We had the good fortune of connecting with Natalia Vinueza and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Natalia, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
For me, pursuing a creative career was never an option — it was a necessity. I’ve worked in different industries throughout my working life and I was never happier than when I was doing something creative. Since I was young, my parents took me to art classes. When I was in high school, I would always finish my classwork before my classmates and then run off to hang out in the art room, practicing drawing and picking my art teacher’s brain. When I decided I’d enroll in an art college, my parents were not surprised. They supported my dreams of being an artist and encouraged me to pursue a conventional career in the arts. I always knew the traditional art gallery world wasn’t really for me. I wanted to be part of a creative community and collaborate with other artistic minds.
Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I first started working at Wonder Wonder in September 2019 as a front desk associate. The museum had just opened earlier that same year. When I interviewed with the manager, she told me I was incredibly overqualified for the job. I remember responding that I didn’t care, that I really wanted to be a part of the development of this new business. After a few months of working there, I got my wish. The manager announced that she was moving to California and asked me if I wanted her job. I replied with a loud, excited YES! That was how it all started and I’ve come a long way since then.
I knew I had a lot of learning to do. While I had held managerial positions before, it was a completely different experience to run an entire business that I’d only worked at for a few months. I adapted as quickly as I could. Enter the pandemic of 2020. That was a curveball no one was ready for. Wonder Wonder, as well as the rest of the world, shut down for a few months and I had some time to reflect on what I’d learned. I knew I had to come back more determined, more organized, and ready to work hard to prove to the community that Wonder Wonder was a business worth supporting. By the time we reopened in June 2020, I was managing all aspects of the business on my own, including running the front desk. It was really hard and I struggled with work-life balance. When the numbers made sense, I brought back part-time employees.
Fast forward to now, early 2022, and we’re still here. Wonder Wonder has been recognized by the creative community and we are growing more and more each year. I’ve been able to connect with multiple artists, photographers, designers, and vendors in the past two years who I’ve partnered with to host events, create new installations, and include their work in the gift shop. It’s been a dream to be a part of Wonder Wonder’s growth in the community and I’m so excited for the future.
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.
Obviously, I’d take them to all my favorite nature spots, one being Gross Reservoir. We’d most likely eat, drink, and hang out all along the Pearl Street Mall, and then (cue shameless plug), we’d make our way over to Wonder Wonder. We’d explore all 5,000 square feet of its immersive art installations created and/or curated by myself, my team, and multiple local artists. We’d have fun laughing, playing, and taking pictures of each other wandering through the exhibits. To conclude our special day, we’d spend some time picking out a cute gift for each other from the gift shop filled with local artists’ work in order to commemorate the experience.
Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Gosh, I could list so many people. It might be cheesy, but my Mom deserves a huge shoutout. She was there through the good times and the hard times. When I was hopping around from part-time job to part-time job trying to find my place in the world, she always encouraged me to pursue something artistic. She never doubted my abilities and could also reign me in if I ever got a little frenzied.
One more cheesy shoutout: my incredibly patient and supportive partner, Nolan. There were many times when I was ready to throw in the towel and he simply would not let me. In many ways, he was my driving force as I learned the ins and outs of running a business like Wonder Wonder. If I ever needed an extra hand, I knew I could ask him. If I was ever frustrated, I knew I could vent to him. If I ever left home without my lunch, he’d bring me something to eat. I can’t thank him enough. Maybe this will help me do that.
Website: wonderwonder.us/boulder
Instagram: @wonderwonder.boulder
Facebook: facebook.com/wonderwonderboulder
Other: TikTok: @wonderwonder.boulder
Image Credits
Nolan Anderson, Pixel Garden Media, Hali Mauldin, Bianca Roman, Natalia Vinueza, Malena Roberts, Becky Duffy, Jason T. Graves, Blake Hamilton, Kali Landeros