Marcela is the founder and Chief Creative Officer of DAHLO Studios, home to DAHLO Creations—a curated collection of soulful, functional products for inward reflection and outward adventure.

She designed and led each piece, blending expressive art with everyday utility to inspire, organize, and elevate life.

From journaling kits to home decor, each item features her original DAHLO artwork—crafted with heart and purpose.

Made with handmade details and trusted partners, every piece is unique and intentional.

Live artfully. Travel light. Create with heart. Be intentional.

Welcome to DAHLO Studios on Threadless, a curated space celebrating the power of red, white, and black.

Bold design. Redefined. Each product is a statement—clean, bold, and full of soul.

From tees to home goods, the shop blends minimalism with emotion, driven by striking contrast. Perfect for those who find beauty in simplicity and meaning in every detail.

Rooted in creativity and intention, DAHLO Studios is for those who live boldly, express freely, and speak through color.

❤️ Red for fire.
🖤 Black for depth.
🤍 White for clarity.

Marcela is a renaissance woman who shares her journey in a weekly blog—a mix of storytelling and soulwork that chronicles the bold pivots that transformed her life and brought her back to herself.

The Inward & Outward Journal is part blog, part creative rebirth—and all heart.

Born in South America, Marcela moved to the U.S., learned English, built a successful corporate career, and achieved lifelong dreams. Her journey is ongoing.

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Join her each week as she explores the immigrant experience, creative careers, spirituality, and deep self-discovery.

Marcela Cabrera is a multidisciplinary creative leader who blends creativity with thoughtful storytelling, guided daily by her creative purpose.

With a strong foundation in graphic design, illustration, video games, marketing, packaging, and UX/UI product development, her diverse portfolio showcases versatility and depth.

She has led innovative design initiatives and spoken at events like Latinoamerica Game Expo, NPR’s “Women in Technology,” and IBM’s Pollinate Conference.

Passionate about exploring new creative and spiritual dimensions, her work reflects reinvention, cultural heritage, and fearless self-expression.

As a Life Coach and Energy Healer with experience in corporate and creative fields, she offers an integrative, multidimensional approach to well-being.

Her holistic yet practical work helps those seeking more than relaxation to reconnect with clarity, creativity, and capacity for change.

Whether you’re a professional seeking balance, a creative needing inspiration, or navigating life transitions, her sessions provide a supportive space to restore what modern life depletes.

She blends Usui Reiki with guided visualization, breathwork, sound, crystals, and essential oils for a deeply restorative experience.

Marcela Cabrera is a multidisciplinary creative leader with 20+ years of experience in graphic design, illustration, UX/UI, branding, editorial, marketing, packaging, and video games.

She led visual direction for franchises like JumpStart, Curious George, PAC-MAN, and Final Fantasy, and art directed campaigns for Disney, PepsiCo, P&G, and the American Red Cross.

As Creative Director at Namco Bandai and Vivendi Universal, she managed teams, developed original IPs, and built visual systems for entertainment and edutainment.

Now, as Chief Creative Officer through her label DAHLO, she designs original lifestyle products.

Marcela Cabrera earned a Bachelor’s in Graphic Design from the renowned Instituto de Diseño Neumann in Caracas, Venezuela. Her illustration work for children’s books has gained international recognition and praise for its unique style and storytelling.

She was named one of the Top 100 Illustrators in the World by IBBY.

Her work is also acknowledged by the Venezuelan National Public Library, Museum of Contemporary Art, Bologna International Book Fair, and Mr. Toy in the USA.

Featured in the International Dictionary of Outstanding Latin American Illustrators and Sweden’s National Public Library, Marcela has illustrated over 20 children’s books in Venezuela and the USA.

My art stems from personal rebirth—as a woman and human—and serves as a cathartic exploration of life, identity, and the world.

I create from surreal, judgment-free spaces, speaking my truth and sharing stories from a life lived on my own terms.

My work explores the beauty and contradictions of human experience—joy and pain, love and loss, connection and disconnection. Through autobiographical themes, I express both light and shadow.

Art and music fuel me. Using mixed media—glass, paint, images, and found objects—I reveal emotional truths beyond words.

Every day is a birthday.

Her mostly self-taught musical journey began at 40, performing as a bassist with family, close friends, and Bay Area rock bands for diverse audiences.

She adopted the stage name DAHLO to honor her artistic heroes, Salvador Dalí and Frida Kahlo.

Now exploring Blues and the Beatles’ catalog, she continues learning and growing as a musician.

Over the years, Dahlo has played various genres, including Blues, Jazz, Alternative, Latin, Soul, Salsa, Reggaeton, and Classic French Rock.

She plans to add banjo, violin, and more piano to her musical toolkit.

As Associate Director at Hitachi, she led omni-channel strategy and research for clients like Lavazza Digital USA, unifying digital and in-store experiences.

At The Fresh Market, she directed UX strategy for checkout and payments, aligning user behavior with business goals to boost efficiency and reduce friction.

For Synchrony Bank, she developed and validated experience strategies to deliver secure, user-friendly financial tools.

At Boston Scientific, she led research to improve kidney care programs, supporting human-centered healthcare solutions.

She bridges strategic thinking with hands-on design leadership to deliver meaningful, measurable results.

Marcela has worked as an Interface Designer, UX Designer, Researcher, and Motion Designer, collaborating and delivering using tools like Sketch, Figma, Miro, Mural, Adobe Creative Suite, Google, Jira, Trello, and Confluence.

She designed UX/UI for IBM Streaming for Video, later licensed by FOX Sports for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

At Convera, she created user-centered solutions for reporting, analytics, brand identity, and scalable design systems.

With Diversitech, she supported R&D of tools to streamline product sales.

At Microsoft, she developed interfaces, prototypes, and motion graphics for IPTV platforms.

She has worked as a print design consultant on brand, editorial, marketing, and packaging projects for various companies.

She collaborates, designs, and delivers using Adobe Creative Suite.

At Snap TV Games, she designed interactive DVDs, board games, and marketing materials.

As a consultant for Lakeshore Learning, she designed and illustrated kids’ educational products.

She created promotional materials for Nova of California’s lighting line.

She developed packaging for Corimon’s clients, including Budweiser, PepsiCo, P&G, Dasani, and Sunkist.