Marissa Martin | Photographer

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

Hi Marissa, do you have some perspective or insight you can share with us on the question of when someone should give up versus when they should keep going?
Well, I have never been a person to give up on anything. I think giving up is the easy/lazy way out of any situation. Anything that I have started, has been finished, whether it took me a short or long amount of time to do it. I think it’s important to keep pushing through on something that you believe or love to do. Nothing that we love comes easy in life, we have to work for it and I believe that makes each of us stronger as individuals. I guess at the end of the day for someone who needs to make this decision needs to also answer the question, is it worth all the stress and sweat? Find what you’re passionate about and put your all into it, I am living proof that good things come out of all that stress and sweat and I am still pushing even harder than a year ago.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My background started years ago when I first found an interest in photography. I started to work for different photography companies of which I really enjoyed even though at first I was not behind the camera. The last person I had worked for was a gentlemen in Los Angeles and I was a photo assistant to him. He ran his business in a different way than how I would’ve handled a business, not very professional. This lead me to see that I could be doing what he is doing but better. So, around age 22, while a full-time student, I decided to go out on my own and create M&M Photography. It was tough in the beginning because I was basically working with a crappy point and shoot camera and was getting paid pennies. That’s where I had to start in order to get where I am today. I’ve learned along the way to be true to myself and allow myself to believe that I am good enough to accomplish great things.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My shoutout goes out to all my friends and family who have been so supportive of my creative life throughout the years. From the friends/family who have actually hired me to take their photos as well as the ones who sit on the sidelines liking and reposting my work on social media. I notice it and appreciate the hell out of you all. One other person who made a huge impact in my photography work was a teacher I had in junior college. His name was Mr. Tsai and a lot of what he said in that class carries on to this day in the back of my head, “anything for the shot.” He was such a cool guy, I no longer have contact with him but I will never forget the contact that I once had. So, if you’re out there Mr. Tsai from Golden West College, THANK YOU for being such a great teacher/mentor.