Today we’d like to introduce you to Michaela Todaro.
Michaela, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Growing up, I was always the kid with a creative soul — always dancing, adventuring, and making things. I would say that I really got serious about the things that I do now in high school. Dancing was the first art form that I really pursued full-force. I was a competitive dancer throughout high school and then moved on to continue my training in college. In 2017, I graduated from Louisiana State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Communication Studies. My knowledge and experience with Communications has supplemented so many aspects of my current creative career.
As far as building a career in visual media, my journey started my senior year of high school. I signed up to take a Multimedia class that my school offered, and that class jump-started my love for Visual Media. During college, I continued to study Dance and Visual Media in my free time. I learn best by doing so I tried my hardest to gain experience in real world situations. When I was nineteen, I got my first “big girl job” traveling and working for Dupree Dance Convention. I first got the job by being asked to be a Dance Assistant and then it evolved into a full-time position managing all of their social and visual media. I give a lot of credit to this job for teaching me important skills that I use today.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I don’t think it’s ever a smooth road when you are pursuing what you love or anything really. Personally, I’ve always put my career first. I have made a lot of sacrifices to get to where I am today, which I do not regret.
I also believe that the lowest moments in my career are equally as valuable as the highs. If things were easy, then I wouldn’t learn anything.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I am a freelance Photographer/Videographer/Content Creator as well as a Professional Dancer. Right now, I am putting most of my time and energy into Photography and building my creative business. What I think really sets me apart as an artist is my well-rounded knowledge in all the things that I do. I am able to adapt to every challenging situation, and I am really good at problem-solving. This also helps me because I am able to combine all of my skills into one job. As a photographer, specifically, I shoot mostly dancers/dance events. I believe my work is valued and stands out because of my knowledge in both Dance and Visual Media.
As an artist, I put a lot of integrity and hard work into everything that I do. I also believe that showing kindness and respect in every situation can really set you apart from others, especially in a big city like LA. I like to treat everyone that I work with with the same respect that I would like to receive. The industries in LA can be really intense, so staying grounded is a priority.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
This year my goal is to push for financial and creative growth within my personal business, Michaela Todaro Creative. For the future, I plan to continue dancing. One of my biggest dreams is to dance for Leon Bridges so I will continue to pursue a performance dance career until that happens. So, if anyone reading this knows Leon… 😉
Other than dancing and owning my own creative business, I also plan to creative direct and edit music videos as well as own my own coffee shop.
As I grow and evolve, so do my dreams. Those are my goals as of now, and I look forward to continuing to grow and create art that I am proud of for the rest of my life.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @michaelatodaro @michaelatodarocreative
Image Credit:
Photos of myself — Emily Hyunh, Lee Gumbs, Dalton Shooks, Other — Michaela Todaro Creative
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