We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Paula Macena. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Paula below.
Hi Paula, so happy to have you with us today and there is so much we want to ask you about. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others developed certain skills or qualities that we are struggling with can be helpful. Along those lines, we’d love to hear from you about how you developed your ability to take risk?
I had to develop my relationship with my intuition first. I struggle a lot with anxiety after being diagnosed with it at a young age, and when I was in my late teens, it became exceedingly difficult to differentiate between my anxiety and my gut feeling. I spoke to a therapist about it, how I no longer trust myself and my own emotions. I asked her how I can differentiate between intuition and anxiety, and she said, “Well, what if they’re the same feeling?” This messed with my perspective a lot, but over time, I embraced it. That was around three years ago, and now I’m in a place where I trust myself wholeheartedly. A year ago, I was in my last semester of college, a small university on the East Coast, when I got a gut feeling that I needed to move to California. I was working four jobs while enrolled as a full-time student and getting paid minimum wage. I couldn’t afford it, but I went anyway. I’ve gone through a lot of trials since my move, and I nearly gave up. I was working as a barista in Riverside when I once again got a gut feeling that I needed to quit my job and move to LA. Again, I had no money, but I quit and told my manager I’d found an apartment elsewhere when I hadn’t. I just believed that I would. Later that same week, I found a place to live, exactly where I wanted. Taking risks pays off as long as you trust yourself to discern between the right risks and the wrong ones.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I’m a writer and overall creative, dabbling in a variety of different art forms, but my heart always lies in my writing. I released a poetry book last summer, Penance of the Byronic Hero, which is currently available for purchase. Recently, I’ve been focusing on writing my Substack newsletter, which consists of personal essays and fashion/music insights. I’ve written some screenplays that are currently in development, and made my directorial debut with a music video, which I’m interested in doing more of. Since moving to California, I’ve been hosting events for writers that place poets in the spotlight, under the name “Pluto’s” (@welcometoplutos on Instagram). I’m hoping to continue to grow and expand these events, and always vouch for writers to receive the recognition they deserve.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Persistence, creativity, and spite. In the early stages of pursuing a creative career, you’re often told how impossible it is to break into the industry, and that’s completely true. Your strength lies in proving them wrong.
Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?
I’ve been in a creative rut lately, due to some challenges that have been repetitively coming my way. The thing with being an artist is that you’re continuously recreating yourself while creating your art, and sometimes it’s hard to get to the core of both of those things. A lot of self-reflection is often needed to continue down the path you want.
Contact Info:
- Website: paulamacena.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/plutopaula
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@plutopaula
- Other: Newsletter: paulinha.substack.com
Image Credits
Joshua E.J. Perez for the photos of the poetry night.
