Meet Raiza Noelia | Freelance Visual Artist

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

Hi Raiza, let’s talk legacy – what do you want yours to be?
I want people to remember me as a loving person. That I made some kind of impact in the world; hopefully a positive one. It may sound silly but I’ve always just wanted to help the world be a better place. I grew up & went through a lot of challenges in life & always seemed to have an awareness that we live in a world that is not easy. There’s a lot of really crappy things we witness /live through on a day to day and I’ve always just wanted to fight against that by spreading a bit of joy & love with all that I do. It’s a big part of why I started my own business and am in an artistic & creative career field. I hope that people will leave feeling a little brighter when they’re around me, collaborate with me, work with me, etc. I am a big advocate of love and the impact that love can bring into our communities & I want love to be at the root of what people remember about me.

Please tell us more about your work. We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about. How did you get to where you are today professionally. Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way. What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?
I am most proud of starting the business. Coming from a lower economic status, it’s just really incredible to be where I’m at today. I am a business owner, and that’s crazy for me to even say out loud. Being a woman of color, I hope my story shows other women of color that they can do it too; start their business or go after their crazy dreams. It can be done.

I grew up surrounded by family members that were business owners. Owners of local mom & pop shops so I had an understanding that I had the option to start a business if I wanted to. I kept having this desire in my heart to somehow help communities with creativity. So I started a local project called “Healing Broken Hearts Project” which kickstarted the beginning of me hosting local creative projects focused on spreading love. I’m grateful to say that with the help of an incredibly loving community I’m surrounded by, we were able to build homes for families in Colombia, donate toys to orphanages in Cambodia and send Veterans some love & support. I was involved in the entire creative process during the projects and felt electric afterwards. I just really loved helping out the community in any way possible. I wanted to keep doing it but it was hard balancing my passion project with working a full-time job. It got to a point where all I wanted to do was work on my project & decided it’d be a good time to take the leap and start my own thing. I had a very clear vision of what I wanted to do and just went for it. It definitely has come with its ups and downs. Most certainly not easy, but I am grateful to have a really big community that has helped me tremendously throughout the journey of the business. Community truly has been what’s helped me overcome challenges. Community & faith in God.

I have a few creative projects in the works that I’m excited about. Right now I focus primarily on creating visuals for other businesses and I’d love to expand into hosting creative and impactful community events. I’ve learned that there really is so much to learn within the business world. I don’t know everything and I won’t know everything and that’s okay. I’m going to make mistakes and that’s just part of the learning process which is much easier to navigate when you embrace it. During the really hard days, it’s okay to take a step back & reset. Everyone’s learning and trying to figure it out really. Those are some of the biggest things I’ve learned and I know there is still so much to learn.

I’d say I want the world to know that we can make a difference in our communities, and that it starts one person at a time. It’s not impossible and we don’t need to do anything crazy to make an impact. That’s what I hope my story and business speaks to others. That we can truly make an impact in this world for the better by doing what we love.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?

I would take them to as many places as possible! I love creating memories and experiences for anyone who visits me. There are so many incredible spots to check out in San Diego. I’d pair an activity like checking out Balboa Park/Zoo with exploring Hillcrest/North Park & grabbing food and drinks in the neighborhoods we’re in. Then I’d neighborhood hop throughout the week and bring them to different parts of San Diego to explore.

These are probably my top places to take my friends :

Mission Trails for hikes / Ferry to Coronado / Surf /climb /snorkel / scooter/ SUP/ Sea Kayaking

Caffe Calabria / Polite Provisions / 7 Grand / Breakfast Republic / Louisiana Purchase / Karinas Mexican Seafood / Local Breweries & local food spots.

Beaches / La Jolla Seals / Downtown / Hillcrest / North Park / South Park / Little Italy / Seaport Village / Boat Cruise in Bay / Tijuana & Rosarito / Balboa Park / Zoo / Torrey Pines / Sunset Cliffs.

I have fun doing practically anything so I really like to make it about what I think my friend would really appreciate and go from there. I tailor it to them.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Front & center would be God, my family & my best friends! My friends give me a hard time because I can never pick one of anything. In no means do I do it intentionally. It’s just that there are so many incredible humans I have met that have really changed & impacted my life. Every teacher & mentor that coached, taught, & encouraged me. A community that’s called Love tribe. Strangers who shared words of wisdom & encouragement throughout my travels. My church pastors throughout the years. So many books! My family, my goodness, has my family really been a huge support. It’s a blessing to say that I can’t pick just one.

Website: www.raizanoelia.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/raizanoelia

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/raizanoelia/