Meet Marissa Culbreath | Artist & Educator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Marissa Culbreath and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Marissa, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
My thought process on starting my own business was just thinking about what my community needs. In my community of Northwest Arkansas, we have a small percentage of minorities. As the population of minorities constantly grows, I wanted to have more art and education opportunities for minority students. As someone who grew up in this area as an artist, there has never been a place where a young Black and brown artist could truly just be themselves and truly express their artistry in their own way. I want Be You Arts and Community Center to be that for NWA.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
What is special about me is that my talents are so multi-faceted. Artistically, I am a professional dancer and an actor. I take pride in my art because to me that is my contribution to my community. I also take pride in it because it took me a long time to get to this place I am now. While I am nowhere close to where I want to be, I have come a long way from thinking that I was not good enough for someone to pay me for my talents. I have been artistically talented since I was a toddler, but it wasn’t until my 20’s that I really started to take my talents seriously. Professionally, I am an educator. I teach middle and high school social studies at an arts school. I understand my students on a very different level because they are all artists and I try to teach them the importance of a quality education as well as teaching them the importance of social and networking skills that make all the difference in the art world. What I want the world to know about my brand is what I live every day. I want to show that access to quality arts and education services for minorities can make all of the difference in a community and can make all the difference in the lives of students who don’t have the quality representation that they truly need. I hope that Be You can be that for my community and that we can make that difference.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If someone were to come visit NWA, I would take them to our many different museums because I love art. My absolute favorite thing to do in my area is eat. I love food so much. I could take my visitor to the many downtown squares in our area and we could eat so many meals. I love the specially crafted meals and drinks that some of our local restaurants have and I REALLY love brunch on Saturdays and Sundays. The cool thing about my area is that outside of food and museums, it’s pretty much a requirement to make your own fun. So from there I just love drinks and game nights at my own place.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would love to shout out my mother who always noticed that I was talented and made sure that I had the opportunity to grow those talents. I would also like to shout out Mike Day of DAYVISION Films. He also saw talent in me that I did not see in myself and he made sure that my talents were highlighted. Because of his help getting started, I have explored more of my talents in acting, writing, and directing.

I would also like to shout out my husband who is fully supportive of my goals and dreams in the business.

Instagram: @BeYouArtsNWA

Facebook: Be You Arts and Community Center NWA

Image Credits
DAYVISION Versatile Optics