Moving to another country wasn't that daunting because I was already familiar enough with traveling to places or going on school trips overseas on my own, so in that regard, i was fine. However, the more I socialized with people here, the more I began to understand and distinguish the cultural differences that are quite apparent to a foreign person as one might imagine. I do remember feeling somewhat underwhelmed when I first arrived here because it seemed less glamorous than I had imagined, which is largely due to how America and California in particular, is often depicted on tv and in media.
Per my family, going to university abroad was normalized for my siblings and I as long as the opportunity presented itself. The same goes for my friends, majority of which also schooled in foreign countries like the U.K. So it was really a collective decision for me to come here for school. And I chose Long Beach in particular because I wanted somewhere that had a nice, warm weather similar to Nigeria, and also offered my major at the time. So Long Beach felt like a natural fit and still does, I'm happy here.
My goal is to keep creating. I want to be able to express myself through all my creative mediums and have my art travel far and wide. Inspire all kinds of people, that's the overarching goal.
Hmm, I generally like exploring streets that have a retro/vintage feel to them; Long Beach is charmed like that. And I especially love to thrift or just observe and write in coffee shops, Viento Y Agua, pre-pandemic used to be my spot. I also have pockets of areas where i go to decompress, skate, just be. I would name them but i fear they'd loose their sacredness haha. Lastly, I really just love hanging out with my boyfriend and our dog. Doesn't matter where.
"Faces" is now showcasing at our store's gallery until the end of May.
Any inquiries related to purchasing art can be sent to: info@maridajewelry.com
If you are interested in featuring your work, please email us at marida@maridajewelry.com.