Marisa is a Chicana woman and the Creative Director behind If Only Creative, a Bay Area creative studio she founded in 2022. Her studio offers brand identity and packaging design, social media strategy and management, content creation, and trend-setting commercial photography. After serving ice cream, burgers, and coffee, and changing her major three times in college, Marisa attended the University of Huddersfield—which she claims is an amazing place, but I don't believe her—and earned a degree in Marketing. After living in England for seven years, holding roles at creative agencies and breweries, and spending thousands of hours listening to Miley Cyrus, she moved back to sunny California to focus on working with women- and POC-owned businesses that are impact-driven. Along the way, Marisa turned her frustrations surrounding the way people celebrate Cinco de Mayo into a special dinner series highlighting and honoring the ingredients and flavors found in Puebla, Mexico, called El Otro Lado.

Tune in for a talk about her connection to the food and beverage industry, the effects of defining your core values, and how forming an advisory board of creative people she trusts has helped her grow her business. Follow Marisa on Instagram @ifonlycreative, and check out the delicious-looking work on her website: ifonly-creative.com.

Questions for this interview.

• First things first. Have you met Miley Cyrus yet?
• What was your childhood like, and what can you tell us about how you grew up?
• Why did you pivot away from saying "Latina-owned" and start saying "Chicana-owned," and can you talk about the nuances of that decision?
• IF you consider your career, are you finally doing what your heart tells you you should be doing?
• Why does the food & beverage industry have such a firm grip on you, and why does your passion thrive in that industry?
• How did defining your core values provide clarity and direction for your creative work and your business goals?
• How do you check yourself to ensure that your approach to a client project is grounded in authenticity for both you and your client?
• How can you quickly tell if a client is more interested in the community or the competition?
• What does the phrase "impact-driven" mean to you, and can you give us an example of an impact-driven client you've worked with and how they make an impact in the world?
• Could you explain what El Otro Lado is and provide a better understanding of what frustrated you when you came up with the concept?
• What is your ultimate goal for the event, and what do you hope people who attend one of the dinners will take away from the experience?
• What are you looking for, and what are some essential qualities a designer needs to showcase when you're searching for someone to partner with on a project?
• Why did you create an advisory board, and how does it help you grow as a business owner?
• How did you discover you were charging at least four times less than the amount you should have been charging for your services?
• What can you do differently that you believe would make you a better leader?

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