Name/IG handle
Nayelli Rios / @mami.swag
What type of artist are you?
Multifaceted Artist, I do it all baby.
Location
Santa Rosa / SF / Oakland
When did you first start practicing your craft?
When I was 17, my best friend Jesus was taking photography and we started off doing test shoots. I was on tumblr / pinterest a lot and we liked to find some dope looks / inspo and recreate them in our own way. What started off as a fun lil hobby for us turned into people hitting me up to collab and the rest is history (:
What's your favorite tool to create with?
PASSION!!! (and maybe my weed hehe) If there's no passion or intention, the work doesn't mean anything...
What has been your biggest inspiration recently?
Music + what I go through / see in life.
What do you hope to be doing creatively in a year from now?
A year from now I'm gonna be doing more than just modeling. I have a lot of ideas, working on a lot of really cool stuff behind the scenes that I can't really talk about yet but it's gonna be dope! Getting in front of a camera and dressing up is fun, but it's not all I have to offer the world.
Do you have any dreams or long-term goals for yourself?
Main goal is to provide generational wealth for my people after me. Long term, I hope to own a big coffee shop / studio space for artists to lounge / create in, 420 friendly and it's gonna have a big open library and a beautiful community garden.
What's something about your art/yourself that people wouldn't know just by observing your work?
I think that a lot of people don't know that I started inserting myself in the bay about 3 years ago. I grew up in Santa Rosa and the art scene is almost non-existent / very cliquey. I never felt seen and knew I needed to find my people elsewhere. I have never wanted to go the agency route because I love my freedom and autonomy and I wanted to stay true to my roots and not do it solely for the money, but because it makes me feel something. It wasn't until this last year or so that I feel like people really started noticing my work, and I feel like I owe a lot of that to my best friend Genesis, who is born and raised in Oakland, and is really tapped into the art scene out there.
What is/has been your biggest challenge as a creative?
I think my biggest challenge has just been trying to figure out who I am as an artist and where I see it taking me. I have a really hard time being perceived and I think a lot of people see me as an influential person / someone who is connected but in my head I'm just having play dates with friends and we're making dope art and having fun doing so. I don't like to call myself a creative or an influencer because I think that I am more than that and those terms are overwatered... I am a jack of all trades and I'm excited to show that to the world.
What do you hope to gain from being part of this community?
I hope to gain more knowledge and skills from the people who are a part of this community. I think that we can all learn a thing or two from one another, if we are open to that.
Proudest moment as a creative so far?
My achievements have never been for me to boast about but rather to prove to myself the things I can do with my resources or lack thereof and inspire others to do the same. I’ll be the first to admit that I have no car, no financial stability - but I have myself and my hunger, and that drives me.
Any advice you would like to share with the other members?
My advice is to ask yourself "how hungry are you?" like how bad do you want something? If you want something enough, you're gonna make it happen for yourself no matter who / what is stopping you. How many excuses are you gonna keep making for yourself until you're excused?
Favorite letter, number, and color?
Favorite letter is G, it's powerful lol. My favorite color is green and my favorite number is 9. In numerology, the number 9 is the highest-valued single-digit number and represents completion, growth, and wisdom. It signifies the end of a cycle, but not the end of something, rather the beginning of something new.
How has your Mexican identity influenced your art and style? Any other artists, relatives, experiences that were pivotal to shaping you?
I think that my Mexican identity is a huge part of why I do what I do. Although I feel like theres a surplus of Mexican representation, I think that a lot of people do it to profit off the culture and our people. My intentions are to find and work with more people who come from a similar background as I do, and help amplify our voices. I grew up in a predominately hispanic / native area and was never afraid to talk about where I come from, regardless of how people perceived me. If you don't show all of yourself, how can people really know who you are?
Who/what inspired you to feel confident in your work and all the ways that you explore your creativity?
To be honest I think that having people who I admire / respect validate my work has played a huge park in helping me feel confident in everything I do. Lorena Garduño, a mentor and friend, was the first person who told me I should consider modeling and actually sent me my first official gig with @trapxart. In joining trapxart I met a lot of really influential and hardworking women such as Amina Brooks and Viola Choice, who were the first people to put me on a stage and help me believe in myself and my abilities. I used to be an anxious and slightly insecure person, but having them bring me back to do shows / campaigns over the last 3 years has helped me realize my potential as an artist / human being.
How much time and effort goes into each of your posts? What mindset do you have when deciding what content to share?
Omg the way I will spend 2+ hour trying to curate a post sometimes should actually be illegal lol! To me everything I do is intentional. From the outfits, to the captions, to the song, to the way the post itself is organized, are all done with an intention in mind. I want people to feel something. Whether it be nostalgia, joy, or even distaste... I just want the post to make you feel present. Just like in a movie, book, or music video. The way I post is like my way of storytelling online without really having to say much. I love giving people their flowers and I think that is a key component to maintaining fruitful and meaningful collaborations. Everyone plays a part and I really couldn't execute without them, therefore I am a firm believer that credit needs to be given where it's due. I think just inserting myself in rooms that I felt intimidated in helped to make a lot of connections, cause in my head, fear just meant that I was headed for my blessings and something was trynna keep me from them.
