We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Maya Perez. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Maya below.
Maya, so good to have you with us today. We’ve got so much planned, so let’s jump right into it. We live in such a diverse world, and in many ways the world is getting better and more understanding but it’s far from perfect. There are so many times where folks find themselves in rooms or situations where they are the only ones that look like them – that might mean being the only woman of color in the room or the only person who grew up in a certain environment etc. Can you talk to us about how you’ve managed to thrive even in situations where you were the only one in the room?
I like to think of everyone in a unique way and not necessarily just myself. I don’t think I am that different from any one person but I think we are all different in our own unique way and we can learn a lot from each other if we are open to it. In a realistic sense there are still a lot of traditional ways of thinking that has caused some uncomfortableness in some areas but I think finding common grounds is what makes us all connect together.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I find excitement doing different things but I am most passionate about photography and making jewelry. I started photography in High school when I joined the Photography Magnet program and it taught me how to essentially capture a good picture and edit a good picture but I also found the peace and calmness in taking pictures and capturing genuine candid moments. Now a days I think there’s a lot of people that take good pictures but there’s a difference between good pictures and art and I like to find the balance between both. Pictures are meant to tell stories and capture memories and that’s what I enjoy the most about photography. As far as jewelry I recently picked a niche to stick to. Before then I was just making pieces that I liked or taking inspiration from what was popular around me but I decided to use my jewelry to highlight what brings me the most peace, nature. Now, as I create the pieces I make I think of how it relates to some piece of nature that calms me down. If Im making a green beaded piece, I’ll think of trees or things in nature that are that color and name them based off of what I think of. I also take inspiration from places that I’ve traveled and my jewelry business as a whole feels like a personal connection of what I’ve felt and where I’ve been. When I first started making jewelry it was a nice hobby to just escape and lose myself in for a couple of hours. With time I’ve put more effort into perfecting the craft and learning more of the business side to it, to share these pieces with other people who love jewelry. However, I still enjoy making the pieces just as much if not more. Im always open to learning new things and learning new methods that may work better so I’m excited to see how both of these hobbies will turn out in the future with time and more effort.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
If I had to think of three qualities it would be consistency, patience, and time. If you’re wanting to do something just to make money fast it’s probably not going to work. For one, it takes consistency on your part in order to get good at something. When you first start out you may think things are going to work out fast and easy and I’m here to tell you it’s not. You have to keep on practicing and working on the art in order to get good at it and there’s always going to be something to learn and someone who does it better but you can’t let that stop you from doing something you love. Another quality is patience. You have to find the right audience who appreciates your art for what it is. Not everyone is going to see your art the way you do and that’s okay. It doesn’t mean you have to change your art for them to like your work, you liking your work is enough, The way you perfect it is by the quality and customer service that you give your customers not by changing your talent and art style. The right ones will find you. The last and most important quality is time. You have to be willing to put the time into your art. There’s been days where I would be making jewelry orders all day and then start editing photos from a shoot I did some days before. Expect long nights and early mornings when things start to pick up. Other days will be slower than others but finding the patience in the slow days and balance in the fast ones will definitely be one of the challenges but also one of the rewards.
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
Im always looking for creatives to collaborate with, I usually ask them questions about the inspiration behind the collection and make the pieces based off of their inspiration. If you’re interested in taking pictures and posting on social media, or social media marketing or influencer work and enjoy the creative process of creating your own unique collection then I’d be open to collaborating.
Contact Info:
- Website: azlynco.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/azlynco
- Other: instagram.com/azlynphotography instagram.com/_mayazlyn
Image Credits
Maya Perez
