Today we’d like to introduce you to Maria Valentin.
Hi Maria, Can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today. You can include as little or as much detail as you’d like.
I’m a Graphic Designer, Creative Director, and Plant-Based Food & Lifestyle Content Creator. My specialty is elevating brands and special events through visual communication. For 18 years, my boutique design studio, Figmint Design has been creating brand identity, print/digital design, and product packaging for entrepreneurs, beauty, wellness, hospitality, and lifestyle brands. When I’m not designing, I’m cooking up vibrant vegan recipes, beauty, and lifestyle content through my passion project, MoCHI Living.
What I do every day is not just my profession, it’s an expression of who I am, who my clients are, and who we’re becoming as we constantly evolve and grow. It’s a creative expression and entrepreneurial spirit that’s woven into every aspect of my life. My love and connection to nature is often at the core of my creations.
Born and raised in Los Angeles, I was inspired by the creative energy and diverse culture that surrounded me. From an early age, I was observant of details, immersing myself in drawing and making things. My parents taught me how important it was to put your heart into what you do. My mom took time to make every detail beautiful with gift wrapping so personal that it was a gift in itself. Her delicious home cooked meals were another expression of love, filling our bellies and hearts. I could eat her lemon infused garlic and rosemary Greek potatoes every day! My dad nurtured our garden and grew his own herbs, fruits and vegetables long before it was trendy. He taught me that eating dandelion greens was not only nutritious, but delicious! The love and thoughtfulness that went into everything made it beautiful and memorable, and that’s how I approach design, and life. As I get older, I realize how deeply this philosophy is tied to my Greek heritage. Love is expressed through sharing our creations, inspiring one another, and appreciating the simple pleasures in life.
As a young adult, I spent several years working for a fashion retailer at the mall. During this time, I gained valuable experience in customer service and visual merchandising. This provided the foundation for the next decade as a Creative Director in the fashion industry. It was a small business, so we all wore a lot of hats. The owner took me under his wing and taught me all the ins and outs of the wholesale apparel manufacturing business. I was hands-on in every aspect from sourcing fabric, selecting color palettes, designing silhouettes, consulting with sales reps, planning photo shoots/catalogs, setting up/working trade shows, etc…It was a lot of hard work, and I loved the challenge! I taught myself how to use the graphic design programs so I could design our product catalogs, marketing materials, trade show booths, and the graphics that we screen-printed on our garments.
There was tremendous professional and personal growth during those years, and I built lifelong friendships along the way. I’m grateful for this experience because it prepared me for being an entrepreneur and starting my own business. My background, and overall love for beauty and the creative process has brought me here.
In 2021, my husband and I moved to Austin with a vision of being closer to nature, experiencing a slower pace of life, and further pursuing our creative passions. Expanding my artistic expression to include conscious culinary and lifestyle content, while exploring this beautiful city and settling into our new home has been exciting and challenging.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been a smooth road? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Being an entrepreneur is like a roller coaster. Most days it’s exciting, fun, and freeing, but every now and then it feels like you’re riding blindfolded on a twist and turn you didn’t see coming. I learn something new every day and each project is unique, with its own set of highs and lows. Sometimes, there are elements that are out of my control as business is constantly changing and evolving. When it’s time to pivot and meet those challenges, it’s important to do it in a way that feels true to myself, and my clients.
The work/life balance is always a struggle. When you have your own business, your mind is constantly thinking and planning. You never clock out. You’re wearing a lot of hats, so you’re thinking about your business from many different perspectives (creative, administrative, financial, marketing, production, etc…).
Maintaining a consistent work flow can also be a challenge for financial planning, so you have to plan for those times when things aren’t as busy.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
MoCHI Living celebrates the beauty, strength, and intelligence of Mother Nature through vibrant plant-based vegan recipes and lifestyle.
