Meet Emily Laracuente | Creative

We had the good fortune of connecting with Emily Laracuente and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Emily, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
Working for yourself requires a lot of personal boundaries! And it definitely took me a long time to strike a balance between offering what I am technically able to accomplish within a time frame and factoring in space for creativity to occur and time within a project to step back and reflect.

When I first started I thought the only way to make clients happy was to produce a result as soon as possible without accounting for “clocking out” at a certain time or room to hit a creative wall and come back to a project with a fresh perspective. Creativity and pressure to produce as fast as possible rarely mesh well and it took me stepping back from a self-imposed expectation of getting things done as soon as possible without regard for my own needs to really find a way to truly work best for myself and for my clients.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’ve always had an affinity for creating but there have been many different iterations of this over the years! It of course hasn’t been easy…it all started in college when I started making flyers and promotional material for the restaurant where I worked. Originally I thought the only way I could make money creatively was to apply it to marketing, but little by little I’ve been making my way closer to producing art I genuinely love to make.

I’m learning all the time and likely will continue to do so all throughout my career. Working for yourself takes a lot of self reflection and the more I get to know myself, the more assured I am of the value of what I bring to the table. I am still at the very beginning of truly considering myself an artist and I can’t wait to see what the coming years of being true to myself and continuing to push in that direction is going to mean for the future!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Oh my goodness, this is one of my favorite questions ever. As a San Diego native, I absolutely love playing tour guide!

First of all, visit in the fall. September and October are my absolute favorite months in SD—you’re pretty much guaranteed crisp air and warm sunshine.

Stay somewhere in the North Park/South Park/University Heights area and take advantage of the walkability of these neighborhoods that’s hard to come by elsewhere in SD. Eat a meal at Muzita Abyssian Bistro (prepare to eat with your hands and be welcomed into this family run restaurant as if it’s their own home), Pomegranate (Russian/Georgian cuisine, don’t sleep on the salad sampler platter!) or grab a mezcal margarita and molé special from Cantina Mayahuel. Grab a glass of wine (or several!) at Clos Wine Shop and munch on a cheese and charcuterie board while people watching from the patio.

Spend a day wandering around Balboa Park and grab a drink and snack at one of the many great restaurants there or nearby—a negroni and some parmesan fries Cucina Urbana nearby is hard to beat.

Take a day trip up the coast to catch sunset at Torrey Pines State Reserve, hike the many trails that wind around the cliffs and soak in the ocean views. Make sure to check the tides to make sure it’s low if you want to get a beach walk in!

My number one tip—and I’d say this applies to any place you’re visiting—is if you find yourself at a restaurant or bar you’re really digging, ask your server or bartender their favorite places! I guarantee you’ll get some stellar recommendations.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I have to give a major shoutout to Heidi Greenwood of Esquina Wine Shop and Campestre Productions! We first connected on Instagram years ago and I’ve been working closely with her ever since. As a long time part of the wine industry, applying my creative work to events and brands within it is a match made in heaven. More than anything, I’m grateful to Heidi for cultivating such a supportive community of women and for embracing me as a part of it.