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

Maria, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Who is your hero and why? What lessons have you learned from them and how have they influenced your journey?

When I think about a hero, I think about my idol whom I have been supporting since I was a child: Ariana Grande. Ariana has always been a reference point for me, in terms of professionalism and humanity! I love her way of being good and kind, I think she has been a huge influence in my life, I try every day to carry on her mission of goodness. Ariana has influenced my path so much, I got much more into graphic design because of her, at first I used to enjoy creating edits for her with her photos and over time, they turned into real posters and various graphics. I had the pleasure of being noticed by her, more than once. She really appreciated my work, commented on it and shared it, for me it was a “go ahead, it’s the right way!” I am really grateful for all this, I hope it’s really just the beginning of great journey.

Maria, 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?

Hello everyone, 
I am Maria Aprea, a 22 year old Italian girl, currently a university student of advertising and marketing. I decided to take this path of communication to complete myself as a communicator, as in high school I studied graphic design and communication. I have graphic knowledge and skills, I use Adobe software and more, always striving to experiment and create something innovative.
During my years of study, I had the opportunity to work with big companies through workshops and internships. One of the most impactful experiences was an “Erasmus +” internship in Berlin, Germany, during my fourth year of high school. This experience shaped me greatly, making me more responsible and helping me realize how incredible it is to be able to travel while working as a graphic designer.
I have been a great lover of music since childhood, I listen to a variety of genres and truly believe that music is a pure form of art. It inspires my creativity, and I love imagining and crafting visuals influenced by it. I often listen to a song, delve into its lyrics and meaning, and then begin to fantasize about how it can take shape through a poster or graphic design. This is where my magic begins!
Like every music fan, I have a favorite singer: Ariana Grande. It all started as a joke, I used to watch her on Nickelodeon in “Victorious” and “Sam & Cat”, and then I discovered her music career. I remember singing and dancing to her songs, “Problem” and “Focus”, with my schoolmates during PE and hip-hop classes. Back then, I didn’t have social media, so the only way I could follow her was by searching for news online and buying magazines at the newsstand. In 2016, I downloaded Instagram and started following her more closely, which led me to fall even more in love with her! I opened a fan page for her, allowing me to express my full support. From that moment on, she became a part of my daily life. I am incredibly happy to call her my idol and hero. Even though I have never met her, Ariana gives me so much serenity and happiness. She is a genuine person, and I have learned a lot from her: her kindness, resilience, and ability to overcome anything. On bad days, I just listen to her music, watch her videos, or listen to her interviews, and I immediately feel better. We have grown together and continue to do so. I have seen her achieve incredible milestones over the years, and I am so proud of her. Her talent is truly impressive! I sincerely hope to meet her someday and tell her how inspiring she is to me.
Over time, I have grown, trained myself and now I am close to graduating with a degree in advertising and marketing. My fascination with the music scene has led me to apply my graphic design skills and marketing knowledge to music. Since I was already familiar with Instagram, I decided to create a small digital studio “intovsmary” to showcase my work. I started by creating graphic concepts, posters, and various graphics about my favorite singer, but I didn’t stop there. I expanded my work to include other artists I follow, songs I love, and movies that fascinate me.
That’s how “intovsmary” became my little digital graphic studio. All of this is fueled by a big dream—to work in the music industry, creating captivating graphics and developing innovative marketing strategies. I am excited about what the future holds, and I can’t wait to continue growing and evolving in this field!

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

The goal that guides my creative journey is definitely to be able to work in the world of music, putting my theoretical and technical knowledge into practice. I would love to be able to create various graphics such as posters, covers, merchandising, coordinates, and to devise and implement marketing strategies to promote the projects of major music artists. This dream is my goal and I will continue to believe in it until it becomes a reality!
One invitation I feel I would pose to anyone with a goal and a dream is to surround yourself only with people who support and truly believe in you, pushing away those who belittle and slow down the path. Equally important is to make the most of any opportunity; you have to seize every moment and put yourself out there to achieve what you want! I like to think that the universe has a plan for all of us, this helps me to welcome everything that happens with gratitude and hope.

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

The most rewarding aspect in what I do is definitely getting to the artist for whom I did the project. Getting to big celebrities is not easy at all, especially on social networks that are flooded with content and especially so many creative people. Being able to get noticed and especially knowing that one’s work is liked, I think is the greatest satisfaction there can be. This is because what I do, I do not only for fun, but to support the artist himself. The feeling you get when you are appreciated is immense, it spurs you to continue. Additional rewarding aspect, the most important is to be proud of your work, to be happy with what you are doing. Related to this is my invitation to surround ourselves only with people who are rooting for us, seeing the satisfaction in their eyes after so much support and work is really rewarding.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: intovsmary
• Linkedin: mariaprea
• Email: [email protected]
• Other: Behance: intovsmary

Image Credits

Ariana Grande – Dua Lipa – Olivia Rodrigo – Charli XCX – Geolier – Vogue Italia – Tate McRae – Spotify – Instagram – Saturday Night Live – Netflix – Wicked – Beats – Apple