<- back
Nayelli Rios / @mami.swag
What type of artist are you?
Multifaceted Artist, I do it all baby.
Location
Santa Rosa / SF / Oakland
When did you first start practicing your craft?
When I was 17, my best friend Jesus was taking photography and we started off doing test shoots. I was on tumblr / pinterest a lot and we liked to find some dope looks / inspo and recreate them in our own way. What started off as a fun lil hobby for us turned into people hitting me up to collab and the rest is history (:
What's your favorite tool to create with?
PASSION!!! (and maybe my weed hehe) If there's no passion or intention, the work doesn't mean anything...
What has been your biggest inspiration recently?
Music + what I go through / see in life.
What do you hope to be doing creatively in a year from now?
A year from now I'm gonna be doing more than just modeling. I have a lot of ideas, working on a lot of really cool stuff behind the scenes that I can't really talk about yet but it's gonna be dope! Getting in front of a camera and dressing up is fun, but it's not all I have to offer the world.
Do you have any dreams or long-term goals for yourself?
Main goal is to provide generational wealth for my people after me. Long term, I hope to own a big coffee shop / studio space for artists to lounge / create in, 420 friendly and it's gonna have a big open library and a beautiful community garden.
What's something about your art/yourself that people wouldn't know just by observing your work?
I think that a lot of people don't know that I started inserting myself in the bay about 3 years ago. I grew up in Santa Rosa and the art scene is almost non-existent / very cliquey. I never felt seen and knew I needed to find my people elsewhere. I have never wanted to go the agency route because I love my freedom and autonomy and I wanted to stay true to my roots and not do it solely for the money, but because it makes me feel something. It wasn't until this last year or so that I feel like people really started noticing my work, and I feel like I owe a lot of that to my best friend Genesis, who is born and raised in Oakland, and is really tapped into the art scene out there.
What is/has been your biggest challenge as a creative?
I think my biggest challenge has just been trying to figure out who I am as an artist and where I see it taking me. I have a really hard time being perceived and I think a lot of people see me as an influential person / someone who is connected but in my head I'm just having play dates with friends and we're making dope art and having fun doing so. I don't like to call myself a creative or an influencer because I think that I am more than that and those terms are overwatered... I am a jack of all trades and I'm excited to show that to the world.
What do you hope to gain from being part of this community?
I hope to gain more knowledge and skills from the people who are a part of this community. I think that we can all learn a thing or two from one another, if we are open to that.
Proudest moment as a creative so far?
My achievements have never been for me to boast about but rather to prove to myself the things I can do with my resources or lack thereof and inspire others to do the same. I’ll be the first to admit that I have no car, no financial stability - but I have myself and my hunger, and that drives me.
Any advice you would like to share with the other members?
My advice is to ask yourself "how hungry are you?" like how bad do you want something? If you want something enough, you're gonna make it happen for yourself no matter who / what is stopping you. How many excuses are you gonna keep making for yourself until you're excused?
Favorite letter, number, and color?
Favorite letter is G, it's powerful lol. My favorite color is green and my favorite number is 9. In numerology, the number 9 is the highest-valued single-digit number and represents completion, growth, and wisdom. It signifies the end of a cycle, but not the end of something, rather the beginning of something new.
How has your Mexican identity influenced your art and style? Any other artists, relatives, experiences that were pivotal to shaping you?
I think that my Mexican identity is a huge part of why I do what I do. Although I feel like theres a surplus of Mexican representation, I think that a lot of people do it to profit off the culture and our people. My intentions are to find and work with more people who come from a similar background as I do, and help amplify our voices. I grew up in a predominately hispanic / native area and was never afraid to talk about where I come from, regardless of how people perceived me. If you don't show all of yourself, how can people really know who you are?
Who/what inspired you to feel confident in your work and all the ways that you explore your creativity?
To be honest I think that having people who I admire / respect validate my work has played a huge park in helping me feel confident in everything I do. Lorena Garduño, a mentor and friend, was the first person who told me I should consider modeling and actually sent me my first official gig with @trapxart. In joining trapxart I met a lot of really influential and hardworking women such as Amina Brooks and Viola Choice, who were the first people to put me on a stage and help me believe in myself and my abilities. I used to be an anxious and slightly insecure person, but having them bring me back to do shows / campaigns over the last 3 years has helped me realize my potential as an artist / human being.
How much time and effort goes into each of your posts? What mindset do you have when deciding what content to share?
Omg the way I will spend 2+ hour trying to curate a post sometimes should actually be illegal lol! To me everything I do is intentional. From the outfits, to the captions, to the song, to the way the post itself is organized, are all done with an intention in mind. I want people to feel something. Whether it be nostalgia, joy, or even distaste... I just want the post to make you feel present. Just like in a movie, book, or music video. The way I post is like my way of storytelling online without really having to say much. I love giving people their flowers and I think that is a key component to maintaining fruitful and meaningful collaborations. Everyone plays a part and I really couldn't execute without them, therefore I am a firm believer that credit needs to be given where it's due. I think just inserting myself in rooms that I felt intimidated in helped to make a lot of connections, cause in my head, fear just meant that I was headed for my blessings and something was trynna keep me from them.
<- back