In our latest Member Spotlight, meet Maya, a dynamic digital strategist and project manager, who brings a unique blend of creativity and marketing acumen to the music industry.
Discover her journey and insights in our engaging conversation.
Q: Hey Maya! Could you tell us a bit about yourself? Who are ya, where do you come from, and what do you do?
Hi, I am Maya. An Anglo-Peruvian who has lived everywhere from London to Lima but is currently based in Brighton. I am a digital strategist and project manager, specialising in music and creative industries. My job is to get creatives to the next level through intelligent marketing.
Q: Can you recall a moment when you suddenly realised, ‘Yes, this is exactly what I should be doing’?
I think I have these moments regularly and it all stems from the people I connect with. I get excited about other people’s passions – I find it deeply inspiring and exciting. Those moments when I connect with someone and their project reminds me that I am exactly where I need to be.
Q: What do you think your younger self would say about you now? How would they feel meeting you?
Aww love this question. I reckon little Maya would be stoked! My work has allowed me to travel around the world, meet all sorts of incredible people and work on some unreal projects. To be honest, current Maya is pretty stoked about it, too!!
Q: In five years, what’s your dream scenario for yourself and your work? What are you most excited about?
I would love to be managing a team of other passionate creatives, collaboratively working on badass projects around the world. As always, I’m most excited about the people I’ll meet, projects to problem-solve and the places I’ll get to see along the way!
I’d love to be working on more projects that join the UK creative scenes with the one in Latin America. The creative space there is super out-of-the-box and thought-provoking.
Q: If you could sit down with someone just starting out on their own freelance or entrepreneurial path, what one piece of advice would you love to give them?
- Get your pension and your accounts sorted. I know some freelancers that were really late to the game with that and I can’t express how important it is to look after your own foundations.
- The freelancing lifestyle is, in equal measures, tough and glorious. In those tricky moments, remind yourself about all the amazing things this way of life gives you. If it was easy, everyone would do it, and you should be proud that you’ve got the chutzpah to go for it!
- Lastly, surround yourself with people who get it or it can be a little alienating if all your mates are full-time. It’s why Freelance Friends is so great!
Q: Picture this… You’re stranded on a desert island, and you can only listen to one song forever. What song would you choose and why?
I have synesthesia, so music literally tickles my brain and gives me colourful visuals, so I would have to choose something happy with good visuals to entertain me. It’s not the rules, but here are a few: Fomba by Modeste Hughes (sounds like honey dripping into your ear), Tezeta by Mulatu Astatke (sounds like cooking on a sunny Sunday morning), Stay High by Brittany Howard (sounds like falling in love).
I am in a chilled mood right now, though – ask me another day, and it’ll be all disco, funk and electronic world beats.
