Episode 48 Karina Mora - Season Four Closing
Another season wrapped!
At the end of last season I mentioned we had a little over 1300 downloads, and now we are at over 2100 downloads. I’m always so thankful for all the support, and feedback that keeps me going and sharing our stories.
I’m so so grateful as always to all my guests this season. This season meant a lot to me as a creative. I’ll admit I was a little MIA on the elevating la cultura instagram. I started therapy in January, and honestly I have been doing an immense amount of internal work. You might be thinking ok what does therapy have to do with your instagram. Well, I had a lot of reels planned at the start of the season, and even had it in my head to share some of my therapy sessions…pero te digo, that at the beginning I was legit so drained after my sessions that I couldn’t create. my brain space was taken up by all of the internal work I was doing and processing through, that I had to put my IG on hold. I had the capacity to create posts for each of my guests pero es todo.
Why do I share this? This season was all about creatives and artists and especially the hard work that goes into creating. It literally takes your whole being to pour into a passion, and I wanted to be intentional about giving myself the space I needed to make sure I prioritized each episode, each guest, and I because of that I just had to let go of creating other content for reels or other posts this season.
And I love how many of the people I chatted with this season also said that as creatives we need to make space for ourselves to recharge, so that we can in fact keep creating. Rest and peace is crucial to the creative process.
This literally is opposite of what we are taught in schools, at work, by our parents… and that is why it’s imperative to change this narrative for creatives in general.
We joke or make comments about the “starving artist” narrative but this way of thinking is actually harmful to creatives. It’s a limiting belief that must be broken because it’s simply not true.
It’s because of this mentality that we as creatives feel guilty for resting, for going on a walk, taking a nap. We feel like we need to prove our worthiness of being an artist by what we produce. I love how Renata in episode 40 talked about how this way of thinking is actually a hinderance for creatives to create! I love her advice to just take a walk outside. No phone, no music, no podcast, just you and some fresh air. I absolutely love the work she is doing, so if you haven’t yet, follow her on IG and tune into her content. It’s seriously helping me grow.
We heard from Ashley, author of Jefa in Training from episode 38 who is doing such amazing work at making sure that we feel seen and heard as entrepreneurs.
I was also deeply impacted when I heard Mari in last weeks episode 47 say that she didn’t know that Latinas could be entrepreneurs until she saw Pati’s business Hija de tu madre. Representation is in fact crucial. I’m so glad that Ashley has written a book to not only SHOW others a step by step guide on how to build a business from the ground up, but also bring representation to this space.
We heard Mylene’s story in episode 44 about how she didn’t see other Latinas in the interior design space when she was first starting. When you feel like you’re the only Latina in a certain space the urge to assimilate is so much stronger. When you’re in a predominantly white space, it’s so easy to code switch, to “play a certain part” and show up in a way that is is less than authentic, primarily because we don’t want to be seen as different especially when we’re being told a certain look or way of doing things will lead to success.
Karina also talks about this in episode 42 about the music space. The things she was told during her college sounded so familiar to the things I heard when i was at a predominately white college. It is so discouraging to hear those things especially when you don’t have a support system to validate your feelings. The dangerous thing is when you start believing those things, which when I was in college I did. I started thinking oh well maybe I am only here because they needed diversity numbers. It was a crushing weight to bear and honestly led to my imposter syndrome.
I remember when I would go to wedding workshops, trainings, and meet-ups and the road to success seemed so simple. Just do xyz, show up doing all these things, reach out to these people. But the people who were leading were coming from a different cultural background. I remember feeling, kind of like, well how am I supposed to show up like I’m “supposed to” if that isn’t really me. I don’t have the network because I didn’t have the access that they had.
It really made me think something was wrong with ME as a person, when I wasn’t seeing the success my peers were seeing. It wasn’t until I started opening up, and hearing that I wasn’t alone that I started seeing the reality of things.
It was then that I started being intentional about reaching out to other Latinas to see if they felt the same or had similar experiences. You can hear in Season 1 that many of the guests that season are people I met in the wedding industry, and conversations with them were the foundation to starting this whole podcast.
And since then I’ve only grown this amazing network of entrepreneurs who are leaning into who they are, and deciding that they want to create for their community. I absolutely love Xochitl’s designs. You can hear her on episode 39 talking about WHY she started her brand. Some of my favorite things to wear are her designs from Werk Mija. I love them because they’re SO relatable to me. And the content she puts out there also SO relatable.
