Rising Stars: Meet Victoria Rios

Today we’d like to introduce you to Victoria Rios.  

Hi Victoria, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
This always seems to be one of the hardest questions. When you think of your own narrative, it’s extremely hard to write when your mid-chapter. I am from Grand Rapids, MI, born and raised. When I was 16 years old, I had a near-death experience after I was involved in a traumatic car accident. I was unable to walk for two months. Because of that, I ended up transferring to an online alternative school, and because I couldn’t do much else besides school, I consequently graduated that same semester, receiving my high school diploma almost two years early. I started college the following month and prematurely entered the pool of curious cats chasing the mice. I worked and worked a lot. I was taking full-time credit hours at GRCC, stacking them on two 12-hour days, and worked two different jobs between the other 5 days. I felt like I was mowing through life fearlessly, indulging in my first earned income and making a life for myself before my peers. Fast forward. I am 20 years old; I have my associates, a decent car, and my own apartment. I was comfortable financially. It would seem as if I should be content but I wasn’t, I wasn’t full. I didn’t know who I was or what I wanted to be. I felt misunderstood not just to the world but to myself. I have always considered myself creative; I just never knew how to harness it. When I was a child, I would ask for fashion design books for holiday gifts and draw extravagant gowns and blouses in dreams of one day making them. By the fifth grade, I had a piece of my art hanging in my first gallery, at the Grand Rapids Art Museum. I got into music culture heavily when I was in middle school. The SoundCloud era had just begun and you had kids like Earl Sweatshirt, Tyler the Creator, Mac Miller, and later artists like Lil Uzi and Young Thug, all showing how it was possible to express yourself loudly, and without apology. I have always had an eclectic music taste, from jazz to rap to alternative indie, etc. 

This being said, I always dedicated the majority of my time and mental capacity to surviving in societal standards. Overworking myself at a young age prevented me from taking the time to realize that there was more potential in me than just waiting tables and taking tests. When COVID hit, life changed. With all of the time we now spent at home, people were given the luxuries of time and discovery. I noticed even within my own community, countless people stepped out during this time with new art, music, small businesses, and entrepreneur mindsets. It was my turn. 

I borrowed my first camera from a relative in April of 2021 and began just shooting my friends and my travels. I am very well traveled for my age; I’ve been to most all the “fly-worthy” states. The longer I kept at it, and the more I learned, the hungrier I was. I found a love for it. One of the many amazing, creative minds who inspired me along the way was my friend Tanner Rogers. Him and partner/friend Logan Richardson together founded a production company by the name of Sprk, and quickly took over the digital media of the music industry in Detroit. Tanner gave me advice I will remember to this day, among that was to invest in a new camera and laptop. A month later, Tanner passed away, I mourned and grieved, and a week later bought the exact camera he recommended, and a brand-new computer. The rest is history, as they say. I taught myself something new every day; I made travel and networking a top priority and spent the following years traveling the country, meeting and working with artists you hear on the radio, producing better and better content, and most importantly discovering a way to express myself and my passion for the music and art industries. I am also in the process of developing a clothing line, so stay tuned for that! 

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
It definitely has not been smooth sailing the entire trip, but it never is. Nothing is ever as it seems, especially in this industry; remember that one. There were times where I got stuck in cities and states away from home, missed events, had negative experiences on set, been underpaid, undervalued, and sometimes, you just don’t feel like doing anything. But that’s how it always is and always will be with any path in life; it’s just up to you to make sure your walk is worth the falls. 

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I like to use the term “creative” as a whole when describing myself and what I do, as I hate limiting myself or putting boundaries on my career. I am primarily a photographer, I also do videography, that’s something I’d like to dive a lot deeper into. I really have a love for painting, acrylics, or watercolor, but have never been comfortable commissioning anything or displaying it, at least not yet. I sometimes write poetry, spoken word, journaling, and stories even at one point. I also am in the early stages of a clothing brand launch that I am very excited about. Moral of the story, I consider this chapter less about emerging with a society-approved career label and more about how I can continue to immerse myself around the things I love, the places I adore, and not only express my creativity but figure out how to market it. 

We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
I would be lying if I said that money didn’t matter, but it definitely isn’t my end-all-be-all goal. I would define success as comfortability and peace. Financial freedom, but as a tool, not a reward. In order to have the freedom to find out what really matters in this life, you need to have the finances to do so. My version of success is peace and self-discovery. I still believe in love, purpose, and philosophy. 

Pricing:

• Photos starting at $100/hr
• Videos starting at $250

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/flawlessliketori
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flawlessliketori/ & https://www.instagram.com/flawlessfiles/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGbXMq01RocGQ10fOLSngKg/featured