Business student bridges art and commerce in pursuit of better brand and life
What’s My Why?
“Despite facing unforeseen circumstances that prevented me from completing high school after excelling academically, I resolved to earn my high school diploma a decade later and then pursue further studies in business and law. Having spent years in the music and entertainment industry, I recognized the invaluable opportunities that college could offer to expand my knowledge, refine my skills, and facilitate my transition into a new phase of life. I chose to attend college to augment my toolkit, leverage the benefits of education, and embark on my next journey with greater preparation and expertise.”
Maria Del Hoyo, a business major with a prelaw specialization who plans to continue with law school after she graduates in a year or two, is living the creative life.
From her recent feature pieces in Canvas Rebel and Bold Journey to her achievement as a winner in UBalt’s 2024 Rise to the Challenge business pitch competition, Del Hoyo is finding success in combining commerce and art. The question—always, every day and every way—is how to balance the two.
For this Charlotte, N.C., native and confirmed lover of all things Baltimore, the answer comes from simply putting in the hard work. The satisfaction of doing a good job, whether it’s building her STEM fashion brand (“Stay True, Evolve More”), her modeling and video business, or supporting her Blackfoot Studio for rising musical talent—all of this intense activity is what keeps Del Hoyo charged and moving forward.
“I feel like it is important to carry an extension of yourself in every aspect of your life, including your brands,” she said. “How you merge that brand is another story and that is the fun part. How do you create? How do you build?”
“Branding is extremely important in any business, especially STEM fashion where it is more movement oriented. There is more room for freedom in the process of creating, whereas [my] career goals are focused on creative and strategic energies. I cannot say that I have one formula I follow for everything, but I do tackle every process with the same principles: consistency, determination, focus, tact and professionalism.”
Increasing Potential for Success
Del Hoyo lives by the well-known 10,000 hours perspective on life: If you’re willing to devote at least 10,000 hours of your time to learning a craft, a trade, a profession, or some combination of all of those things, you will increase your chances, perhaps exponentially, of being successful at it. Those hours spent building a foundation for a career, she said, are an investment in your future.
“Don’t give away those 10,000 hours to someone else—take ownership,” she said. “Every day we have 24 hours. Most people spend eight of them in a job to further their financial gain or reputation. A lot of times these things don’t have much benefit for the individual in terms of their greater purpose. But you can be busy with a job while you also master a skill.”
For Del Hoyo, taking ownership of an investment in time—putting in thousands of hours of work—requires a goal.
“If you work for five years in a factory building cars, you should be able to build a car; you’ve put in your 10,000 hours,” she said. “The question is, do you want to spend your life building cars, or be the first individual to create the next generation of cars? No matter what you do with your time, whether eight hours at a job or four hours after work in front of the TV, on Instagram or TikTok, you must maintain your discipline and focus.”
For some, staying on task is the easiest thing in the world. But sometimes, even spending time on something you love is simply exhausting. That exhaustion can lead to disappointment (in yourself, of course), dismay (“Why is this so hard?”) or even active dislike of something you once were passionate about.
Del Hoyo says she understands these conflicts, and her best answer is this: Keep going.
“There is so much time wasted that we could put toward accomplishing the things we may never thought we could have,” she said. “Discipline and focus play a key role in maintaining ownership, plus the lessons gained from those experiences. Do not look at it as time spent, but time invested.”
The fashion and entertainment industries, often intertwined, have a reputation for ruthlessness. Del Hoyo recognizes this, and plunges in regardless. What she gets out of any given day, a good or a bad one, is purpose.
“As humans, we are active individuals. But what I put my energy into multiplies and grows. What I put out, I receive,” she said. “So, I do things from a purposeful place and try to always keep up the focus, dedication, and hard work, as well as the positive energy I would like to get back. You may think, ‘Wow, to accomplish this would be great.’ But the feeling you actually get from an accomplishment, after the long nights, the stress, deadlines, and financial struggles—it’s indescribable.”
Del Hoyo’s positivity extends to that part of the human experience we fear the most: failure.
“In my opinion, you never fail, you realign,” she said. “You never make a wrong move, you make a choice. Be thankful for every moment that shows you which path you should pursue next. Then, make that choice. Everything in life is either teach/learn, or learn/teach. Sometimes changing direction, rebranding, or getting feedback from peers can help to refocus your idea. Consistency is the key. The pyramids were not built overnight! Sometimes we set out on paths to learn things about ourselves, and we learn that those steps were necessary to get us on to other paths we might want to pursue.”
Building a Future in Baltimore
Where will Del Hoyo’s path take her? She hopes it’s somewhere in Baltimore, a city she believes is underrated, especially for creatives, and has become a second home to her and her wife.
“Living here has truly impacted my life in phenomenal ways. I plan on being in Baltimore, even if my work takes me all over the world,” she said. “It’s important to help be a part of the development of the next generation of entrepreneurs.”
While she’s here at the University, she is taking advantages of some unique opportunities, both in and out of the classroom.
“I attended the Baltimore Banner’s Impact Maryland 2023 event, and I had the opportunity to hear President Schmoke speak, in addition to Pete Buttigieg and Gov. Wes Moore. It was amazing to see and connect with some of our leaders,” she said. “I also had the pleasure of meeting Gov. Moore recently, and I was able to discuss a lot of the things we are doing and building for the community. To watch people like that speak, to share thoughts and ideas, and then meet them in person less than a year later, with the growth of those same ideas over that time—it was phenomenal.”
Del Hoyo’s last bit of advice, naturally, is for self-starters.
“Study your craft, make connections and always carry yourself however you intend on being portrayed,” she said. “You never know who is watching, so take your brand seriously, and do not allow anyone to make you feel you’re not supposed to do something that is in your heart to do. Things can get shaky, but remember why you do it. If it was placed on your heart to do, it's possible. If not, it would not have been placed there to begin with.”