Mariana Martinez shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Hi Mariana, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to share your story, experiences and insights with our readers. Let’s jump right in with an interesting one: What’s more important to you—intelligence, energy, or integrity?
The most important thing to me would be intelligence. I believe intelligence is the foundation for the future, every choice you make, every step you take, it all requires intelligence. Intelligence isn’t just being smart, it is one’s ability to gain and be able to apply knowledge and skills in their everyday decisions. With this ability, everything else is kind of like an accessory which allows you to become more adaptable. Intelligence helps understand the importance of integrity and apply it to uphold your values and who you are, it also allows you to push for your goals with energy and understand that fulfilling your passion requires giving it your all. Without it, I believe the entire purpose of learning how to reach for a goal and aim for it, would be lost in the process.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Mariana Martinez and I am a 17 year old model, dancer, and a small content creator. I began modeling when I was 13 years old; I started off as a quinceanera model, quickly going into the full experience of expos and open houses, around the same time I was planning for my own quinceanera.
I originally began modeling as a way to increase my self-confidence and allow myself to experience situations that were out of my comfort zone as a way to grow myself as a person. However, with time modeling became more than just an experience that was out of my comfort zone, it turned into something I really enjoyed and have learned from. When I first began my modeling journey, I was a bit skeptical of how far my journey would lead me and what new opportunities I would be able to achieve. Luckily with lots of work and help from mentors I was able to learn new skills, improve from advice given to me, and network with people in the fashion industry through new experiences. I have been able to gain so many amazing opportunities – like being featured in radio stations, interviews, and events – and meeting various different people whom I have learned from. However, it hasn’t been an easy journey but luckily I have been able to persevere and find a new form of expression for myself while highlighting my culture being a large part of who I am and helping distinguish myself from others through my diversity.
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. Who saw you clearly before you could see yourself?
My parents were who saw me clearly before I ever could. I was always filled with so much self doubt and did not believe I could experience new opportunities that seemed impossible to me, let alone be a model. My parents were always the ones to push me to experience new things, specially in modeling, in which I never thought I could fit in because of all of the stereotypes regarding models. Their constant encouragement allowed me to step into something new, something that helped me grow not only as a model but as a person. Shaping me into the best version of myself in order to inspire others to follow their own dreams, and to shape the path for my own future.
What fear has held you back the most in your life?
The fear that has held me back for most of my life has been the fear of failing. While this may be a fear that a lot of people share, it has also been one of the strongest fears for me. I would say I’ve always been quite a bit of a perfectionist, if I have a plan thought out then I need everything to occur exactly like how I imagined it. This fear has also evolved into me struggling with frustration when I feel like I have failed and led me to hesitate on opportunities when I feel like I could fail. It is really difficult to work past this fear and try to use it as something for me to benefit from, especially in a world like the modeling industry in which you have to constantly put yourself out there, take risks, and try new experiences even though you know there’s a big chance at failing. It’s an even greater fear though, when I’m trying to manage everything I have achieved so far as a model but also trying to live as a teenager that has additional goals, and sometimes it seems like you have to be able to accomplish everything to be someone. However, I’m slowly learning from this fear, and learning I don’t always have to succeed in order to be the best version of myself and accomplish my goals.
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. What’s a belief or project you’re committed to, no matter how long it takes?
A belief that I am committed to, no matter how long it takes, is my ability to make a change. I believe that in my journey, whether it’s my current modeling and dance journey or it’s in my future career, I believe I can make a change for the better in my community. I want to be able to help others feel represented by someone that looks like them. I want that change to affect everyone who feels like they need it. Whether it is a specific community or a whole bunch of communities together. I want this to be something that opens its doors for others into new opportunities and experiences. I want this future change to allow others to feel included.I believe that even right now in my model and dance journey I have been able to, and continue helping open doors for myself and possibly others who may have felt like they weren’t able to do the same thing. This is very important to me because I was once someone who believed that I couldn’t achieve opportunities like this because I had to fit in a certain standard in order to fit in. Which is why I strive to bring a change, no matter how long it takes; I know I can continue doing it no matter what path I take in the future, no matter where my career takes me, and it’s something that I value deeply.
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. Could you give everything your best, even if no one ever praised you for it?
It would be difficult but I think I could give everything my best, even if no one praised me for it. I think that giving everything just for praise and wanting others to know what you’ve done your best is not as important as other factors. I do agree being praised and acknowledged for our hard work and everything that we put into things like our passions, is something that is very important to everyone and it’s something that we seek for as human beings. However, I believe that giving everything your best is something that benefits you deep down and is something that everyone should be doing even when no one will know about it or no one will acknowledge it. I think that I could give everything my best, even if no one is there to acknowledge it, because it will set me up for my future. Being young and giving all of my work my best effort could and will set me up on the right track for what I want to accomplish and for where my values stand. I think that even if no one acknowledges what I do or how much of my effort I put into something the feeling of reward from knowing everything I worked for is worth more than what other people will think of my actions. I won’t disregard the fact that giving it my all and not being acknowledged for it is difficult but I think it’s also part of the learning path of achieving goals and understanding that hard work pays off in the long run.
Contact Info:
Image Credits
@fer_figueroa_photography
@lettyduartephotography
@roldanrivas.photo
@clicksrt19
@edychphotography25
