Mariana Embodies Creativity Across multiple Worlds
Written by Peniel Uma
Interviewed by Manuel Oke
Transcribed by Okolo Daniella
Certain creatives excel not just in one domain but in multiple, embodying a versatile and unapologetically daring spirit. Mariana, as a model, set designer, and art director, has undeniably proven this through her artistic prowess in every field she has chosen, seamlessly working both behind the camera and in front of it.
Mariana, a top model who also serves as a fashion and style inspiration for her instagram followers, discovered another superpower in design which she showcases through her creative page called lostinmarssss. She has confidently embraced this role, creating immersive experiences for concertgoers and designing temporary pop-ups for photoshoots.
In our Zoom call with Mariana, her presence was as engaging as it is online. Noteworthy for her recent work on the set design for Rema’s Benin homecoming show, Mariana and NTS discussed her thoughts on her diverse career path, the influence of her architectural background, and the challenges she faces as a creative professional.
NTS: You’re a model, fashion girlie, and a set designer. How do you balance all this?
Ans: Honestly, I think it’s something I’m still struggling to deal with efficiently, but I just have to put everything in my calendar and just be like, okay, cool. This modeling job is really important to me because of the client and how it represents me. But actually now, I’ve started to filter the modeling jobs I do based on how I want to be seen because i now have an identity outside of modeling, and I’ve become a brand of myself. So everything has to align with who and where I am in my career.
NTS: So are you saying we will be seeing less of Mariana on lenses?
Ans: Oh no, that’s not what I’m saying. I’m saying Mariana doesn’t just accept all the clients that want her on the lens anymore. Because in the beginning of when you start modeling, it’s exciting; you just want to do everything for everyone. But you can’t do that now because you don’t have time on your side.
NTS: What’s the biggest risk you’ve taken to be a set director?
Ans: Uhm, I think coming from the educational background I come from, my parents wanted me to be an architect. So when I told them I wanted to pursue set design, something they’d never heard of or even understood how money is made from that, they weren’t the most supportive. They were just like, okay, cool, you’re gonna take this one year to do this thing because you like it, and then you’re gonna go back to school, right? I’m like, “No, I’m not.” I think it’s paid off now because I was able to show them and explain how I’m doing this and getting paid, and they’re seeing there’s longevity in that career. Before, all they kept on saying was I need to be an architect…you know, African parents.
NTS: Where in Africa are you from?
Ans: I’m from Guinea-Bissau.
NTS: What was it like being a student of architecture in school?
Ans: I went to Kingston in London, just outside London. The first year studying that course, my eye completely changed because they teach you how to see different things. It was a very diverse course. I really appreciate it because I wouldn’t have the eye that I have right now, all the skill sets, to be honest.
NTS: Did Virgil Abloh have any influence on you?
Ans: Virgil Abloh…I know everyone says this, but he’s one of my idols because I feel like he could relate to the aspect of having multiple different career paths happening at the same time and it being okay. Because it was the first time it was represented in our culture. If we’re being honest, we’re always like, “You work hard, get this one job, and start your family,” and then that’s it. No, you can be fluid in what you want to do, and timing and age aren’t factors of that.
NTS: Going back to modeling now, Ashluxe was your first modeling gig with a Nigerian brand, if we’re right?
Ans: No, actually, my first modeling gig with a Nigerian brand was with ALONUKO, a bridal company. She’s based in the UK, but the woman who designs the dress is Nigerian.
NTS: What’s your favorite Nigerian streetwear brand?
Ans: No, that’s not really my sector, but I do know some very cool Nigerian designers (Liz Sanya, Daniel Adetona).
NTS: Which of your creative abilities comes naturally to you?
Ans: Uhm, I think now, because of experience, it’s modeling. In the beginning, it wasn’t. I think that question changes every time.
NTS: What role does your intuition play in your creative decision-making?
Ans: Uhm, my intuition plays a big part because, if you think about it, you’re working a translational part of you, I guess. Especially because a lot of things are very last minute, you kind of just have to trust your gut and go with it and trust that you have the ability to do so.
NTS: How do you balance creative freedom with commercial viability?
Ans: Oh yeah, that one is very hard. Because I feel like I get a lot of satisfaction from the projects that I probably don’t get anything out of. But it’s such a fulfilling moment because it’s what you call a collaboration between two people. And then commercial viability, I’m blessed enough to say that I’ve reached a point in my modeling career that it’s funding a lot of my lifestyle, so I’m okay for now. But I know that won’t last long. I’m hoping that now, after like two years of my art direction, I’m going in a trajectory where my art will do the same because modeling wasn’t as lucrative as it is now.
NTS: What was it like in the beginning of your career?
