Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Elizabeth Sanchez. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Elizabeth thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

A few years ago in 2022 I had the honor to work on the First Mexican-American Film & Television Festival & Awards. I was hired as the Marketing Coordinator/Executive Assistant at the Mexican American Cultural Education Foundation to work specifically on this beautiful festival. This was particularly a great achievement for me as I am a Mexican-American. I was born in San Diego, CA but raised in Tijuana and my Mexican culture has been very present all of my life with both of my parents being Mexican and living in Mexico. Working on this festival seeing the amazing true talent and creativity of my people made me feel extremely proud to be part of the FIRST edition. Something I will hold very dearly to my heart and great accomplishments for the rest of my life.

Elizabeth, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Elizabeth Sanchez or Ely Sanchez for those who truly know me. I was born in San Diego, CA and raised in Tijuana, BC. I moved to Los Angeles in 2021 to pursue different lifestyles and opportunities. I considered myself a creative growing up in a family of creatives. My father is a carpenter and wood carver and I grew up seeing him work on beautiful pieces all of my life that inspired me in many different ways. My brothers studied photography and for many of my teenage years I saw how they developed this art which also contributed to my desire to create. I am currently working as Marketing/Graphic Designer in the Real Estate industry. I have worked on numerous projects throughout my creative career that have earned a significant place in my heart like music, dance, arts and entertainment. I have also worked as an Event Planner for the Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation and other different Film Festivals in Hollywood like LALIFF (Latino International Film Festival), GLAFF (Guadalajara Film Festival) and the EDDY AWARDS for the Los Angeles County. Throughout my creative career I started a company when I was living in San Diego a few years ago called The Local Music that consisted in booking musicians/bands, public relations, media, video & photography for the music industry. I have also studied dance and performed in different venues in San Diego. Overall the Arts/Performing Arts & Entertainment industries is where I have flourished the most. I am open to work and collaborate with anybody out there about any new ideas and/or projects that could influence my line of work and creative career. I have skills being a creative director, event planner, event designer, web designer, graphic designer & photographer. I have 13 years of experience in a creative role and lots of imagination!

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

Yes, absolutely. I believe we live in a very complicated and harsh world. Not everyone has the opportunity to learn and grow as a human being in a safe and loving environment. We see so many people being hard to each other, lacking compassion and empathy. My goal and mission has always been to inspire others to find an outlet to express themselves in an artistic way. I believe that art is a beautiful way of truly expressing what your soul is feeling. I have found that colors and the combination of colors, visuals, body movement and music have been the best outlets for myself. I hope others consider expressing themselves through art and discover this is a heathy and safe way to release negative feelings. My mission has also been to bring people together to share a common positive interest weather it’s dancing to the music or playing your own instrument (not necessarily a musical instrument but a metaphor to finding the best tool for you to communicate your emotions).

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Moving from Tijuana which is a third world country to San Diego, to now living in Los Angeles and working in Brentwood has been a challenge. Growing up in Tijuana was not easy, I had the opportunity to live in TJ and go to school in San Diego, my mom would cross the border every single day to take my brothers, myself and my sister to school. My dad always had the dream of all of us graduating from a US college and living and working in the US. We were a big family of 7, 5 kids and my parents. My mom was a stay at home mother and my dad worked in the US to make money in dollars and live in Tijuana to be able to afford supporting all of us. I grew up in the barrio where there was crime and violence as a little girl. I saw a lot of crime in my early childhood which gave me a taste of the real world. Moving to San Diego at the age of 19 gave me motivation to keep fighting for a better life and I decided to move to Los Angeles in 2021 to see where life would take me. I am now working in Brentwood where I constantly find myself remembering that little girl in the hood in Tijuana, working in the Real Estate industry with Agents listing 15 million dollar mansions across Los Angeles and I can’t help but contrast the lifestyle of the rich and the poor. So many of us take so much for granted that we forget to be grateful for all the fortunes we have. I am fortunate to have had the opportunity to create a better life for myself. I am now expecting a little boy, 7 months pregnant living with my wonderful boyfriend hoping to continue my journey living and growing in love. Grateful every single moment of my existence.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ely-sanchez.com/
• Instagram: @una_chica_ely

Image Credits
I own the rights, these are my photos.