We recently connected with Marisa S White and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Marisa S thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Was there an experience or lesson you learned at a previous job that’s benefited your career afterwards?

Before I became a full time artist I held several jobs which included working at a creative advertising agency, a sales rep for a payroll company, even owning my own payroll business to working at a non-profit called the Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO).

The latter is an international organization focused on helping leading entrepreneurs to learn and grow both professionally and personally. I was the Senior Program Manager for the Global Student Entrepreneur Awards. It was an immensely rewarding experience working with both, dedicated and passionate members, as well as driven college students who had their goals set on making the world a better place.

My team and I spent much of our time planning for a successful competition season which culminated in a Global Finals event where 50+ students competed to determine which student had the DNA to succeed as an entrepreneur. For those interested, the competition was even picked up by National Geographic and featured as a documentary titled, Own the Room, streaming on Disney +.

Through this experience I learned the following, which have been extremely useful as I ventured off into the world as a full-time artist:

– Clear and thoughtful communication

– Goal planning and tracking
– Thinking outside the box – which is necessary when a pandemic thwarts everything
– Proposal writing
– Branding
– Inventory
– Event Management
– Budgeting
– Public Speaking

It was an incredibly inspiring experience that, in the end, was the impetus for me branching out to pursue my own dreams. Thankfully, I was armed with an arsenal of business tools to help me in my trade.

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?

I am a fine art photographer, and am best known for seamlessly stitching multiple photographs together creating surrealistic and fantastical imagery. I use surrealism to hyperbolize emotions not so easily expressed with words. My art is very much a personal narrative and can be whimsical at times but also quite vulnerable. Ultimately, my goal is to find that light of recognition in another, recognizing that we are all on a similar path, searching for meaning in life, experiencing the full breadth of emotion and sharing in the commonality of what it means to be human.

Reoccurring themes in my work include: overcoming fear, the pursuit of dreams, spirituality, portals and parallel universes and questions of life and the unknown.

I’ve been lucky enough to receive numerous accolades for my work. I’ve exhibited across the US and in Europe and my work is collected internationally. Most recently, one of my pieces was included in Saatchi Art’s Vision for the Future NFT auction and exhibition.

My work is sold as signed and numbered, limited edition prints in various sizes. I also offer a small number of commissions each year.

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

There are several but one that really comes to mind. I participated in a photography portfolio review several years ago. This was long before AI and while digital art was already in existence, it wasn’t as main stream as it is now. Several, perhaps even most, of the reviewers weren’t interested in what I was doing…at all!

There was a perception that my work wasn’t really photography. The industry had respect for capturing everything in camera so they looked at my work as more of a digital art form and gravitated toward the pieces of mine that weren’t so heavily manipulated.

One reviewer liked one piece, while another review didn’t. One reviewer told me not to make my art “too cutesy.” Another meeting resulted in a heated debate over digital manipulation vs. in camera shooting.

It was an exhausting two days and actually made me question my direction and whether or not it would be well received as I continued to pursue my art.

But I do remember, while I waited for my next review, I received a phone call from someone back home interested in writing a story about me for a magazine. To me, this was a sign from the universe to not lose hope, that I was indeed on the right path.

It took me several months to bounce back from that experience. I unraveled my emotions and then tried to objectively consume the suggestions and comments, leaving much of it on the cutting room floor. Since then, I embraced my medium and continued building my narratives in post production, honing my skills even more. I’ve sold close to 200 pieces, including that piece that was “too cutesy.” I’ve been picked up by several galleries and have even sold work overseas.

My inner 8 year old does cartwheels when I actively stop and look back at all my accomplishments.

Rejection is often a hard pill to swallow. Sometimes it’s hard enough getting rejected by email, let alone in a face to face situation such as a portfolio review. But it’s a necessary part in my growth as an artist and as an individual. After awhile, they become much easier to move past.

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.

Living a creative life is based on uncertainty. It’s a high risk pursuit and I never quite know when my next paycheck will arrive. But there’s a certain level of contentment that is difficult to achieve elsewhere.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.marisaswhite.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marisa_whitesparks/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whitesparksphotography
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marisa-s-white/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/MarisaSWhite1