We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Esmeralda Gutierrez. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Esmeralda below.

Alright, Esmeralda thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you tell us a bit about who your hero is and the influence they’ve had on you?

He was only eight years old when he started working. EIGHT.

At that age, a child should be playing, spending time with friends, and focusing on school. But not my dad. Instead, he was out selling food, polishing shoes, and asking people if they had any errands he could run just to make a little extra money.

It may be cliché to say my dad is my hero, but I am incredibly lucky to admire someone so close to me.

At 14, he got his first “official” job. After finishing middle school, he dropped out and moved to the United States. He needed to earn more to support his parents and younger siblings. By 16, he was working in a new country, speaking a language he didn’t know—but that never stopped him.

After getting married and having me, my brother, and my sister, his work became even more important in his eyes. He did everything he could to ensure we always had what we needed. And he succeeded. Maybe we didn’t always have money for the “extras,” but our basic needs were always met.

Years later, I stand here—a product of his resilience and work ethic. He pushed us to get a good education. He always said he didn’t want us to end up like him. But little did he know—that’s exactly who I wanted to be. While I understand his meaning—wanting to spare us from his hardships—I have always seen him as a hardworking, tenacious man.

My dad had to learn how to survive. Because of him, I didn’t have to—I could live.

This journey is only possible because of him. I know what hard work looks like, and I’m not afraid of it. He came from nothing and worked tirelessly so that we could have better opportunities than he ever had. I am seizing that opportunity, giving my all, and ensuring his sacrifices were not in vain.

My dad taught me perseverance. He taught me kindness. He taught me that nothing in life is handed to you.

I hope I can make him proud. I hope that one day, he can look at my journey and know that everything he went through was worth it.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Esmeralda Gutierrez, and I am an entrepreneur. That’s the simplest way to describe what I do. The truth is, I want to do everything.

I went to college to become a teacher, earning my master’s degree in Special Education. I spent 13 years in education—7.5 of them as a teacher. Today, I turned in my resignation letter.

So, what will I do with this newfound freedom? Simple. Whatever I want. Anything. Everything.

The Journey to Now

I’ll tell you what I’m working on at the moment, but, let me give you a little backstory.
About three years ago, I decided to pursue photography—something that had been a dream of mine since high school. I was always the girl with the camera, documenting every bit of everyone else’s life. I was convinced I’d graduate and become a photographer.

But life has a way of redirecting dreams, especially when financial security leaves no room for risk. Pursuing art as a career wasn’t something I could afford at the time.

Anyway, three years ago, I finally invested in a professional camera. Did I know how to use it? Nope. But I was determined to take it off auto mode and learn photography the right way. And what a ride that was! The more I learned, the more I realized how much I didn’t know.

Balancing a full-time teaching job and raising two young children didn’t leave much time for practice. But I made time. (Oh yeah—during that same period, I was also designing and selling graphic tees. I told you, I want to do it all!) Eventually, I started charging for my work, and E.G. Images was born. Although I could only take on projects on weekends and holidays, that didn’t stop me from pursuing my passion.

From Passion to Business

On January 1, 2025, I signed the lease for my first studio.

Well… calling it a “studio” was a stretch. It was a piece of sh…. work. It was a piece of work —- a LOT of work. But I saw its potential. I envisioned E.G. Studios as not just my personal workspace but a rental studio for other photographers. A space that could generate income while allowing me to refine my craft.

For that entire month, my days were relentless. I’d wake up, go to work, then head straight to the studio to check on renovations. At night, while my husband and kids slept, I built the website and worked on content. The cycle repeated daily.
On February 1, 2025, E.G. Studios officially opened its doors. But here’s the kicker—it’s E.G. Studios, plural. Because on March 1, 2025, I opened a second studio.

By the end of March, I made it official—I was leaving teaching.

But Wait… There’s More

Photography and studios aren’t my only creative pursuits.

Last summer, I finished writing a children’s book. This year, I’ve been working with a local photographer and an illustrator to bring it to life. If all goes well, it will be fully completed and published by the end of this year or early next year.
Even though I’m leaving the traditional workforce, my work will never stop. My mind is constantly generating new ideas. I enjoy getting to show people the process of taking a random idea, expanding it, and then making it a reality.

I hope to attract like-minded, creative, and curious people—people who are interested in watching my journey and who I can hopefully inspire to pursue their own.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

I married a non-creative.

He thinks in numbers, logic, and reality. I think in pictures, possibilities, and dreams. When he reads, he doesn’t see images in his mind—he prefers nonfiction and self-help books for that very reason. Me? I see everything. I can transport myself into another world at any given moment, even without a book in hand.

He often doesn’t understand how my brain works. I often don’t understand how he doesn’t get bored with his.

