Today we’d like to introduce you to Monica Rivera.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Monica. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Everything in my life has always had some type of irony to it that I’ve always really enjoyed and found funny. Modeling and acting I’ve always wanted to pursue ever since I was young. I always looks up to people like Lady Gaga and Lin-Manuel Miranda that were always so authentically unafraid to be themselves and follow their passion. So I told myself one day I would stop being afraid and just walked into two different local boutiques ad see if they needed someone to model their clothes. One completely rejected me, they took down my information to be nice but I was sure they were going to throw it away. The other one ended up using me as a model for some time, I ended up being put on all of their posters around town for two years and even walked in their fashion show.
I also got to open a for a fashion show for a New York designer when he came to Florida. It was great! I later got scouted to be seen by some of the top agencies in New York. Like a real dream come true, not very many people can say that their first time in New York was spent in meetings with some of the top modeling agencies. I was running around like crazy trying to figure out the transit system and get to my photoshoots on time. Unfortunately, I was rejected by all of them, but it only made me more excited and grateful for everything I was experiencing. Oh, and about a year later, the other boutique ended up reaching out to me too.
In terms of acting, I’ve always had a passion for it ever since I was a kid. I even won awards in statewide festivals in high school. At the time, there was a guy that was trying to convince me to go on a date with him and was offering comic con tickets that would give me VIP access to meet one of my favorite actors. I was honest: I told him I only wanted the tickets. He then refused to give the tickets to me, so I sent in a brief audition for the show, ended up getting booked, featured, and paid to see this actor everyday for about three months. I also found out that the same actor just happened to cancel his appear to that comic con appearance too.
I found myself in a big city that I’ve never been to before. I was typically the kind of person too scared to drive 30 minutes away from where I lived. I was also working on photography too and had a job interview to work as a photographer for a company. I sat down in the middle of a random memorial park crying my eyes out one day because I had to decide whether I was going to be interviewed for a stable job back home or stay in a city where I was making friends but too scared to figure out how I was going to make it work. I felt glued to where I was sitting so I decided I was going to stay. I kept going to more acting classes and booking background work for other TV shows. I ended up making a bet with God. I thought it was crazy that I was even trying to pursue all of this so quickly and so soon. The opportunity to audition for a TV Pilot popped up. I told myself that if I booked it I would continue to try out for acting. The odds of booking your first audition are slim to none, especially for a pilot. It’s really meant to just be an experience to learn from. I ended up getting called back to do an in person audition and then found out I was booked for it. So, I continue to build up myself as a working actress, booking commercials and student films until my perfect role reaches out to me. Or whenever something ironic decides to happen again. I’ll know.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
The road has been as smooth as the pothole ridden highways of Atlanta. At the time, I had a very strained relationship with my family. Some of which were battling server mental illnesses, so I wasn’t getting the support that I craved so badly from my family because they needed the time to heal for themselves. I also needed time to grow up, because I definitely wasn’t perfect either. I’ve always done well in corporate and structured settings, I got my first paid internship with a Fortune 500 company at the age of 16. Anything job and school wise I would always be top in performance because I’ve always been a hard worker. I still hated it, I couldn’t see myself looking at those same faces in the same grey building everyday for the rest of my life. Even when the job changed, the feeling stayed the same. It was repetitive and sad but I was always a natural optimist and knew that I could have whatever I wanted in life if I just put everything I had into it.
I doubted myself as a young woman craving desperately to love what she was doing while also being able to make an enjoyable living from it. I wanted to go back to how I felt when I would make art. I had my own emotional spiral at some point and hit rock bottom. I felt happier sleeping in my car than being at home. I used the showers at the gym at the university I attended to be presentable and still arrive to classes everyday. No one really had any idea that I had hit rock bottom, and I was ok with that. The hardest part about hitting that rock bottom of not having those I wanted close to me to be there and see it through. At the same token, rock bottom was a beautiful place because it made me sit down and realize what I really wanted, what I had to do to get there, and who actually mattered to me. I was still able to get the basis of what I needed, which is all that matters. I was humbled and brought to my senses, continued to find work in the field of entertainment that I love, rekindled the relationship with my family, and learned to love who I am and who I was becoming.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I am a model, actress, and content creator. I’m most proud of my determination and work ethic that always propelled me to go where ever I want to go. Even if I wasn’t necessarily qualified on paper, every other strength of mine seems to surpass whatever shortcomings I couldn’t teach myself to overcome right away. I find thats what sets me apart from others, that and being very intuitive. I’ve always felt a sense of knowing when something was going to happen right before it would happen, or when to have a certain discussion with someone would occur, I’ just know when something is “for me”. I think this is what has helped garner my success immensely.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I honestly believe that what’s for you is meant for you. I’ve faced many rejections but I never consider it bad luck, it’s either a fuel to my fire or simply not the right place for me. If anything, bad luck rescues you from bad situations sometimes. I think I’m very lucky but also pride myself on making sure I am very prepared. I believe the saying is “Success is when preparation meets opportunity.” I think it can sometimes come across as just luck when you don’t see all of the hard work, the no’s, and the hardship one goes through to get that one big “YES!”
Contact Info:
- Email: monicamarierivera@gmail.com
- Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/monica.m.rivera
Image Credit:
Sarah Cebulski, Aaron Rodriguez, Diego Gonzalez, Agnes Lopez
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