We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Michy Flores. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Michy below.
Michy, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Do you think your parents have had a meaningful impact on you and your journey?
My parents really taught me to be independent and self-sufficient. At first it felt cold, that I am to rely only on myself. But as I grew older, I started to realize, it’s not about not having people in your life but it’s about not relying on others for anything—including my freedom, happiness, confidence, peace, etc. I think when I moved out at 17yo, they probably felt they made me TOO independent lol. I’ve always been eager for more in my life and the journey of discovering who I really am when I am alone. I’ve gone through so many traumatic events in my life and somehow I’m always able to pick back up and try again. In my head I hear my dad’s words, “don’t ever give up.” I remember that my parents were originally immigrants from El Salvador who became U.S. citizens to give me a ‘better life’. I am the eldest daughter of 3 siblings, I’ve carried the weight of the world on my shoulders for a long time. I was always made to be the “example,” for my siblings. I hated that so much growing up bc it felt like so much pressure to be perfect all the time. As my siblings and I have grown in our individual lives, I see how my actions (good or not so good) have inspired them to be who they are now. I truly believe I was put on this earth to teach, motivate, and inspire others. And a big part of that desire comes from the way I was raised. It’s taught me the importance of community, honesty, and how leading with love is the ultimate representation of success. While I am not yet “successful,” in one area of life. I feel successful knowing I’ve healed wounds, deepened connections with my parents, built a community of friends in San Diego where we support and uplift one another, I’ve pursued opportunities because I wanted to and nobody else, I am healthy, and I love the way that my life feels even with uncertainty sometimes. Ultimately, my parents did right in teaching me to love and appreciate my life and that every moment that I wake is a blessing and an opportunity to start over.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I juggle quite a few things! My passion is deeply rooted in the music industry, and my ultimate goal is to fully immerse myself in it as an Artist Marketing Director. Right now, I’m balancing a few roles: I’m a Social Media Manager for Audius, an Artist Liaison for CRSSD, and a Leasing Marketing Manager for H.G. Fenton. Essentially, I have two part-time jobs and a full-time one.
I’ve been working in the music industry since 2017, starting out selling merch at concerts. Through meeting and connecting with people in the industry, I had the chance to work at major events like the GRAMMYs, Latin GRAMMYs, Coachella, Stagecoach, and Miami Music Week, among others. I’ve collaborated with companies like LiveNation, Goldenvoice, The Recording Academy, MusiCares, and now Audius and CRSSD.
In total, I’ve held over 24 different roles, and I’ve loved the freedom to explore what truly excites me. What I’ve enjoyed most about the music business is working alongside artists—whether it’s making sure they’re well taken care of or helping them market themselves effectively. I’ve created Reels for artists like bbno$ and YungGravy, worked on the marketing team for Party Starter Radio, taken behind-the-scenes content for artists DJing our events, and interviewed them for our podcast. I love giving fans an “inside look” into an artist’s daily life so they can relate to them more and support their music.
I’m really proud of the fact that my approach—rooted in love and authenticity—has led me to work at and attend the GRAMMYs from 2022 to 2024. While the music industry can sometimes feel chaotic or even cold, I truly believe that music itself creates a universal language. When you work with people who align with your values, there’s a kind, supportive space to be found everywhere.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
I feel like there are many stories to tell that illustrate my resilience that even I find surprising. Usually, when one situation tests me, three more follow and take place concurrently. The one that comes to mind the most, aka the most traumatic one I can think of, is when I was studying abroad in Chile and was celebrating their independence day at a carnival. I randomly developed a cramp and ended up in the med tent because I couldn’t walk from the pain. The nurses were not much help and told me to take cramp medicine so that it would pass but after a couple hours that didn’t help. In Chile, Ubers at the time were technically illegal. So I had to walk out of the block long carnival to a spot far away enough where Ubers would pop up. Thankfully, a police officer on a bike saw me limping and called an ambulance before I got too far. That night several tests were performed and they couldn’t determine what was wrong. I was seen by three different doctors and finally they discovered that there was fluid floating around my organs, that fluid was blood and it was coming from an ovarian cyst. After several hours of testing, they refused to perform surgery on me unless I paid upfront, $15,000. I had travel insurance but this was so late at night that they couldn’t financially assist me until the morning. The Chilean hospital refused that. Luckily after many phone calls they finally agreed to it and I had a surgery for the first time ever in a place foreign to home. I woke up in panic having been put down for so long and post surgery I had to recover for a week in the hospital. Beyond that, it was a month being in my apartment in Provencia which meant I couldn’t make it to school. If that wasn’t robbing me from my experience enough, a civil war had then broken out and the entire country was in quarantine from 6p-6a daily. There was tear gas being thrown around and property damage happening everywhere. I had never seen loaded military officers on the streets and seeing guns out in the open was definitely a culture shock. That quarantine lasted for a month and then I was evacuated back to the U.S. two months earlier than anticipated. I had subleased my unit so I had no place of my own to stay at. The tenants who I had subleased my place to ended up not paying for things they had broken in the unit. That was my last semester of college and I had no job. After two months of searching, I finally got my first office job in logistics since I graduated with a BA in International Business from SDSU. A month and a half later of having it, COVID hit and as the new hire I was also the first fire. So then I got another job in logistics, but it turned out I wasn’t learning quick enough to be as helpful as he needed me to be even though I was honest about my experience level, so I was given a severance check and let go once again. All while experiencing heavy COVID restrictions. I then decided that I wanted to specialize in something that would not be impacted by national emergencies and took a marketing course. It took me years, but I finally feel confident in my capabilities to do great marketing work. I currently have my first office job since I graduated college in 2019. I’ve worked many gigs in the music industry in between and have gotten some great opportunities and not so great ones. All of which have finally led me here, confident in the area of work that I want to be in and the type of people I want to work with. It has been quite a journey and it feels everlasting because there has definitely been more situations that have tested my resilience but overall, I am proud of my ability to pick up and not only try again but completely start over time after time again.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
Honestly, my goal is the freedom to have a work-life balance so that I can make time for the people who I love and care about. I want to help my parents retire, travel, buy a home and do so through the financial means that come from work that I am actually passionate about. I feel like since college I have been chasing that dream but I refuse to give up because I feel that it exists for me and every experience is leading me to it.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: michyflowers
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michy-flores/
- Other: https://www.canva.com/design/DAF8cX9n3W0/RkjaVE7a4SmmHD-Kc-Ts7w/view?utm_content=DAF8cX9n3W0&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=uniquelinks&utlId=h0fffff174d
Image Credits
Todd Barnet
Isabella June