We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Maureen Martinez a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Maureen, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

Tinkering is in my genes. I come from a family of Filipino woodworkers and silversmiths. My dad loved working on vintage cars and at 78 years old enjoys refurbishing electric guitars. I attribute my curious nature and inclination to building things to growing up in a household that celebrates creativity and expression.

When I was a little girl, I aspired to be an architect. I drew floor plans of dream homes and restaurants. I used Legos to build spaces and hosted lavish events for my Polly Pockets. It was all about the details and I enjoyed putting them together to create a vision, from the waitstaff uniforms to the menu.

As a NYC kid, I was exposed to the arts and theater at an early age. This shaped my personal style and taste in music and fueled my desire to pursue a career in design. As I was touring colleges with the intention of applying to architecture programs, I discovered industrial design. It was a design field I had never known about. As I learned more, I realized it was a design discipline that perfectly suited me and what I loved to do most—tinkering. Designing everyday products for the masses to improve their experience was exciting to me and I wanted to be a part of it.

Fast forward a few years later, I received my undergraduate degree at Parsons School of Design and delved straight into a career designing houseware products. And every few years, I got the itch to try something new, picking up certifications that piqued my interest. As I continued my passion for learning, I attended the International Culinary Center and established a side gig where I baked and designed custom cakes and desserts for a few years. One thing I know for sure is that understanding people’s needs and giving them the best experience, whether it’s a product or a cake, gives me joy.

Maureen, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

With over 20 years of experience designing products in the tabletop and houseware space, I am trained to understand human behaviors, identify consumer needs, and develop products to improve their experience. An important aspect of industrial design is the behind-the-scenes nitty-gritty work involved in the production process. In order to create a great product, you have to understand and keep up with new manufacturing methods, source and explore new materials, and find ways to streamline processes. Pushing creative boundaries while understanding the constraints of manufacturing is something that industrial designers must learn to balance. It’s a challenge, but it keeps me on my toes. Although I was enjoying what I was doing, I was yearning to add to my skill set and pair it with a marketing and business mindset.

And in true Scorpio fashion, I decided to invest in myself and go back to school. In 2020, I graduated from the School of Visual Arts with a Master’s in Branding. It was a challenging and grueling program, but it equipped me with the knowledge to approach design with a branding lens. I believe that having a deep understanding of a brand and its core values is key to developing meaningful products for its target audience. What I am most proud of is that I now have a full arsenal of tools to create better experiences for the people I am designing for.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I always had a negative perception of networking. I looked at networking as a way for people to shmooze just to get their foot in the door. I shied away from attending industry events and dreaded the notion that someone might assume I was only talking to them with the hopes of a career boost. In hindsight, that mindset was rooted in insecurity. Today, as a seasoned designer, confident in where I am in my career, I have a totally different take on networking. I now look forward to design events with absolutely no expectation other than to meet other creatives—and it has been wonderful. I’ve met students simply looking for career advice to veteran designers venturing into their own design agencies. Sharing ideas and experiences with designers of different industries and career paths has been so inspiring. I’ve been missing out all these years! And surprisingly, these connections ended up opening doors for me that I wasn’t even looking for, from mentorships to teaching opportunities. Ultimately, my advice to my younger self or anyone starting their career would be to approach networking with a genuine goal to connect and be inspired. That in itself is invaluable. Any career opportunities that may come out of it would be a bonus.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

You know, seeing products that I designed out in the market gave me so much joy. It still does, but now that I’m in my 40s, what I find fulfilling is simply surrounding myself with other creatives. I’ve always had the mindset of a student, looking for ways to enrich my professional journey and learning as much as I can along the way. But I’m also at a transitional phase in my life, having enough life and professional experience under my belt, that I want to be of service to others especially to those just starting out in their careers. It’s such a treat meeting students and recent graduates, getting their perspectives on design, and seeing how things have changed since I was a student. They’re so excited to jump into the real world, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. I love seeing that.

Additionally, I’ve been managing design teams for almost two decades now and what I find most rewarding is helping them identify their strengths, really leaning into them, and guiding them in their career path. The mentorship aspect of professional leadership is not only fulfilling, but inspiring. I truly believe that a great leader serves their team and should create a space where each person can contribute and shine. I take pride in that.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.maureenm-nyc.com/