Today we’d like to introduce you to Ely Sanchez.
Ely, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Everyone knows me as Ely. I am a proud Mexican born in San Diego and raised in Tijuana by two amazing parents. I grew up crossing the border to the US every day up until I was in 4th grade which is when I switched to Tijuana at the age of 11 to continue my education. I came back to San Diego when I was 16 to finish high school and college. I moved to Los Angeles, CA when I was 22 years to pursue an arts degree in Graphic Design at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising. I was moving back and forth between LA, SD, and TJ up until I turned 25 years which is when I decided to stay in San Diego to pursue an artistic career. I began illustrating and painting when I was very young with the inspiration of my brother Abel (R.I.P.) and my father who were both talented artists as I was growing up. Growing up in Tijuana influenced my perspective on the whole world and how others lived so different than me. I wanted others to see the world how I see it so I began painting my thoughts and ideas. I participated in many exhibitions in San Diego and Los Angeles where I showed different styles and color ranges.
During this time, I was also heavily influenced by performing arts and music. I started dancing when I was 17 years of age and continued off and on up until now at my 32 years of age. Dancing and being a dancer was one of my childhood dreams and I am currently working on this dream, I am very involved in the dance industry in San Diego and I hope I can continue growing as a dancer. Music is a very important part of my life as it has helped me through difficult times and I thought I should give back to the music industry by starting a Music Media company called The Local Music. This company is formed by four individuals including myself, we are heavily involved in the music industry. A photographer, a video director, an editor, and a publicist make this company very unique and different. We started this company last year in May 2018 by interviewing artists and musicians and providing them a platform to promote their music. I have worked with other companies as well that have helped my journey and have inspired me to grow. I am very happy about all the accomplishments I have reached and will continue until I fulfill all of my dreams.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has been a very rough road but very rewarding. With the help and dedication of my family, I have been able to get to where I am at today. Growing up in Tijuana faced me with a lot of challenges, I was not surrounded by the best environment and had a lot of obstacles to overcome. I knew at a very young age that I needed to move to the United States if I really wanted to succeed in life, so I did at age 16. My oldest brother struggled with addictions all of his life and 20 years of mine. His addictions influenced my life decisions heavily and since I didn’t want to be part of that dynamic I decided to separate myself from my living situation at 22 which is when I moved to Los Angeles. My family continued the struggle and encountered a lot of challenges. I tried to support my brother and my parents to beat his addictions and became his guardian at a certain time in his life but he always relapsed into addictions until his death at 45. After my brother passing, my life changed 100% and because of his death I was able to see life through a different lens, his death broke my heart but also showed me that sometimes the only thing people are missing to complete their life journey is LOVE and I feel that my purpose in this life is to spread it. I dedicate all the love I have spread to my brother in heaven. My advice to young women is to NEVER GIVE UP, no matter how hard it gets, how difficult situations get and how impossible life seems there’s always a light at the end of the tunnel and when you get to see that light it will be the brightest light that you will ever see, I can guarantee this. Believe in yourself no matter what others say or think about you, what YOU believe about YOU is the only thing that matters.
Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
I work in Marketing. I specialize in Marketing of any kind. As of now, I am working for the Sports Industry as a Marketing Manager for a Product Development company in Sports Licensing.
I am also the founder and publicist of The Local Music a Music Media company specializing in the Music Industry in San Diego, Tijuana, and Los Angeles.
I am a dancer at Vigor Academy in Chula Vista, CA with Vigor Polerinas a Pole Art duet that specializes in acrobatic pole performances in the San Diego area.
I am a painter expressing my thoughts and muses in life.
We’re interested to hear your thoughts on female leadership – in particular, what do you feel are the biggest barriers or obstacles?
I feel the biggest barriers are social and cultural challenges. We live in a society that has been influenced by the male profit and strength making the world believe that males are stronger and better at making money and establishing a business, head of the households, better at sports, etc… I believe women are 100% capable of doing all of those things without the help of a male. I believe women are equally intelligent and strong to be head of the household and starting business we just need to support each other and push each other to be better. We need to motivate each other and work in teams rather than alone, you know what they say “two is better than one” so if we help each other out we can go very far!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.ely-sanchez.com
- Email: elysanchezvision@gmail.com
- Instagram: @elylovesyou
- Other: @thelocalmusic
Image Credit:
Carlo Toribio – Photographer, RAW Natural Born Artist – Photographer
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