Barbarella Fokos: A Career In The Artist Odyssey

My first interview was with Barbarella Fokos, who considers herself a “Jill of all trades.” She is an author, columnist, and producer, among many other titles that she holds. Her most current title is as a producer for The Artist Odyssey. The Artist Odyssey is a documentary network, which supports art and art education by interviewing and presenting up-and-coming artists. Barbarella moved her career forward by taking on multiple projects, such as writing for the San Diego Reader to producing a local art television show, to working at the major network that is NBC. She talked about both the pros and cons of taking on a career in the media; her pros, including the ability to create content that is meaningful to her and having a great amount of control over the direction her career is moving, which many others are not so lucky to have.

However, Barbarella says this is also one of the things that has taught her to grow within the industry. One lesson she has learned throughout the years in the media industry is that your life experiences are made of the way in which you react to others and not so much how others act towards you. Another lesson she has learned in her particular career is how to build relationships that go beyond work, and how those personal relationships she’s made have, in turn, helped her career as well. The old phrase says: “If you want something done right, do it yourself.” Being a woman of multiple trades makes Barbarella a huge contribution to every company she works with; by having the knowledge to do what would often require multiple people, she’s more able to deliver work that she is proud of and work that is executed exactly as she wants it to