We recently connected with Vanesa Surtzy and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Vanesa, thanks for joining us today. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

As any creative may tell you, it is not always easy to make money in abundance. There was a point in time when I felt that I had to decide if I would live my life for passion or if I would deprive myself of that and focus on earning a stable income. I ended up choosing to blend a balance of both. With painting, I had to bring myself to accept that there were more avenues that I could indulge on, such as festival styled body painting.
With modeling, acting and photography, I had to bring myself to accept that in order to increase my income, I would need to take on a few commercial roles.
Originally, I began creating because I felt passionate about it and did not even consider the money aspect. The money aspect only developed later on as a need to survive and knowing that I didn’t want to quit doing what I love. Thankfully, not only did this route lead to the unravelment a few new genres and skills, but I was able to prove to myself of the limits that I was willing to surpass.

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 am a poet, singer, dancer, aerialist, actress, model, photographer and painter. If it sounds like an earful to read, trust me, it is a mouthful to say. However, I do not wear all of my hats simultaneously, I typically prefer to choose a specialty every few years and spend the majority of my time narrowing in and training.
Presently, I am focusing on modeling, acting and being an aerialist which consists of many hours of classes and workshops. Once I feel that I can consider myself to be a master of my craft, if that ever happens to be the case, I will move on to another skill and apply the same method of narrowed in training.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Every time I create, I ask myself, “Should I create art to honor life as we know it and as it truly is? Or… Should I create art to honor and please the people around me and what I believe they may want to see?” Often, my art is hated and other times it is loved. At times, I feel that I must decide between either flowing with the tide or harnessing the willpower and courage to swim against it. To be who I am and where I would like to be is to accept that I will have to be resilient to the varying obstacles that may present themselves in my journey.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

It would be hard to pick one most rewarding aspect of being an artist or creative but if I had to choose, it would be when people tell me that I have helped inspire them. I often share my art because I want it to reach anyone who can find themselves within it so when I discover that it has helped catalyze an idea within someone, its simply an inexplicable feeling.

Contact Info:

• Website: surtzy.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/surtzy
• Facebook: facebook.com/surtzy
• Twitter: twitter.com/surtzy
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFauixjlrFl89VoEXsCr3hQ
• Other: tiktok.com/surtzyvanesa

Image Credits
Blue outfit: Photographer: David Alanis @exclusivergv Brown outfit: Photographer: The Slay Magazine @theslaymagazine Headshot: Miguel Gonzalez @magnus