I’d been following Diana on Instagram for awhile.  She’s not only busy working a full time job, but she also creates stunning coffee paintings, curates a YouTube channel ‘diggininthecr8‘ where she talks about records, and blogs for Vinyl of the Day.

I thought she’d be a great addition to the Women in Vinyl blog because we all know #vinyloftheday but maybe you didn’t know that she doesn’t work on this full time; she’s on the cusp between working in the industry while also maintaining a full time job like a lot of you out there.  That being said you’d never know she didn’t do this from “9-5”  based on the impact she’s had on the vinyl community.

How did you get into your industry / What motivated you?

Music fascinated me ever since being a kid. With time, the passion for vinyl also emerged and I started my (YouTube) channel about two years ago. This led to being part of the (Vinyl of the Day) blog as well.

What is a day in the life like?

I am not working in the vinyl industry full-time, even though this might be the case in the future, so my normal day revolves around my main job (I work in software development), my art (drawing portraits with coffee) and of course music. I spend my free time listening to records, creating videos where I show records, talk about them and do needle drops; approach fellow vinyl collectors, record store owners and labels for interviews to put them on the blog.

What has been your favorite / the coolest thing you’ve worked on?

The coolest thing is getting to know the people behind things you admire. Be it another avid collector, a store or a label, it’s always interesting to get to know them. My favorite thing would be discovering small independent labels like RR GEMS, completely falling in love with what they do and being able to spread the word about them on my channel and the blog. When people approach me and say that they love my recommendations and that this is enriching and broadening their musical horizon, that means a lot to me.

What has been / is the most difficult part of your job?

Finding the time for it.  I would always love to do way more, but have just so little time. I hope I will be able to focus even more in vinyl-related things in the future.

For those that don’t know, tell us more about Vinyl of the Day:

Vinyl of the Day is an app-based social marketplace for record collectors – it’s a place where you can present your record collection and also sell records. What’s great about it is that it is much more personal than the usual marketplaces, plus allows you to connect with collectors from all over the globe.

We also have a blog where we post anything related to vinyl, from selected playlists to vinyl news, and we also have a couple of blog series where we showcase collectors, independent record stores and labels on a regular basis.

What advice do you have for someone wanting to get into pursuing what you’re doing?

Concerning the channel: just venture out to do it! If you love to talk about records, just hop in and do a video. The YouTube vinyl community is a kind and relaxed place.

Yes, I am!  As a teen I fell in love with hip hop and bought my first record (Nas ‘Illmatic’). But I didn’t own a record player then. The real collecting started a few years ago together with my husband. I just love everything about records: the fact that you deliberately take your time to listen to a record, the feel, the sound, the cover art, liner notes… For me, listening to a record always means to slow down a little bit and to just enjoy the moment.

What types of things are happening in your industry / with vinyl that you’re excited or worried about? i.e. innovation, or trends you’re seeing.

I am very pleased to see that vinyl seems to be way more present than it used to be a few years back. I am a bit worried that the pressing plants are always on the edge of capacity and that some of the more recent pressings appear to be of a lower quality in some cases.

What is your current music obsession?

I am always obsessed with Brian Eno and WHY?.  My favorite genres always switch between Jazz, Psychedelic Rock and Krautrock. And I am discovering something new every day!

Find Diana:

Instagram:

@crade1

@thevinylday

Website: www.vinyloftheday.com