We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Denisse Xochiquetzal Marquez a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Denisse Xochiquetzal, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to go back in time and hear the story of how you came up with the name of your brand?
When starting out my Photography work in highschool I certainly did have trouble coming up with a good name to go as or to use within the watermarks of my work. By now I’ve had about four or five name changes! Started off as just my name Denisse Marquez but, to me that didn’t look too catching. For one my name is long and it would look too wordy on the bottom left hand of my images. I then started a YouTube channel naming it “Cause it’s the weeknd”, misspelling “Weeknd” was for the extra cool hip points. That YouTube channel was short lived due to covid. Wanting to grow clientele I wanted to reach for adding in my home towns area code “915” to naturally, “915 Photography” was the new name. Again, felt too wordy and I didn’t feel too attached to the name, felt generic and too wordy in the watermark. The initials for my whole name is “DXM”, and I wanted to some how integrate that. So then I wanted to see how DXM Photography felt, adding in my signature on top. In a bold black and white circular logo “DXM Photography” was born. Yet, as I grew more followers and actually started to get little gigs here and there. The logo felt too bulky and drew the eye to it too much in photos. Multimedia started to gain my attention as I had begun highschool. Video editing, social media content creating, copy writing, press releases, journalism, web site design, I wanted to do it all! One day it just clicked, “DXMULTIMEDIA”. A mix of my name initials with the beginning of the M in multimedia. With a simple signature above it, I finally had a logo and name that I liked and suited what I wanted to do in the long run.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I’m Denisse Xochiquetzal Marquez (Xochi) a 23 year old photographer based out of El Paso Texas. A mid-sized but growing city right on the most west point of Texas and on southern border along side Ciudad Juarez Mexico. Growing up along side the border since about mid-elementary school, has shaped me who I am today. A proud Queer Mexican-American, an identity that feeds into who I am as a creative.
I was always an artsy kid, rather than choosing music classes in elementary school I always chose art. I enjoyed drawing and doodling a lot. Getting into photography and holding a camera was something that felt as natural as walking or running for me. What started off as me begging my mom for her old Samsung Touch to take little photos here and there. Lead to me getting my first camera thanks to my parents one Christmas, around late middle school. In high school I made my way into the A/V and yearbook classes and extracurriculars. I definitely was that little nerd that walked around with those big ol’ camera bags the teachers would make us carry. For a long time I thought I would get into Veterinary medicine. Up to high school I was apart of the Animal Sciences Endorsement, on weekends I would volunteer in the OR at my local Animal Services on spay and neuter days.
When it was time for college I did have to make that choice of what I truly wanted to do. Digital Media is where I knew I would be happy. To this day, I’m more than glad I made that decision. The world of digital media, has opened so many doors for me, and excites me at every turn. Making the decision to transfer from University of Texas at El Paso over to Texas Tech University, is another decision I will never regret. Moving away from home for the first time and getting the full experience of starting off new in every aspect is what made me grow into the person I am today. Not to mention all the friends I now call family, and the professors who have taught me. I wouldn’t be the person I am today if it wasn’t for Lubbock.
I see DXMULTIMEDIA is an extension of me rather than a separate entity/ business. My photography work revolves around Runways, Concerts, Grad Portraits, and Landscapes. I have dappled in Journalism a bit during my 2-week Special Topics in Journalism study away course (Shoutout Dr.Eko). In addition to Photography I’m able to provide to clients Digital Media Solutions. From advertising copyright, digital media management, SEO and web design, campaign design, target audience audits, graphic design and PR solutions. I would like to credit Texas Tech University MCOM for teaching me all those skills.
I believe what sets me apart from all the other Digital Media Creatives are the connections I make with my clients. There has not been one runway designer or model, artist, painter, chef, graduate, portrait clientele, or digital media consulting client I have worked with. Where at the end of it, we no longer feel like strangers. Especially with the creatives I meet along the way. I love supporting them in their creative journeys, seeing how their talent grows and knowing that at some point “I was there for that” truly makes me happy.
What makes me most proud is seeing how happy I can make a client feel at any point when working with them on their project. From sparking creative ideas for the shoot, editing, sending proofs, and getting a final result that they were envisioning. Makes me proud of myself and especially seeing my growth compared when I first started shooting (In what feels like) so many years ago in middle school. Along with taking a step back and seeing how many amazing people I have connected with. Most importantly receiving my Bachelor of Arts Degree in Digital Media and Professional Communication. To be where I am now, took a lot of trail and errors, late nights, and many thoughts of “I’m just quitting and moving back home”.
What I want potential clients to know is that, to never hold back an idea when it comes to us working together. If you don’t see something on my portfolio that matches what you are envisioning, or maybe you want me to take full creative control of the direction of the shoot and be different from all the the other portrait work. Tell me about it! I’m ok with going a little out of the ordinary to make your projects, feel like you/ your brand!
What I want to let potential followers/ fans to know is that, if this is the first time you interact or come across my name/ work. Just know, I already am so appreciative for your support. Don’t be afraid to reach out and say “Hi”.
When looking into the future of me and my brand, it has been a season of uncertainty. Since graduating last December I have been on job market since last November and since then no luck for a full time position. Developing a lot of anxiety around the question of “What’s next?”. What I do know, is that Photography and being creative brings me back to me. Grounds me. The opportunity to work with Canvas Rebel has given me a new spark I am grateful for. A flame to keep doing what I’m passionate about.
Thank you to everyone that has supported me up to this point. My tios, tias, cousins and especially my parents and little brother. Thank you mami and papi for that first camera. My best friends who have seen all this growth, Jasmine, Kayla, Lamont, and Salem. To my first clients as well, y’all believed in me and saw my potential! I would like to thank my teachers Mrs.Bean, Mr.Mungia, and Mr.Silva for guiding me those four years of high school. Thank you to Socorro Independent School District as well, for introducing me to the arts from a young age. Thank you to my Carla, for all your love and endless support. We got this!
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
The most rewarding aspect to me as a creative is seeing my visions coming to life. When behind the camera I get sparks of new ideas on what angles to use while at shoots. Seeing those ideas come to life when editing and seeing the final results is the coolest feeling. It’s a space I know all creatives know too well.
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
What I believe whats helped me build my reputation, would be the connection I make with clients and their projects. I’ve noticed that when I step out of my comfort zone in a project or execute an out of the box idea, is when I grow the most and draws in more clientele.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://dxmultimedia.myportfolio.com/dxmutltimedia
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dxmultimedia_/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/denisse-marquez-2a1397197/