We struggle because of it. But thankfully, this dynamic works.

When I was dreaming about opening a studio, I envisioned every detail—the décor, the website, the social media strategy, the advertising, the growth. My husband? He was thinking about the electrical work, the plumbing, the utilities. While I was brainstorming names, he was filing for an LLC, setting up a business bank account, and calculating how this venture would impact our finances. All things I hadn’t thought about for a single second.

He keeps me grounded without smothering my creativity. That can be a struggle for people like me. I’ve seen it. A creative mind can feel like “too much” for someone who doesn’t understand or embrace it. At the same time, creatives can get so caught up in the dream that they overlook the practical steps needed to make it a reality.

I’ve always felt like my brain worked differently. For the longest time, that confused me. But now, I think we all feel that way in some capacity. The real challenge is that the systems we grow up in—society, education, the way we measure success—are rigid, structured, and calculated. That makes it difficult for people like me, who think in fluid, random, and sometimes unexplainable ways, to feel like we belong.

We often see our creative nature as a flaw.

Trying to fit into society’s mold can make us feel like failures when we don’t succeed in the ways the world expects.
I originally went to college for nursing. I completed all my prerequisites, got into nursing school, and a year into the program… I realized it wasn’t for me. I had one year of school left to become a nurse. ONE YEAR.

But nursing school was crushing my creativity. It was slowly eating away at a piece of me I couldn’t live without. So I left.

I don’t know what sounds worse—*I quit* or *I dropped out*. Either way, I felt like a failure.

My next journey led me into education. Teaching allowed me to embrace my creativity—but even then, I was limited.

I often worked with kids whose brains functioned like mine. Kids who needed movement, rhythm, and color-coded notes. Kids who needed to draw to listen better, sing to remember, and take notes that made sense to no one but them.

Creatives.

And they struggled.

I could rant for hours about the flaws in the education system. Honestly, they’re maddening. But to focus on one: creativity has no room to thrive in a system designed for standardization. They go on and on about how we need to differentiate for each student, yet make it impossible to do so.

How do you incorporate movement when your classroom is already packed to capacity? How do you integrate song when you’re constantly rushed to move on to the next lesson target? How do you give creative freedom when 85% of the class needs direct guidance, you have 25 students, no space, and only one teacher?

You don’t.

Education becomes rigid. Standardized. The killer of creativity.
Should I even get into the hell that is standardized testing? Probably not. But let’s just say it’s the single greatest creativity killer in modern education.

Teachers work endlessly to differentiate learning. They pour themselves into making lessons engaging and meeting every student’s unique needs, but it’s impossible. Until class sizes shrink (and they’re only growing), there will never be enough room for true creativity in schools.

It’s ironic to say there’s no room for creativity in education. Teachers must be creative every single day to survive in a broken system. But that’s just it—creativity shouldn’t be about survival.

For me, creativity is fun. It’s spontaneous. It’s something that envelops me in the best way possible. But as a teacher, I was forcing creativity just to get by. It became another obligation, not a source of joy. Teachers are burning out at an alarming rate. This is only one reason why.

And so, here I am. Once again. Quitting. Failing.

Thousands of dollars in student loans for a career I’m walking away from.

Today, I’m embarking on my next adventure—one rooted in creativity. A journey where there are no limits.

I have set myself free.

It is exhilarating. It is terrifying. And it is exactly where I’m meant to be.

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

My creative journey starts with me. I want to live a life worth living—a life full of adventure and positivity, not one weighed down by monotony.

My creative journey continues with my parents. I want them to see me happy and successful, knowing their sacrifices were not in vain.

My creative journey grows with my husband. I want to show him what happens when creativity is nurtured and appreciated—that success isn’t just measured in numbers and checked-off tasks, but in passion, fulfillment, and impact.

My creative journey expands with my children. Becoming a parent has only fueled my drive. I want my children to see me as more than just their mom. I want them to see the hard work and resilience I saw in my father, the dreamer I saw in my mother.

Through this journey, I want them to understand that there are paths outside of what society considers the “norm.” That creativity, risk-taking, and exploration are just as valuable as stability and structure.

More than anything, I want to build a life where my children can freely pursue their creativity—where they can take risks without the fear of financial insecurity if they fail. If they choose a traditional path—a 9-to-5 desk job—it will be because it’s what they want, not because it was their only option.

They are my drive. That is my goal.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.egstudiosllc.com/
• Instagram: Esmeralda.gutierrez.21
• Facebook: E.G. Images
• Other: Instagram: @e.g.studios.llc
  Instagram: @e.g.images

Image Credits

Esmeralda Gutierrez
Ashlyn Faith
Cesar Aguiniga