Ans: You know when you want to do something and you’re not necessarily recognized or you have to build a name within the space, you have to do a lot of things for free and be in a space of, I know where this is gonna lead me. You’re gonna have to humble yourself and know where you’re starting, and know where you’re gonna be. I was ready to take all of that because I knew that I wanted more from it. You have to do shoots for free; you just kind of have to be tough about it, I guess.
NTS: Can you describe your experiences on runways?
Ans: You know what’s crazy? I’ve never walked in my life. This is the first year that I actually went to castings for shows. But I’ve been practicing my walk since I’ve started because, uhm…I don’t know why, actually. I’m not gonna lie to you.
NTS: Did you get offers?
Ans: No, I never saw myself as a runway model ideally, because you know the whole idea of a runway model being tall and skinny. And I know things are diversifying, but my body is kind of in-between. I’m not plus or like curvy or inclusive, but I’m not really skinny, and I have curves in parts of my body that don’t work for normal fashion designers. So this is the first year I was like, “Fuck it, if it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work,” but I’m actually gonna put myself out there. Before, I was battling with those insecurities. Everyone thinks modeling is so easy and glam, but you’re constantly being judged on how you look.
NTS: Have you worked with any fashion designer or brand you admire?
Ans: No, but one of my dreams is that I really want to do a women’s collab workwear with Carhartt because I’m starting to realize that there’s not much workwear for women. I still want to go to work looking fly, but I want my clothes to be practical. I love fashion, and I think I’m stylish, but I’m not invested in fashion as other people, so I don’t speak much about it.
NTS: So should we expect a collab with a brand or something?
Ans: Maybe. I don’t know. That’s not something I’ve genuinely thought about.
NTS: How do you plan to put yourself out there more?
Ans: I’ve reached a point where my confidence allows me to start projects for myself. I haven’t done a passion project in a very long time, and that’s why I want to start putting myself out there. I have a lot of ideas, and I want to start executing them. So I think that’s gonna be a new chapter in my life.
NTS: Can we get an insight into the forthcoming project(s)?
Ans: I want to start using sets as a medium of display as well. The same way people have exhibitions, I want to design a set that people can come into and experience. My passion is creating atmosphere and spaces, creating experiences for people. So I think in terms of that, it’s gonna be hard because it’s gonna be expensive as shit, but we’ll see how that goes.
NTS: What philosophy guides your work?
Ans: The philosophy that guides my work is that I’m trying to be better than yesterday, and I don’t want mediocrity. I’m so sorry, as harshly as it sounds. I don’t want to settle for mediocrity; I want to fulfill the best thing in my life, and I don’t want to live with any regrets. So if I want to do something, I don’t want to be in my 50s and be like, “Oh shit, I should have done that. Why didn’t I do that?”
NTS: Take us back to 15-year-old Mariana.
Ans: Bro, do you know what 15-year-old Mariana thought, yeah? All this creativity and having a career that wasn’t a real thing, I was an academic. I thought I was gonna be the top of my class, the best architect in the world, and that was it. I was so studious. It was either that or engineering, and now I’m looking back at myself. The fluidity and freedom that has come in my character is so refreshing
NTS: What would you say to your 15-year-old self?
Ans: Girl, let go and have fun. (She chuckles.)
NTS: How do you handle criticism?
Ans: I mean, sometimes it’s hard to hear people discrediting you because the thing that worries me the most is that I’m in a male-dominated industry. Trying to navigate in that space is hard; people are constantly trying to undermine me. You just gotta be audacious, stand up for yourself, and get your shit done because, at the end of the day, it’s not their name on the line—it’s my name. I’m genuinely seeing the love from your side, so I appreciate that a lot.
NTS: What’s your greatest fear as a creative?
Ans: I think my biggest fear is someone falling or a safety hazard happening on set because I probably would never get hired again.
NTS: How do you stay motivated?
Ans: You know what, it’s my friends, my circle, and my community. I feel like everyone brings a certain element of meaning and how they practice their art and everything. I have this group of friends that we meet every 6th of the month, and then we go round the table. We’re musicians, producers, and artists. We talk about what we’re grateful for, and we also have a space where we talk about our struggles. It allows you to feel human and act like your whole life is not going out the window based on something that might have gone wrong. There are five of us.
NTS: Can you describe a time when you felt like giving up?
Ans: Two winters ago, I wasn’t feeling inspired. I felt locked in, like my confinement, with no freedom to move because I was also working on my visas. So that period was really, really bad for me. I felt really isolated, and I felt like my imposter syndrome lasted longer than it normally would, which is what got me. I think I was down for like three months.
NTS: Oh, sorry about that.
Ans: That’s okay.
NTS: How did your upbringing influence your creativity?
