do. I know I have a big platform and a responsibility to create positive change, and that's what I always try to do. That is the mission of my work. I want to continue to create a space where people and especially girls that look like me (brown, black, with big curly hair, or dreadlocks) can see themselves and know that they can achieve everything I have achieved. We know that as people of color, we have bigger challenges, but there is space for us. If there is not, we will make space and I'm here to tell them we can make it together. 

Susan: You’ve spoken about the importance of everyone finding their own sense of beauty. What inspired you to make the video last year about your dreadlocks and embracing natural hair? 

Doralys: I wanted to celebrate who I am. I am half black and I am so proud of it. Growing up, however, I sometimes didn't feel like I should have. I got my hair straightened at a very early age because that was something that many curly-haired Afro-Latina girls do. We wanted that "euro-centric" look, as if having big curly hair was something I should be ashamed of. As I grew up and started to learn more about my heritage, I became more and more proud of who I was. So getting dreadlocks was really my way of both embracing my roots and celebrating them and also breaking a stigma that dreadlocks were a bad look. I believe the only way to break that stigma was to, first, help to normalize it by showing girls that we can have dreadlocks and be a successful business woman, and second, to educate people about the story behind it. That's what I did.