Today we’d like to introduce you to Maria Elena.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I have always been a creative at heart. Growing up my parents had to work day and night to provide for our family. My sister and I are 9 years apart and my brother and I are 5 years apart, so, I spent a lot of time on my own. My Dad worked at a printing company when I was a kid and he would bring home boxes of colored paper. I would use that paper to draw and make origami flowers and hearts. My dad also has the skill and ability to draw and I was often inspired by his sketches. As I grew up, I took a deep interest in makeup, specifically, illusion makeup and special FX makeup. It wasn’t until high school around 2010 that I was inspired by the rise in Beauty Gurus on YouTube and hoped to one day create a YouTube channel of my own. I was very self-conscious at the time and fearful of what others at my school might think of me putting myself out there so I held off on my dream until I was in college. I attended Texas State University and decided to major in Fine Arts with a concentration in Expanded Media. Through the process of learning the fundamentals of art, my inspiration was fueled by my peers and their creativity. That’s when I was reminded of my passion for makeup and how I could combine the world of Fine Art with the Art of Beauty. I decided to start posting beauty content on YouTube and Instagram in 2017. It wasn’t until 2020 when TikTok took over the world, right as the pandemic started, that I began to see real growth. I had a few videos go somewhat viral on TikTok and reached 20K followers on TikTok by April 2020. My first viral video reached over 1M views and shot me to 100K followers by July 2020. Since then, I have had about 8 viral videos across TikTok and Instagram and I’m always amazed at how I have so many amazing and loving supporters! Since I’ve started, I’ve only wanted to inspire people to get out of their comfort zone and follow their passions. It was through art and creativity that I found my purpose. I would have never been able to reach so many people if I let the perception of others determine my actions. True happiness for me is believing in myself and having the courage to stand in my purpose and embrace the love and support I have around me. As I continue to grow, I carry the spirit of little Maria who sat in her room drawing and dreaming of all the possibilities in this world and I hope to encourage all the other little girls and boys out there to do the same. Keep dreaming!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Being a full-time student while trying to learn how to be a content creator was very challenging. I spent a lot of time in school taking art classes from 11 am to 8 pm while balancing two jobs on the weekends at times and being part of a sorority on campus. I spent many nights coming home from class and staying up until 5 or 6 in the morning the next day to make sure all my projects were completed and that I at least filmed or edited one YouTube video. Sleep was a very distant friend in college! Makeup is also an expensive hobby and I couldn’t afford to buy the newest products to review or share with my small group of supporters at the time so I really leaned into drug store makeup. My first major brand eyeshadow palette was the Morphe x Jaclyn Hill collaboration palette. That was really all I could afford and I created so many of my looks from that single palette alone! I never let any struggles or setbacks stop me from believing I could accomplish it all. I truly believe no dream is too big as long as the dedication behind it is bigger!
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a female Latina artist who focuses on makeup as my preferred medium. My work stands out most when I create cosplay-type looks and different body paintings inspired by movies, art history, pop culture, and seasonal events. My educational background in Fine Arts helps set me apart from others because I focus in on details and the fundamentals of art within each look. I treat my work as a painting on canvas, using my face and body as the canvas.
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
Growing up, I was always an outgoing and confident kid. I loved expressing myself and putting on little performances with my cousins Infront of our family in the living room. My first dream was to become a singer and perform all over the world but I soon realized I wasn’t made for singing. However, my creativity and passion never let me believe that I wouldn’t be an entertainer or an inspiration to others in some way. I was inspired by so much talent as a kid from my family members. As I mentioned, my dad was amazing at sketching and drawing. He could easily see an image and recreate it on paper at any scale and it would look identical. My uncle is a known tattoo artist in Dallas (@tattoosteveng) and I vividly remember going through his little black sketchbooks when I was little and being so mesmerized by his drawings. Before he became a tattoo artist, he was a talented graffiti artist and often painted murals on buildings for businesses in Oak Cliff around our neighborhood. Both of these men gave me so much support and motivation at a very young age in becoming a female artist representing Dallas, Texas.
Contact Info:
- Email: maria.elenaa@yahoo.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_mariaa.elenaa_/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/MariaElena08
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@_mariaa.elenaa_?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc
Image Credits
Cinphotos