I wish someone had told me that I could actually be proud of being Mexican and just be myself when I started as a creator. I’m empowered by hearing stories like Norbella & Claudia in episode 43 who are creating spaces for healing through poetry, music, and spoken word… and how Yvette in episode 45 is also creating a community which started by her simply being vulnerable and sharing her experiences.
Even Esperanza on episode 46 was like I’m going to take what I learned in school and create a space that is true to me. And it’s amazing! She takes all the things that give her passion, and has created a business and a studio space where she invites others to feel welcomed.
There is something beautiful when we share our own stories and it impacts others. So many times we go through life thinking we need to do it alone, for fear of being judged, or shamed…but we literally come from a background that is rooted in community. When we think about our culture, community is at the core, and along the way of living in the US which is super individualistic we’ve come to believe that we should also think the same. I do acknowledge the realities that the US puts on immigrant families that cause us to fear being truthful around some people.
Which is why it’s important to create safe spaces where we can just be. We can come as we are, share our stories, and just encourage each other through life. Which is why I’ve been so excited to actually start creating a space like this through Elevating la Cultura.
This year, my friend Veronica from S1 E9 and I started to host in person events. I mean, what better way to grow a community, keep sharing stories than to do it over some botanas! So we are hosting a little comadre hangout every month. To get all the info make sure you join the email list on our website.
This is a time to get to know other Latinas and share our stories. Come as you are, as we share a meal, get to know each other, and encourage each other in where we are in life. If you’re in Chicago…you should join us for the next brunch later this month.
In the intro to this season, episode 37, I said that As I talked to each guest I want to bring to light that if there have been feelings of guilt or like doing something creative is a waste of time, then you aren’t alone. Your feelings are valid, but I want to create space for us to shift our way of thinking about creative fields and think of how we can empower the next generation to flourish.
Many of these creatives I talked to this season have mentioned that they have had push back or some skepticism from parents about pursuing a creating field. And they have gone to school to study something that was adjacent to their passion, like marketing, or teaching.
But I LOVE that Mari from LatinxMarketing, shared what it could look like if parents are completely supportive of their kids career choices. Even if we ourselves aren’t in a creative field I want us to start thinking about how we can encourage the next generation to pursue whatever brings them joy, and to know that one can be successful in a creative field. And like I mentioned in the intro that perhaps we have to acknowledge that the definition of success is shifting.
We are a generation that is continuing to build on to the sacrifices that our parents made to get us to a place where we can actually think about what brings us joy, peace, and happiness. I’m reminded of what Sandra from papelitos lindos said in episode 41 that it’s more important to take time to figure out what is truly important to us in each stage in our lives. We put a lot of pressure on ourselves, honestly at all stages in our lives, during our school years, when we are looking for a job, and even into our 30’s 40’s 50’s… there is no wrong age to do anything, and we need to step away from a specific timeframe, or a specific road map and just lean into our joy, and living out who we are at our core. Unapologetically.
When we step into our whole being, we find peace, and community to support us. We just need to be willing to deconstruct ideas that we’ve come to accept as reality. Let’s keep healing so that we can be the light for the next generation. Let’s support our kids, trust our kids, and simply encourage the next generation.
If you’re in Chicago, come join us for the next Jefa Brunch I host with Veronica. Send me a DM for details, but you can get all the info on the elevating la cultura website.
Ok amigos, Thank you so much for listening. If you enjoyed this conversation please rate on apple podcasts, share, take a screenshot to post on IG @elevatinglacultura or send me a DM. You can also comment on our YouTube video if you’re watching online
I always like to hear from people and how they resonated with the stories I share. En serio. I respond to the DMs and messages.
So, muchisimas gracias for another amazing season… I promised a little sneak peek into what next season will be about…and it’s going to be a solo cast where I share more of my story.
I mentioned that I’ve been going to therapy, and I’m at a place where I can share more deeply about my story, my journey through assimilation, my story as a daughter of an immigrant, as a wife, as a mother…all the things, I’m going to get into it. People have asked in the DMs, in person to share more about me…so I’m doing it. I usually would rather hear other people’s stories, and experiences but I know I also need to be willing to go deep and share my own life.
I’m taking the next month off to recharge, create fun content, and will be back in June with a new season. Enjoy the rest of your day/afternoon/evening, whenever you’re listening y nos vemos pronto!
Adios!
Karina