When my husband and I adopted a vegan lifestyle over 8 years ago, I began sharing our experience as we embarked on a new approach to eating and living. At first, I thought it might feel limiting, but what ended up happening was the opposite. Learning how to make fruits and veggies exciting and flavorful opened our eyes to infinite possibilities. We began making homemade almond milk and delicious creamy vegan sauces with fresh herbs, nuts, and seeds. I started experimenting with high protein plant-based recipes that provided more variety than we were eating before. Recreating our favorite comfort food classics as meatless and dairy-free meals has also been fun!
I enjoy creating café inspired meals at home. The artist in me loves it because every dish feels like a new creative project. Nature provides the most beautiful color palette, with shapes and textures that turn a plate into a canvas that’s beautiful to look at and full of nutrient dense flavors.
Inspiring you to eat in a way that makes you feel energized, nourished, happy, and healthy is my goal. It’s about sharing recipes that encourage you eat more fresh, colorful, and nutritious food with easy and delicious plant forward ingredients. These recipes are for everyone, and you don’t need to be vegan to enjoy them.
As the world moves at a faster pace with more digital and artificial technology, there’s something about embracing tangible and real whole food that’s healing and therapeutic. The refreshing smell of a cut cucumber, the sweetness of a juicy orange, or the creaminess of a ripe avocado…all simple pleasures that bring you down to earth.
Many of my recipes are Mediterranean and Greek inspired, but I also love an eclectic assortment of global flavors inspired by growing up in California. I enjoy creating scrumptious salads, bountiful bowls, one pot meals, palate pleasing pastas, satiating smoothies, and delicious dressings/sauces.
Contact me for:
– partnerships and collaborations
– recipe development
– food and product styling
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Figmint Design is a fashion forward boutique design studio that helps entrepreneurs, beauty, wellness, hospitality, and lifestyle brands come to life through thoughtful brand identity, print/ digital design, luxury stationery, and product packaging.
I create designs that elevate your visual communication to attract new customers that align with your core values, while deepening existing customer connections to strengthen loyalty and trust. Maybe you’re building a new brand and need cohesive collateral to communicate and support your brand message and vision. Or perhaps, your current brand is evolving and in need of a refresh that will revitalize and clarify your mission. Either way, your visual communication captures the essence of your brand and sets the tone for your product or service experience.
Catering to the discriminating client that appreciates innovative design, quality materials, and personalized service is my specialty. My experience with pairing luxurious and sustainable papers with artisanal printing and production techniques like letterpress, embossing, laser cutting, and foil stamping delivers a lasting impression.
I love incorporating texture and organic elements into my designs, and balancing them with bold graphics to make them stand out. My love affair with the creative process from concept inception and material selection, to project execution and presentation, has enabled me to capture the individual spirit of each client to define and deliver results.
Services:
– Logo & Brand Identity Design
– Print & Digital Design
– Packaging Design (product packaging, gift packaging, stickers, tissue, etc…)
– Stationery Design (business cards, notecards, letterhead, etc…)
– Marketing Collateral (press kits, catalogs, signage, etc…)
– Special Event Branding & Invitation Suite Design
– Restaurant Design (logo, menu, signage, etc…)
– Styling
– Mood Boards & Color Palette Direction
– Creative Direction
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources that help you do your best in life (work or otherwise)?
When I read Dr. Joe Dispenza’s Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself, something in me shifted. It gave me a new perspective on how powerful we are in our ability to rewire our brain and build new connections.
Learning about neuroplasticity left me intrigued and I’ve been following this topic ever since. I’m constantly inspired by how much potential we have. Understanding that our brain has the ability to change and rewire provides deep insight into human behavior. From a personal and professional standpoint, it’s important to study the learning process so we can continuously improve and grow. You could say I’m a bit of a geek when it comes to these types of topics, but I don’t think we talk about it enough.
Pricing:
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Custom design packages (pricing upon request)
Contact Info:
- Website: www.mochiliving.com and www.figmintdesign.com
- Instagram: @mochiliving @figmintdesign
- Facebook: @mochiliving @figmintdesign
- TikTok: @mochiliving
Image Credits
Images by Maria Valentin
