Today we’d like to introduce you to Marina Bittencourt Oden
Hi Marina, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I was born in a small town in southern Brazil. My mother nurtured my creativity from an early age, giving me access to painting, drawing, photography, and theater. I grew up feeling different from other kids, always ready to think outside the box and find unique solutions to challenges. It was a relief to finish high school and finally enter college, where I could meet more creative people. That’s when I began studying Social Communication – Advertising and Publicity.
During college, my interest in photography grew, and after a few months as a photographer’s assistant, I decided to launch myself as a professional photographer. The success was beyond what I could have imagined, and I gained national media attention as a photographer specializing in women’s portraiture. I was published on many medias, such as Catraca Livre, Art Ref, Revista PZZ the TV show Superpoderosas da Band. I traveled to various parts of Brazil to photograph women. I held art exhibitions, showing my photography, along with wonderful people.
Over the years, I grew tired of being constantly on the road and working on short-term projects. I wanted to be part of a long-term team and create entire communication strategies for companies.
I specialized in Digital Marketing and secured several contracts where I developed communication strategies for businesses, helping them position themselves in the market. While embracing marketing as a whole, I began to focus specifically on short video strategies for social media. Around this time, I met my now-husband, an American citizen, and we started a serious relationship. This was the only time in my life when my heart took precedence over work, and I was willing to change my entire life to be with him.
I moved to America in July 2024, and while waiting for my work permit, I’ve been creating personal videos for social media and have returned to studying painting. I’m still getting to know the city and understanding its dynamics.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
The road has never been smooth. I have struggled with severe pain all over my body since I was 19 and began working as a professional photographer. I have seen numerous doctors in search of a cause, taken various medications, and undergone several treatments, including postural re-education, physiotherapy, Pilates, and workouts.
My darkest emotional period occurred when my studio was at its peak financially in a small town. It took me a year of crying, planning, and preparing to leave everything behind and pursue life as an artistic photographer in São Paulo. For a while, I was so obsessed with photography that I couldn’t look at anything without planning an angle or imagining a photographic effect. My first vacation in years made me realize that my eyes were never truly rested or relaxed.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
The activity I am most proud of in my journey is photography. I have always been known for making people feel very comfortable on set. I found success in photographing everyday people who were not models and often didn’t feel photogenic. The photo session marked a paradigm shift in their lives; from that moment on, they created a new self-image—more confident, more secure in front of a camera, and in life in general. I helped many people discover their own beauty, not within an imposed standard, but within what they were uniquely gifted by the universe.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
I have experienced many highs and lows; financial success and popularity were once accompanied by physical pain and emotional suffering. True success came with maturity, which brought the understanding that success must encompass all areas of life. Balance is undoubtedly the key to success, along with creativity and the energy to start anew.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://facebook.com/profile.php?id=100086744839294
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marinanamerica
Image Credits
My profile picture – credit: Rafaela Gaidzinski
Myself and my curator on my first exhibition – credit: Casa Galeria
Other Pictures: Marina Bittencourt (I used to sign as “Marina Bitten”
