Today we’d like to introduce you to Mari Nieves
Hi Mari, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I grew up in the suburbs of Cleveland, and have been working as a professional artist since high school. While in high school, I made a promise to myself that I would always make art, even if that meant I was a starving artist. After high school, I went to college to study broadcasting and film. This meant I no longer had time for studio art like painting and drawing, but instead I focused on videography and even got into modeling. After graduating college in 2020, I began freelancing as a model and a videographer. Freelancing wasn’t easy since I kept running into situations of unprofessionalism which interfered with my payments. I refused to work in a field that wasn’t relevant to my degree, so I continued to search for stable jobs in my field. For about a year, I worked as a producer for a small entertainment industry in Cleveland, but eventally switched back into freelancing once the producer role ended. Freelancing was still difficult since artists are still fighting to receive proper pay for their services. Eventually, I landed a position with Kumar’s marketing agency, Underdogs. Here, I have been able to help out on different projects like MGK Day, collabs with the Cavs, collabs with the Browns, collabs with the LeBron James Family foundation, and plenty of other amazing companies. While working this job full time, I also work as a freelance model and dancer now. Between freelancing and working with the agency, I’m often in a different state working. My dedication to being a starving artist has led me to being a full time, professional, artist who doesn’t actually have to worry about the starving aspect of being an artist.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Some of the struggles I faced along the road have been receiving proper pay for art/ services, being a women of color in leadership roles, and most times being the only girl in the room. While working as a producer, I was the only woman on the team, the youngest person on the team, and the only person who wasn’t white on the team. At first, I had to deal with coworkers trying to give me unimportant tasks, like manning the clapper all day with no other roles, because they assumed I was incapable of other tasks. I would try to help out on set and give advice, but it would always get shut down. This went on for about a month, until the boss finally realized what was happening and reiterated to the team that I was actually there to direct and organize all of the projects, not hold the clapper. Most of my peers took this news positively, but there was one coworker who never seemed to trust my take on things and would fight back on every instruction I gave. This has been an issue in every space I walk into since I am the only girl most times, and it can take months for me to properly receive the respect I deserve. Even in the dance world, I am usually one of the only girls around, if not the only girl. In the street dance scene, girls are frequently harassed and shunned, making it difficult to break through as an artist, but it isn’t impossible! Everyday is an unnecessary battle to prove my worth as an artist, but it is a battle I would never lose.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I would say I’m most known for my modeling in Cleveland. I entered the runway scene in 2022 thinking I was too short and not skinny enough to be good, but quickly rose in the scene. Only a year later, I was being hired as a modeling coach for various modeling groups. Unfortunately, modeling is extremely underpaid in Cleveland and typically lacks professionalism, so I stopped runway in 2024 and only do select shoots.
As I was leaving modeling, I picked up my goals of dancing. I began training in 2022 with zero prior experience. My focus in the dance world is in the street dance scene. These are dance styles that were developed in the street/ club, like house, hip hop, breaking and many other styles. My primary style is waving, which is a subcategory of popping. Unfortunately, there aren’t really any dancers in Cleveland who use waving as their main form of dancing, so I typically travel to New York, Chicago, or LA for training. I also will often take online classes. As a dancer, I love to take what I learned in other cities and bring the knowledge back to my peers in Cleveland. A lot of my peers have made note on my quick growth in dancing and dedication to learning. In addition to waving, I also focus on latin styles like bachata and salsa. I have been hired to perform at Station Hope and the Cleveland Dance Festival in addition to performing at private events. Most recently, I had a small role in Djapo’s Kwanzaa celebration at the Cleveland Public theater.
I also work as a videographer in Cleveland. With working at the marketing agency, most of my work is around brand campaigns and UGC content.
My main goal with all of my art forms is to assist individuals in crafting compelling narratives that resonate deeply with their audience. My passion lies within using my platform and talents to help others tell their stories.
What makes you happy?
Creating art makes me happy. Each piece has meaning to me, but I love to hear how others interpret the piece and how it resonates with them.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://marinievesportfolio.my.canva.site/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/moparopisopa/
