We recently connected with Myrel Soto Romero and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Myrel thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Are you happy as a creative professional? Do you sometimes wonder what it would be like to work for someone else?

Phew… These questions hit a nerve. I don’t know which to answer first. So I will answer both at the same time. YES. I sometimes wonder what it would be like to have a regular job every other day when I overthink; when things are not going the way I imagined; when I don’t see results as quickly as people with non-creative or artistic jobs do; because no job is regular, there are trials and tribulations for everything.
The experience I’ve had of being an artist, is that I’m passionate, I feel too much, I get inspired by every other thing, I try to find the beauty of things and sometimes that can get a little overwhelming, but, isn’t that the beauty of it?
When I start asking myself that question, I remind myself that I have these talents, this knowledge, and this hunger to learn, to express myself, and only a few get the opportunity to do it through art, so I have to make the most of it. To recognize the feeling of happiness you have to also know the feelings of sadness, desperation, stress, and so on, but once you get through it, the feeling is amazing.
Art is not just one discipline it has so many different areas you can develop. In my case, I’ve gone thru painting, singing, dancing, and acting in theatre or in front of a camera, learning to play an instrument, stage managing, to even opening my very own art studio. Every single one of these things has given me so much and I plan to keep learning and challenge myself to do more. So in conclusion YES I am absolutely happy and proud to be an artist!

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

Hi! My name is Myrel Soto Romero, I was born in San Diego and raised between the US and Mexico. I have always been an artist at heart. Ever since I was a child, I took courses, whether it was dance classes, singing, drawing, painting, acting, ukulele, etc. I think since then, I knew that I wanted to be in the art industry. I have never been able to stay still, always willing to learn more. I have done so many things surrounding art, from being the lead singer in a 70’s/80’s tribute rock band (from middle school to high school), performing in theatre and musicals, helping as a backstage assistant or stage manager, doing acting auditions in the US and in Mexico, singing on live TV, participating in short films, starting my project “Myrel Studio”: painting murals in houses, restaurants and even in a bookstore, painting scenography, canvas, shoes, jackets, etc.
I love that I have always been able to do art. Myrel studio would have never been possible without the support of my friends and family.

“Myrel Studio” centers on customized pieces, such as shoes, jackets, canvas, paintings, murals and sculptures. It’s very important for me to keep good communication with my clients, mostly when it comes to the what they want, sometimes they are not really sure or don’t have the exact idea, so we mix ideas till we create something and it’s so gratifying to see their reactions when they see my designs, creations and their ideas portrayed and turned into something they can keep and treasure. Social media is the tool I use more when it comes to make my work known. Instagram and TikTok have so many options such as reels, polls, giveaways, lives, etc. I really enjoy making content and interacting with the public.
Last time I was interviewed I mentioned I wanted to explore more in different art disciplines, I got back into acting, and I participated in 2 short films and in a musical adaptation of The Wizard of Oz. I got together with 3 of my best friends and together we gave 5 concerts in Tijuana with a Diva’s tribute theme “Primadonna Productions”. I also took a course of Theatrical production and got to work as assistant stage manager in several shows, I’m really proud that I have persevered in this environment, and that I get to combine and work in all these things art can offer.
What I would like potential clients, followers or fans to know about me and the work that I do is that I put a lot of passion into what I do whether it is in stage or backstage, or in every pair I paint or customize, canvas, mural, or jacket; I leave a piece of my heart, my time, a bit of frustration and a lot of joy, most of all when someone purchases my art, when someone interacts or follows my social media where I share my artwork, they provide me everything I need to keep doing what I love.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

As I grew up I wanted to be more serious when it came to my future in art, my first big step was in acting. I auditioned for an intense acting course in LA (2015) and got in, after that, I signed with a talent agency and started auditioning for tv, commercials, film, and print. At the same time, when I went to auditions, I was also at University in Tijuana, so I would travel Just for one day and then back to normal, with no real certainty if anything was going to change, but that’s part of the hustle. I think that was the first time I started to realize that my journey in the arts was going to be difficult but still worth it, I got used to rejection and embraced it as a way to learn and improve myself, always practice perseverance and you’ll see the amazing results. It became difficult to keep auditioning while studying at University, so I decided to finish my degree and then immerse myself fully in acting and move to LA, still, I found the time to participate in musicals and, local theatre productions to keep up. Cut back to 2020, I graduate with a bachelor’s in communication sciences and in just a week the pandemic started, which meant no more acting, no more going outside, activities… should I get a job?, where?, What about art?, What can I do?
That’s when painting saved me from isolation and the uncertainty of “what comes next?”, all the plans I had for myself changed, I started to get depressed and really anxious, but painting made it all better. It wasn’t a distraction, it wasn’t an escape anymore, it was just me and the world at the tip of my paintbrush, a little after that a friend suggested that I should try custom-painted shoes, and with that and a lot of hard work I started my art studio “Myrel Studio”, I never thought I would have my own business, and it has been one of the best experiences ever, I no longer paint just for myself, I know people appreciate my art, I see it when they tag me in posts in social media expressing gratitude for the pieces I customized. This project has given me so much knowledge and growth. I am painting, enjoying what I do, making people happy in the process and keeping art alive, is there anything better?
Now, I want to keep painting but also do more acting, and singing, and work on stage and backstage, I want to keep learning, move, inspire, meet more creative people, learn from them and with them, but always keeping my head up, practicing perseverance and resilience, art is not a linear path but I won’t settle for the easy, If my path is difficult then so be it, I will go through it, gladly.
I hope this will inspire people or just show someone that if you dream it, you can do it.

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.

Art can’t be capsuled in just words “music”, “painting”, “dance”, “theatre”, ”cinema”, etc. I used to think that was it, hobbies, something to do to release stress, but as I grew older I realized, art is a must. I decided to pursue it because nothing was giving me the satisfaction of being fulfilled. You see, for some people its numbers or biology or linguistics, for me and for many other creatives, what moves us, what inspires us, its colors, shapes, sounds, artists, music, performance and many other things, that doesn’t make it less than the struggle other people have when they pursue their passion, it’s just… different. Painter Henri Matisse once said “Creativity takes courage”, I couldn’t agree more, we creatives pursue a line of work that is often critiqued for maybe not being stable as other jobs, for seeing the world through a different lens, I understand it’s hard to comprehend why we pursue this but, we do it, gladly, we go against all those prejudices and create things that will change perspectives, inspire people, ignite emotions, we do that!
I remember during the pandemic family and friends, would watch movies, listen to music, paint or take dance classes online to feel connected. when all was limited a lot of people turned to art to feel alive, and without artists and creative people that wouldn’t be possible, artists should be recognized, we need to support art, because without it, what are we?

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/myrelstudio/?hl=es-la
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/myrel-soto-463b0a260/
• Other: My personal instagram: https://instagram.com/myrel_sr?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= Myrel Studio TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@myrelstudio myrel.studio@gmail.com myrel.romero@gmail.com

Image Credits
Some of the pictures were take by: @vefemex, @immagia_produccion, @leoa.photography, @fugitiva.visual @andyzazuetaig