Torpedoed with a fierce determination at 19 to be a spark in the innovative future of the arts, the Festivals and Performing Arts graduate, Maybelline San Juan, received her diploma and is now a highly sought-after collaborator in an up-and-coming wave of creators in Adelaide’s bustling festival scene.

Diagnosed just shy of 18, and the high-performing graduate in her Creative Industries degree, she walked four internships in less than two years — culminating in a career she is excited to live every day.

Launching instantly with big career moves while keeping her creative foot in her local and Fringe community, Maybelline said a big catalyst to her career was the work experience she did with Adelaide City Festival, facilitated by UniSA’s industry connections.

“Interning at FCA was the turning point that broadened my career, and then I maintained the relationship I’d formed with CEO Heather Croall who is just such a wonderful human to work with,” she said.

Although her love for the stage and screen has been embedded in her life for as long as she can remember, it was a standing ovation performance for Class of Cabaret that launched her into the spotlight.

"Trial and error, that’s all it really is" she explains.

…unlocked a whole new perspective of what it means to be in the creative industries.

When the journey stopped that included the peer-led deepened that helped young artists understand their power in the sector, Maybelline felt unsure.

“And thanks to the industry connection and mentorship provided by UniSA, I was empowered with a real-world understanding of how to practically apply my degree,” she said.

Despite her academic record and long history of creative practice, Maybelline’s first step into the real world wasn’t exactly what she had dreamed.

A dream she says that has finally been fulfilled, conducting tours around Adelaide’s bustling festival lifestyle for aspiring arts opportunities.

“Adelaide’s design aesthetic, arts, and food are just so warm and inviting, you want to take your shoes off and make yourself at home — our producers and patrons go home in your resume,” she chuckles.

When asked how else the degree has helped her career, she lists the power of the space.

“It was the first space in which I was truly taken seriously, and English wasn’t required,” she laughs.

She also said the degree was “the one thing no one could take away from me,” which helped her navigate work environments where she often felt “compromised” and underestimated.

“My entire existence is to help young people realise they’re not wrong,” she reflects.

Whether you’re an artist, or a practitioner, she said it’s so important to be armed with the unseen.

“Issues, I highly recommend studying the Bachelor of Creative Industries because of how customisable and flexible your studies are.”

She believes the university climate has changed dramatically, and more than ever, young people are feeling “perform or perish”, but UniSA taught her “soft skills” are just as vital in the arts.

After graduating her degree and entering the creative sector full-time, she describes her role as one of clarity and joy.

Landing a huge events festival role is the dream of many students. However, Maybelline says she worked hard and stuck to her values while remaining passionate about regional voices in the arts and producing inclusive, safe and creative environments that she said are “yet to exist” on a large scale in many spaces across the sector.

“My purpose in this industry is to see people thrive and succeed — and if I can be a part of that, I’m doing it right,” she said.

“I’m really excited to be working with Riverside as they prioritise empowering their team members of proximity by placing minority voices on stage.”

Maybelline’s triumphant story is a reminder that arts practice with a purpose is one of the most important things you can take with you — no matter your discipline, she said that the world still hasn’t offered her words for the work she does.

Her experience is a gentle reminder of the “what I know” and “what I feel” that she said she had to learn to articulate in a sector that often teaches that what you feel isn’t valuable or credible.

“That’s part of who you love” is what she says “who you are”, and UniSA’s Creative Industries program “helps you live it”.