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spotlight on mia

February 8, 2022

written by
Mari Aipa

New year, new team member! Drum roll please…as we introduce the newest member to the 3FO family, Mia!

We sat down with Mia, a new member of our all-star design team, to learn a little more about what makes her tick.

Tell us about yourself! Where are you from? What do you love to do in your free time?

I am a Portland native who loves watching trashy reality tv. And I mean really really trashy. There seems to be a never-ending stockpile of it so I’m never bored. Outside of design, my other big passion is music. I play guitar, piano, and I sing. I’m in a few bands at the moment and I am currently working toward releasing my own music. I’m a pretty crafty person and always looking to try out new mediums and projects when it comes to art. My desk is pretty much a kindergarten arts and craft corner for adults.

Reality TV? Who doesn’t love Reality TV. Tell us more, Mia!

Currently, I am making my way through Dance Moms for the second time. If you’ve never heard of it, it follows a dance troupe of five or so 10-year-old girls and their stage mothers at the infamous Abby Lee Dance Company. Abby Lee Miller, their dance coach, and choreographer, is notorious for her often intense approach to preparing young dancers for competitions. With classic lines like “second is the first to lose” and “save the tears for your pillow,” Abby doesn’t hold back any harsh critiques when it comes to her routines. You pretty much love to hate everyone on the show and it’s beyond easy to get sucked into all the drama of dance.

OK, and we LOVE that you are working towards releasing your own music.  What’s the scoop?

When it comes to playing music, my inspiration isn’t really limited by genre. For singing, I am super inspired by classic soul singers like Aretha Franklin, Donna Summer, and even Amy Winehouse. I also am a huge fan of disco music with Abba being my Number 1 artist on my Spotify Wrapped for 2021. The two bands I am currently in are a doom metal band and a pop-punk band (like completely the opposite of what I just mentioned lol). I play guitar and bass in them respectively and I sing in both as well. I think playing and listening to different kinds of music is a great way to become a better musician and it just keeps things fun and new which is something I’m always looking for.

Favorite Quote or quotes?

Probably the classic moment from America’s Next Top Model where Tyra yells “I was rooting for you, we were all rooting for you! How dare you!” It’s super iconic and can be used in an everyday context more than you think. Now that I’m thinking about it, that whole show is really a quote goldmine.

Favorite Place to Travel?

A studied abroad in London a few years ago and absolutely loved it! There was so much to do from visiting museums to grabbing a pint at an old pub. The city had so much history which we don’t get a lot of on the west coast. A little nerdy but I loved the public transit system in London. Everything was so quick and easy, I don’t think I ever had to call an uber to get anywhere. I especially loved sitting atop the classic double-decker buses. I haven’t been able to travel much since then and would like to eventually see more of Europe and pretty much any country that would have me.

Goals for 2022?

I am really hoping to release my own album this year. I have tons of songs written but not much recorded so I’m hoping to start chipping away at that any day now. I would like to hopefully travel more as well if covid doesn’t get in my way anymore than it has. A friend of mine’s father lives in Alaska and says we are welcome to visit so I’m hoping to plan a trip for this summer with some friends. A goal for that trip would be to see the Northern lights in person.