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

Melissa, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What was the most important lesson/experience you had in a job that has helped you in your creative career?

When I think about how I conduct my business and creative pursuits, I definitely see my work history coming through. I learned to be on time, I learned discipline. I learned to be a leader. The nitty-gritty of making schedules and keeping as well as budgeting and providing customer service.

Melissa, 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?

Hola! I’m Melissa. I’m an actress and creator. My web series Carmen Miranda and Rag Dolls can be found on YouTube. I’m a recipient of The Groundlings Theater Diversity Scholarship and Showcase.
I also received the NALIP Emerging Content Creators Scholarship.
My short film Sexless premiered at the LA Shorts Festival.
I was part of the National Hispanic Media Coalition, Latino Scene Showcase.
You can see me on “How I Met Your Mother”, “The Bridge”, and “Murder in the First”.
I received a Master of Fine Arts in Acting from the California Institute of the Arts and a BA in Humanities, Music Major from the University of Puerto Rico.

I am also the owner of Little Sunshines Early Learning Center and Preschool.

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

My journey to Los Angeles started when on the set of a movie filming in my hometown, the producer approached my friend and said to call him if she was ever in LA. She told me about it and the idea of moving across the nation started to take form in my head. A year later, with $1,500.00 dollars I made the leap.

Without knowing a soul, I moved to LA by myself and have been able to make many of my goals come true. I have done commercials, and small TV parts, produced my own content, completed a master’s degree, and started my own business.

Resilience, resourcefulness, and inventiveness are qualities I have discovered along the way that have helped me.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

Non-creatives like my parents, often wonder how I have been able to take the risks I have taken, many times with zero money and/or connections, just with a simple desire. What they don’t know is that the creative spirit is uncompromising. Inside a creative mind, there is a limitless supply of ideas and it is the life of the soul to try and make them come to life.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.melissasenorita.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melissasenorita/