We had the good fortune of connecting with Lilia Mata-Weimer and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lilia, why did you pursue a creative career?
I have always had an admiration for art. How someone is able to have a vision and create something beautiful that inspires others. In college I took a wood and steel sculpture class and learned appreciation for a new medium of art I was not comfortable with. I have been fortunate to have friends that are artist that inspire me by what they have achieved and created. So when I had my daughter and came back to work after maternity leave, my position was eliminated and given a different role. I realized I was no longer happy and decided to become a stay at home mom. After a few years I started painting again, creating backdrops, paper flowers and eventually balloons which led me to where I am now.

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 initially started because I wanted to create a beautiful backdrop for a story. An area that would illuminate the event and people have fun with it. My painting and design evolved to creating large paper flowers, balloon design and event styling. My goal was to create something beautiful that everyone could afford. It was not easy, I quickly realized how IG/FB was not the form of media that I was used to. I had to force myself to stop looking and comparing myself to others. So although it is a necessary means, I wanted something personal and enjoy the face to face meeting people and businesses, so I decided to reach out one on one and meet people and let them know who I am and what I represent. I want others to know that with me they will receive a personal one on one interaction and design. I strive to make each event Personal and beautiful. I believe every event is special and as such deserves that love and attention.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If friends are visiting the 1st friday of the month I used to always take them downtown Phx to the art district for the 1st friday. You get to experience different forms of art and amazing food. One of my favorites in that area is Cibo. Then I would take them to The Mission in Old Town Scottsdale for some amazing intimate mexican cuisine and drinks at Kazimierz. The OdySea Aquarium is also a must see and great escape during the warmer months.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
We are always the hardest critics to ourselves and to me my Mom and Husband have been my compass who have guided and pushed me to stop dreaming and jump in and try something new. In addition my daughter was the reason I even tried new mediums of art from paper flower design to balloon styling when back then I wasn’t able to find someone that I could hire locally to do what I was looking for. After moving forward with this new adventure I have been fortunate to make new friends through our daughters that have supported and pushed me to not give up so thank you Lindsay @Kidizona and Paola @Paolaandreapgotography for becoming good friends and raising me up when I needed it.

Website: www.lovemeventdesign.com

Instagram: lovemeventdesign

Facebook: Love Me Personal event Design

Image Credits
Paola Andrea Photography

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutArizona is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.