Interview Series: Limari from Prisma Art
Hello, happy Sunday!
Today I am sharing the transcript of the interview I had with my friend and coworker, Limari Maldonado. Along with keeping a full time job as a Certified Medical Assistant (CMA), she has a creative business making custom resin art, necklaces and bracelets. Shop for her designs at Prisma Art.com
Discover her designs and creative process by following her on social media :
Tik Tok: @prismaartcaconayari
Instagram & Facebook: @prismaartcaconayari
For clarity and ease of information, parts of the interview were skipped and/or summarized. Reibert-Anthony Studio Amigos get access to entire audio of interview, learn more here.
What is your all-time favorite movie?
So I like Grease (1978) . I mean, I have a lot of movies. I like a lot of movies, but I think Grease is the one that I keep watching the most. Yeah, it's a very fun movie, but at the same time it talks about a lot of like real situations in life and you know, how hard it is to be a teenager and all the things that they must confront and how to deal with them and how friendship remains.
I love the music. I’m very musical, so I just sing a long.
Where did you get your Certified Medical Assistant certification?
I started working as a PSS (Patient Services Specialist) at Baylor Scott & White. After about a year of being in that position, they opened applications for the CMA (Certified Medical Assistant) Certification through Baylor Scott & White.
I was interviewed and accepted to start the certification with ten other employees. (The program) was very intense. Instead of the typical nine months to a year, It was only nine weeks.
We cried, we laughed, we are everything. During that time, it was a very small room like extremely small. But thankfully Baylor Scott & White was able to provide all the books, all the notebooks, pens, computers, books, everything. I didn't have to provide anything they would pay me as if it was my job. I just had to give up my PSS position.
The final test was very different from what we had studied, and I am not a very good tester. So, at the end I was like, Oh my God, I don't think I'm going to pass. So, when I finally finished, it gives you the results right there in the office.
So, I was able to get it. And then by that time, the nurse that we had in Westlake, he moved out of the clinic. So, we didn't have any nurses like, you know, while I don't have experience, I don't have anything. I just graduated. I don't know what I want to do, but I need for that job. So I went to the manager and was like, Hey, I want that position.
What inspired you to start a creative career?
So I started my business when the pandemic started, I, I had COVID. And while I was in the room by myself, I was watching Tik Tok a lot and I had watched some videos over resin and I was like really, really intrigued by it. And since I was like, you know, inside the room doing nothing, I took advantage.
And, you know, I can order Amazon. They will deliver and my roommate can leave it in front of the door and run for her life. And then and then anyways, I ordered it and I started making, like, terribly bad because I didn't know how to work it. Yeah, but I was pretty proud of what I did.
It had, like their resin, it had some mold. It had everything that I need it. And then I just started making stuff and I just fell in love with it.
Describe your business in 5 words
· Creative
· Colorful
· A Projection
· Relaxing
· Therapeutic
Do you see yourself leaving the medical field?
That was something that I was definitely contemplating at some point I had feelings of feeling so stuck. And there were a lot of situations happening. Um, no, I kind of have shifted my thoughts about it, because new opportunities have come up, inside my (CMA) scope.
As a team lead, I have new staff members that I need to teach and that’s part of like, you know, that’s in my veins.
Creating cheat sheets and stuff like that to help them learn and have something for when I am not available.
If you were guaranteed success with your creative business, would you leave the medical field?
Yeah, yeah, yeah, definitely. It’s sometimes better to be your own boss.
Biggest struggle with growing your creative business, right now?
I struggle with time because I have so much to do in the clinic.
There are some days I had to get to the clinic extremely early because I have way too many things that are way behind, I need to get done and I leave super late. There was one time that I would go to the clinic at 630 and I would leave at 630, you know, and, uh, during or after the pandemic, we had a lot of changes in the clinic and, I was by myself, you know, so I would get to the clinic at seven in the morning and I would leave an 830 almost every day.
Energy is the other thing. But whenever I do sit down, I try to do as much as I can. I kind of like hyperfocus, so I get a lot done. Like when I look to the side, I'm like, Oh my gosh, I have done all this already, right?
What mentality advice would you give someone starting out with their creative journey?
Have an open mentality, because if you feel, oh, I'm going to make this business, I'm just going to work on this and that that's going to be it. You're going to encounter yourself with a big wall. So, you must be open to be to other things. Yeah. To add up more to, you know, suggestions, maybe your mind is fixed into something, but it’s probably not the best for you.
What technical or practical advice would you give someone that’s starting out their creative business?
Learn about policies and laws that can benefit you and the one’s you want to avoid.
Yeah, I made myself a binder. I would print out, like, important things that would be beneficial to small businesses or what things I can do.
Topics that were not included in the transcription of the interview.
Experience working at a hospital
How Limari would handle working the night shift? (Hint: Not great)
The song that Limari sings to patients that fear needles!
Thoughts on Health Care workers having a good attitude/energy
Reibert-Anthony Amigo get access to the audio version of interviews. To find out more about how to become an Amigo, click here.
Thank you for reading!
Limari is currently accepting custom orders so be sure to send her a DM to one her social media accounts to keep in touch with her.
Tik Tok: @prismaartcaconayari
Instagram & Facebook: @prismaartcaconayari
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