We were lucky to catch up with Mary Picarazzi recently and have shared our conversation below.

Mary, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

Getting Into Comedy:

I have always wanted to be on stage. I did theatre in college and felt very free doing it. Of course, when life hits and bills hit you have to get that “real job” and your passions fall by the wayside. It took a horrible moment for me to wake up. In 2019, I lost a good friend, Justin Paiz, and everything changed. He was young and full of life. He had just gotten married and had his whole life ahead of him. I remember sitting at the celebration of life service and realized that I haven’t been living. We are not promised tomorrow. A week later, I sat my husband down and said, ” I want to be a comedian.” He nodded and said, ” Ok, but if you do this you better not half -ass it..give it all you got.” I haven’t looked back yet. It is a risk to put yourself out there day after day. As an artist, this is something that I can’t help but do.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am originally from Corpus Christi but I started doing comedy in San Antonio. I have been lucky to perform all over the country over the last four years. My comedy talks about me being Mexican American, a wife, mom, volunteer firefighter , etc. I produce shows with my company, Picacomedy. All shows can be found at picacomedy.com.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

San Antonio is a great place for artists! A great way to support artists and creatives is to buy their products without asking for it for free. Most people would never go and expect Adidas or Nike to give them free shoes, yet we ask our friends to take a hit while they pay large sums of money to billion dollar businesses. All it takes is a like or a share on social media to get the ball rolling. Social media levels the playing field for artists to be seen and heard. A simple click can make a huge difference within the digital world.

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

I am always working hard to be the best version of me. I am a second generation Mexican American and have worked hard to reach my goals. I am one more person in my families history showing that it was worth everything to come to this great nation. I also, want to be an example to my daughter that being a woman doesn’t slow you down and we can move mountains.

Contact Info:

• Website: picacomedy.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mapicarazzi/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mpicarazzi
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/MaryPicarazzi
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCw2hrrd911val6-uueRhKkg

Image Credits
Todd Larson – Purple shirt photo Chase Otero – stage shots sunglass pic was me