Art & Life with Marisa Bean

Today we’d like to introduce you to Marisa Bean.

Marisa, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
Having grown frustrated with the cold, generic feel of large-firm graphic design, I cast out with a few of my closest friends and a vision of a more personalized boutique firm. We specialized in the customer, providing design and products tailored specifically to express a personalized identity. Business was finally beginning to really take off when love came in with a different plan.

In little more than a year I was married, moved twice (once internationally!) and had a child. One of the most important things I learned in that period of organized chaos is that the best place to put “the stuff” you need is in the corner. In starting “The Corner Studio” boutique agency I want to relate to the client as the solution “waiting around the corner”.

After detailed studying of the photography market in the United States, I decided to re-focus my passion in photography and develop my own style. There are thousands of photographers out there, but my goal was to identify in such a way with my clients, that they will keep looking for me.

Some people say my family and I live very intensely. My husband and I have been married for 5 years, have moved 3 times all over the United States and 3 times in California. We have two children under 5, and now are expecting twins. Sounds intense right? Hahaha for me, it sounds to life, to memories, to stories. I want to capture these same memories and stories in my clients’ lives.

That’s my story, I am passionate about life and people and their stories. My camera is the mean I use to make all of that last forever.

Can you give our readers some background on your art?
I specialize in small children photography. I love their raw and real expressions and how they interact with the camera and the set. My sets are always kid friendly so they can touch and move everything as they play, making pictures less staged. The toddler years are for most parents the most challenging; for me, they are the most beautiful and authentic. You feel happy you laugh, you feel mad or sad, you frown. It doesn’t get more real than that. Capturing that reality with my lens, it’s my passion.

On the other hand, being a woman entrepreneur, a mother, and a foreigner has been extremely inspiring for me to help other women achieve their goals. I started being part of a networking group of women entrepreneurs here in the South Bay, and that opened my way to doing professional headshots for professional women.

One of my clients told me “I want a professional headshot to have a nice picture on the wall, when I get my promotion.” That right there is determination, perseverance, and hard work. Guess what? She got the promotion! The feeling of satisfaction I got on taking this amazing woman’s pictures was priceless.

What would you recommend to an artist new to the city, or to art, in terms of meeting and connecting with other artists and creatives?
It can be lonely and scary, especially when you have to get out of your comfort zone haha. My advice is take 10 seconds of courage to speak to a stranger about your work, you never know how much you can get out of other people’s experience and advice. Get out of your comfort zone, do networking, do photo clubs or creative workshops with fellow artists. There’s so much to learn about each other!

What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
I currently show my work on my Facebook and Instagram page as @thecornerphotography. Thanks to Voyage LA Magazine I’m expanding my exposure to the public.

I’m still a small business and fairly new in the Los Angeles market, so people can support me by letting me capture some of their life moments. I hope one day I can do an exhibition in a local gallery.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.thecornerstudio.net
• Phone: 3185009515
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecornerphotography/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thecornerphotography/

Image Credit:
Photo of Marisa Bean by: Carlos Lopez Ayerdi (Guatemala)

Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.