“It is more about the journey for AMAYA, not the destination.”
Life as an Aspiring Musician
ABOUT MY AUDIOGRAM
by Raymond Pierucci
Pursuing her dream in the music industry all while working in the service industry, Amaya Willis is trying to accomplish what few have been able to do. Her stage name “AMAYA” exhibits her strong personality and eccentric music she creates. She is from the DFW area and has always loved entertaining people, even at a young age. She is not afraid to push boundaries and experiment with her music especially this early into her career.
She has established a good standing relationship with her producer which has allowed her to put out her EP “Becoming Her.” She views her music as a way to express herself as she draws inspiration from her life experiences.
AMAYA enjoys every aspect of being a musician from writing , recording, and performing in front of a live audience. She loves to write her music outside in nature because she has more space for creativity and her writing process flows more naturally outside versus inside a studio. Even though she likes the free-flowing creativity process, she still makes it a point to be disciplined. She puts effort into staying disciplined by always learning and trying to grow as an artist.
Her main goal is to be happy while living the life of a musical artist. Success to her is more about being proud of the music that she is making than the potential fame that comes with being a musician. It is more about the journey for AMAYA, not the destination.
Meet Raymond Pierucci
Raymond Pierucci attends the University of Texas at Arlington, majoring in Journalism and minoring in Public Relations. He previously attended Mountain View College for two years, where he played on the baseball team and received his associate’s degree.
In addition to his studies and athletics, Raymond has worked as a communications intern for Volunteers of America Texas, supporting the organization with social media campaigns, newsletters, and media relations.
After graduation, Raymond intends to pursue a career in baseball, and during the off-season, he plans on establishing himself as a writer. His hobbies include watching and playing sports, outdoor adventures, and reading novels.
About AMA+UTA CreateCollab
Since the Fall 2022 semester, the Arlington Museum of Art has partnered with The University of Texas at Arlington and a senior-level digital storytelling class to explore a wide variety of contemporary themes inspired by the museum’s mission, values, and exhibitions.
Class projects include photo essays, one-minute documentaries, and brief audio stories.
Associate Professor of Communication Erika Pribanic-Smith teaches the class. She values opportunities to bring real-world experiences to her students.
“My goal is to give my students real-world experience in all of my classes, creating real stories using real sources,” said Dr. Pribanic-Smith. “Creating stories that will be published for the public to see, not just submitted for a grade, gives students extra incentive to put forth their best effort. Furthermore, working with professionals gives the students another layer of feedback to re-enforce what they’re learning in the classroom. I prefer to work with organizations like the Arlington Museum of Art who will benefit in some way from the students’ content so that we are providing a service to the community.”
