Meet Miranda De Gasperi | Educator, Artist, and Environmental Scientist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Miranda De Gasperi and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Miranda, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking.
I’ve taken quite a few risks in my life and learned a lot from it. Of course, you don’t want to be reckless and have to make sure you will be safe, but I learned to follow my intuition over anything, sometimes even more than logic. And taking these risks has always led me closer to my true self. When I was 18, I moved from Peru to the US to pursue my education. It was really intimidating, but a huge growth experience where I learned to face challenges and build a community in a foreign place. Then, after completing my undergrad in 2020, I started a PhD program in Ecosystem Science & Policy. It was really challenging to embark on this massive journey during the pandemic and remotely. Eventually, I realized that it was not the right thing for me – I wanted to be closer to direct impact and academia felt so far removed from that. I Mastered out of the program and carved my own path combining art, education, and environmental science. It was a huge risk and some people thought I was throwing my whole career away, but Buen Provecho Collective was born out of that, forging a fulfilling and joyful career for myself. My mom always tells me that when you’re young, you need to make brave choices, not just safe ones. My litmus test for risks boils down to this: if I never take this risk, will I regret it in the future? Or when I look back and imagine my life without ever taking that risk, am I content?

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
As an artist, I still struggle with impostor syndrome and it can be challenging to get out of your own way. I had to learn to really trust myself and not be afraid to put myself out there. I think what sets me apart from others is my multidisciplinary practice – I try to approach everything I do through the lens of an educator, an artist, and an environmentalist, and that creates a unique approach to the workshops and events I organize. But it wasn’t always like this, and I used to box myself into being a scientist. Once I moved past that block and embraced being an artist, I thought I had to stick to oil painting because that’s what I had trained in. I realized all these boxes were excuses not to try something new and therefore avoid failure, but you can’t learn or move forward if you don’t try new things and fail along the way. I learned that the less I define myself, the more things fall into place and make sense, ironically. And BPC is a manifestation of that – the magic that can happen when you follow your intuition and open yourself up to trying new things, meeting new people, exploring new perspectives. Openness and curiosity are brave things!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I love this question because Miami can have a certain reputation of being superficial but it’s such an incredible city – the nature, the people, the culture and history are all so unique and real. An ideal day would start off with a good cafecito and pastries – Four Miami is my favorite right now, and Ripe Miami is a pop-up with the best coffee in town. I like to try new places and trust Undrbelly Magazine for all food and bev recs! Then, I’d take them to see the PAMM, I work there too and love showing my loved ones the new exhibits. There’s a lot of Latin American and Caribbean art, plus there’s a great view! Then, a visit to the beach is a must. I like going to Bill Baggs on Key Biscayne with out-of-town visitors because there’s the lighthouse and you can get an incredible view from the top, plus there’s a short and sweet nature path to walk as well. On the way out of the Key, a stop at Gramps Getaway to catch the sunset with a great cocktail. Then, ending the night with dinner and drinks at OverUnder, which has the best bar food in Miami by a good mile. There’s also so many venues and artists doing incredible activations, live shows, and parties like ZeyZey, RawFigs, Witches of Miami, or Angels Only Market, to name a few. Some great resources to tap into the best happenings in Miami are ThirdSpaces, Always Lunes, and People Places Things Miami (PPTM).

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Absolutely! One of the main pillars of BPC is community and we truly accomplish what we do because of the genuine and supportive community we have. It’s too many to list here but you know who you are – My friends who believed in this idea since day one and volunteer their time and expertise to make it happen, the many artists who have contributed to our workshops and events because they believe in what BPC is doing, the incredible women who lead BPC’s Board of Directors alongside me – Kathryn and Nancy, all the people who reach out to collaborate and build something together, the businesses that sponsor us and offer us their spaces, the people who say my name and share BPC’s mission in powerful rooms, the artists and organizers who offer their guidance and advice. I had a very clear vision since the beginning of what I wanted BPC to be, but it ultimately is a reflection of the talent, camaraderie, and creativity that exists in Miami – my only job is to support and amplify that.

Website: https://www.buenprovechocollective.com

Instagram: buenprovecho.collective

Image Credits
Photo Credits: Carolina Menendez, Miranda De Gasperi, Lazaro Llanes