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

Hi Andrea, other than deciding to work for yourself, what was the single most important decision you made that contributed to your success?
The most important decision I made was to focus on my opinion alone. I realized after years of being in the industry that I was too focused on what I thought others would think of my work, rather than what I thought of it. I realized that the people around me were simply creating content based on other people and I wanted to find my own vision rather than gain inspiration from others. I started focusing on myself alone and didn’t let other opinions get to me and found that I gained a lot more success this way. My brand became more original and I even noticed people were starting to follow in-suit with what I would do since it was different. At that point, I felt proud that I had finally found my own style and that it was even inspiring others!

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Creating content is something that I never saw as a job, it was simply something I loved doing. I loved finding new ways to showcase products where you would be able to see it’s capabilities within a picture. I will say it was not an easy start as you do tend to get clouded by so many different creators that you see doing multiple different things, so you really have to focus on your own vision rather than others. I take pride in what I do and when working with a company, I put 100% of all my effort into creating vision boards for the products I’m going to shoot which incorporates finding elements that represent the brand and product. Once I have a vision for the campaign I’m going to shoot I already have an idea of how I’m going to present the product and where. I feel that what sets me apart from others is the way that no matter what type of company I am working with, my content always stays in line with my brand and vision. There are times when I feel uninspired and I take this time to relax, listen to music, and think about my brand and what I want to show to the world. It also helps to have such a dedicated audience that I love communicating with and asking them what they’d like to see. This inspires me because they tell me what they want to hear and I know I could bring them great content.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would definitely start out the day with a coffee at Brickell City Center and do some light shopping. After this, I’d take her to my favorite pizza place Mister O1 and order a Marco pizza with burrata, yum! I’d also have a little fun planned at Candle Land where we would take a candle making class. This place is such a perfect place for a girls day and we would have something to remind us of such a fun trip. I’d also plan for a little stop at Dasher & Crank for some delicious ice cream and the perfect spot for some pictures! These are some of my favorite spots in Miami, but I also would make sure she doesn’t miss out on some of my favorite restaurants such as: Fratelli La Buffala, Swan, La Petite Maison, and Fiola. As well as drinks at: Sugar, the rooftop bar at the EAST, Komodo, and Barsecco. Finally, desert at: Mojo Donuts (Miami MUST), Mr. Kream, Taiyaki, and Cream Parlor.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I honestly wouldn’t of been able to get the courage to show myself and my creativity with the world if it wasn’t for my mom leading me on the path! She really inspired me to push away negative thoughts and focus on what I felt was important and what I loved.

Website: andreavalentina.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreadivalentina/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreadivalentina/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreadivalenti
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/andreadivalentina/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMZiVtGJmZGEzCEAHgfVdVw