We were lucky to catch up with Luanna Montes recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Luanna, thanks for joining us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

Ever since I was little, I was a very creatively inclined child. My parents were supportors of the arts and having a creative outlet growing up. I would participate in dance, acting, fine art and modeling early on in my life which I think was what really sparked something in me to want to be in the creative industry. As for my first time ever realizing I wanted to professionally pursue a path in the creative field was when I was 15 years old. And as for my first time realizing what I want to pursue as a career, that happened just this year in January! After the Covid-19 pandemic hit, I had a lot of time to reflect on what I wanted to do with my life and also set a goal out for myself to achieve. I did a lot of research about the industry that I was going to pursue which is Fashion and also a good share of soul searching trying to figure myself out. Once I understood a vast majority of what it is that I wanted; I created a plan for how to achieve my goal. That goal is to one day be an Art Director for a Fashion brand together with starting my own brand. I am 21 now and if you were to ask me a year ago what it was that I wanted to do professionally, you would have received an answer that was a little scattered. I think even now that I know what I want, I still feel as if there’s roles in the industry that I would love to experience to become a well-rounded creative and eventually as an Art Director those experiences will be assets.

Luanna, 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?

My name is Luanna Montes, some people may know me commonly as Lua or artistically as Tortz. I am a creative in the Fashion and Fine Art world. I have worked as a Fashion Stylist, Fine Artist, Producer, and Director for many projects. Currently most of my work is Fashion-related. As a Stylist, I offer styling consultations, personal shopping, editorial shoots and personal shoots for my clients. In the past, I have a created a small collection for my brand called Unappreciated.Wrld. This collection consisted of 1-of-1 pieces and is currently sold out. Even though most of my projects run smoothly and the result is exactly what my team and I are aiming for, there’s always small obstacles that we run into during production. The best way me and my team deal with this problem is talking to the client and understand their concerns if there are any or even building a trust with your client can really help with client-related issues. If it’s an obstacle that’s deals with technical or set/location issues. Learning to build, grow and focus on your problem-solving skills will aid you on how to navigate these unpredictable obstacles.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

I wouldn’t call this a lesson, it’s more of a habit that I had to unlearn the hard way so that I can grow and actually enjoy what I do and be authentic to myself. This habit was my constant self-doubting and perfectionism. My self-doubt would hold me back from a lot of opportunities because I was afraid of judgement, what people thought of me or my work and even made me question if I was good enough. This self-doubt and fear were big drivers early on in my professional career and was bring down my confidence. It got to a very low point and I was feeling stuck in the same cycle. I got tired of feeling that way and decided it was time to end it. I became hyper-aware every time I would feel the self-doubt kicking in, I would try my best to correct it with positive affirmations and actions. This new habit taught me to see myself and the world around me in a different perspective and in a positive light. I had finally unlearned my self-doubt through that technique. As for my perfectionism, that one was much harder to unlearn. I feel like it’s human nature to try to be perfect even though we are far from it. The approach I took to battle my perfectionism was to literally think of the imperfections of my work as layers that are part of the process and took that approach to my life too.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being a creative for me is that I have another outlet besides my voice to showcase my thoughts, emotions, feelings, ideas and visions. I have found my voice through my art and my work. I get to work with my hands every day, it’s the most rewarding thing. I also get to work with a team of different creative and artistic people on the daily. Everyone sharing their talent and knowledge, its a beautiful experience. It’s an experience that I don’t see often outside of my work life. Creating that connection with others in our team and also the public/viewer that’s absorbing our projects and work, is another rewarding aspect for me personally. I love creating art that will connect with people and make people come together. That’s what keeps me going as an artist, just seeing people feel something when they see my work whether it be through my styling, photography or projects I have directed.

Contact Info:

• Website: luannamontes.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/luaxmontes/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luanna-montes-375307168/
• Other: My email is montesluanna@gmail.com for business inquiries