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

Hi Isabella, thanks for joining us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I was very creative from a young age. I loved drawing, playing with my mom’s sewing machine, and writing. However, there was one thing I’ve always been obsessed with; mermaids. When I was in middle school I remember having a research essay assignment on a future career. Some kids chose a doctor or a professional skateboarder. I chose to do my research on becoming a professional mermaid. I read all about different tail-making companies, performing at birthday parties and at aquariums. I was always swimming in the pool, and in eight grade was gifted my first mermaid tail. I loved it and would swim in it any chance I got, even playing around with an underwater camera. What I do now is a huge reflection of childlike wonder and imagination. Something that I’ve never grown out of.

Isabella, 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?

During high school I joined theatre for the first time. I fell in-love with performing and the supportive community surrounding theatre. I participated in the drama club and even became the drama club president during my senior year. In 2020 during the pandemic, I was chronically online much like everyone else. It was on Instagram that I found the page of a professional mermaid, and many more after. I wanted to be just like them, prompting me to purchase my first mermaid tail myself and a camera. I joined a photo class so I could learn how to take photos and edit to post mermaid content on Instagram. With my experience acting and modeling from theatre, joined with my new photography knowledge, I was able to combine all of my skills with my desire of wanting to become a professional mermaid. I am super excited to now offer services for photo sessions, local modeling, and professional mermaiding. This diversity has opened up so many amazing opportunities and I’ve been so lucky to meet so many amazing people in the creative industry!

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

You have to be resilient as an artist, it’s not an easy path. When I first started pursuing my dream of becoming a professional mermaid, I was planning how to be booked for birthday parties and aquariums. I even invested in a website. However, birthday bookings were inconsistent, and the website I had made didn’t drive any traffic towards my business. The few aquariums I could get a hold of rejected my inquiries on aquarium performances; this was after numerous emails, phone calls, and in person visits with brochures. However, none of that stopped me or hindered my drive. The birthday parties I did attend were amazing experiences that taught me what I needed to improve on. I continued to visit aquariums and got in touch with experienced aquatic performers. These experienced mermaids told me what certifications I needed to gain in order to be seriously considered by aquariums for performances. Not only that, but I have found such a supportive local creative community; a community that I’ve done mermaid photo shoots with and under water modeling. I’ve realized that I am where I’m meant to be; my success and my rejections are all a part of my creative journey. I’ve learned so much resilience as a creative. Resilience has taught me that rejection is truly redirection in disguise.

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.

While I am so grateful for all the love and support I have received throughout my creative journey, I have been met with some criticisms as well. I have been questioned about my priorities and financial decisions. When I do encounter doubt, I like to kindly remind those people that I am pursuing my dreams. I am a firm believer that life can be whatever you make it. There are no right or wrong ways to live your life, no strict rules. We are all on our own paths, our own timelines. Some people might find that dressing up as a mermaid is silly; but it is so much more than dress up. Being a professional mermaid is being a model, is being a photographer. Being a creative is being an entrepreneur, being a business owner. Artists and creatives are constantly networking and working hard to support themselves and reach their goals. So much is done behind the scenes that the public eye can’t see. If people are out there who question the sustainability of being a professional creative- they need to try to remember that they are only seeing one piece of the whole puzzle.

Contact Info:

• Website: Coming soon
• Instagram: https://www.Instagram.com/themermaidisabella
• Youtube: Coming soon

Image Credits

Kayla Jacob
Brandee Anthony
Linney Bolick
Aaron Walker
Brian Mikalowsky