Ans: Uhm, I told you, my parents were very big on me being educated and everything. However, in their parenting style, I think it was very different. My mum was very free with me. She just let me show myself as who I am and would correct me along the way, but she’d never force anything. Even with my religion, my mum is very religious—this woman prays five times a day, goes to the jumah every Friday, she does everything but never forced religion on me. And then my dad is the complete opposite—he’s like, “You have to go to school, you have to do this, I need to know a plan.” So I think it’s a balance of both worlds because I don’t come from just one of them.
NTS: How do you prioritize relationships in the industry?
Ans: Networking was really weird because everyone who knows me knows that sometimes I’m socially unaware, very much in my own world. There are moments where I don’t speak or interact, and people may have taken offense. The past year, I bought a book called “How to Talk to People,” and ever since learning how to engage in conversations, I’ve really been enjoying social settings and getting to know people.
NTS: So what’s next for you?
Ans: My main priorities are passion projects. I just got my visa for LA, so maybe I want to go see that space and see if it works for me, and travel more with work. I think that’s my thing.
NTS: What’s a long-term goal for your career?
Ans: I want to be one of the recognized set designers within the industry, have a creative agency, and work with certain types of creative people because I’ve started to speak with a lot of young people and there are so many who just need guidance. If that hadn’t been done for me, I wouldn’t be where I am.
NTS: When you start your creative agency, I want to be your first employee.
Ans: (Laughing) That would be really cool. Normally, every year, I would make a list of things I wanted to achieve. This year, I was like, “Forget it.” I didn’t have the best start to the year last year, so I said, “Let me not make any goals.” The only goal was to travel more and get my visa sorted. Everything I’ve achieved this year has shocked me as much as it has shocked everyone. I think this has been the best year of my life. Sometimes not making plans has shown me that it’s better.
NTS: What’s your favorite Rema setup?
Ans: The Benin one, only because of the process, bro! I’m gonna share some pictures of the work conditions we were under for the past ten days. No one understands how hard it was. I’ve never seen so many issues on set because nothing was readily available like I’m used to.
NTS: Oh, sorry about that.
Ans: I’m happy to share some pictures if you guys want. How long have you had your magazine?
NTS: Since August 2023. Last August was actually our first official anniversary.
Ans: Oh my god, congratulations! Happy birthday!
NTS: We can get our merch, “Your Dreams Are Valid,” to you if it’s possible.
Ans: I would love that. I would actually love that.
NTS: Do you speak Pidgin?
Ans: Bro, I’m learning Pidgin. I’m so good at Pidgin right now. I don’t speak it in depth because I don’t pronounce things right, but I know what everyone says.
NTS: What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned so far?
Ans: It’s about translating the artist’s style and the point of their career instead of trying to focus on translating yourself. Because I think a lot of people are more worried about the results and how it’s going to be publicly displayed.
NTS: Three words of motivation to creatives like yourself?
Ans: Does it have to be three?
NTS: It can be like a million. (Chuckles.)
Ans: No one knows what’s best for you more than you do. So listen to yourself, please. I think that’s one thing that people don’t do enough. There’s too much outside noise.
NTS: I’d like you to share your hobbies.
Ans: Okay, so my favorite movie is Inception. I really enjoyed that. My boyfriend made me more aware of Interstellar. Interstellar is a good one, but I think Inception is still first. My favorite podcast is Hindsight. My favorite book is…I forgot the name. My favorite artist at the moment…I really enjoy Travis Scott and The Weeknd. I like my Nigerian artists, obviously Rema, Ayra, Tems, and I also really enjoy Bloody Civilian. She’s nice, and Don Toliver—I love Don Toliver. Yeah, my music taste is a bit all over the place.
NTS: What’s your ideal 7-song Nigerian playlist?
Ans: So this one I always sing: Fave and Davido, “Kante”—that’s one. At the moment, I’m really loving “YAYO.” My Asake one is “Lonely at the Top.” Tems is…her old and new stuff is really nice.
NTS: I’m putting you on the spot right now, haha. So, you’re going on a date with Damson Idris. What will you be wearing?
Ans: This is hypothetical because if I was a single girl and I really liked him, I would wear a dress, satiny, maybe with some cutouts, probably textured. I’ve been feeling leather recently—a pointed croc stiletto, and a gold or metallic bag.
NTS: What’s your opinion on jerseys?
Ans: I really think they’re cool. I don’t have any hate for them; I just think that now, everyone is making one, so it’s kind of harder to stand out.
NTS: Thank you so much for your time, Mariana.
Ans: You know you’re my first interview? You guys are my first interview. I’ve had a great time. You guys take care of yourselves. Bye!
Mariana’s journey wearing different hats between set design, modeling, and creative direction is not for the sake of titles, but out of a deep desire to express and create something truly meaningful.
