Marina Castilla is a photographer and stay-at-home mom from Gatineau, Quebec. She was born in Mexico City and lived there until she met her husband, fell in love, and moved to Canada. When she’s not on Pinterest you can find her with Amelie, her 4-year-old daughter, having fun and exploring nature. She’s passionate about animals, art, cooking, yoga, reading and loves to garden. Marina’s beautiful boards and passion for animals and nature, art, design, and all things creative have earned her over 3.9M Pinterest followers!
When did you start using Pinterest and what inspired you to make an account?
About 4 years ago, my Facebook friend mentioned something about Pinterest being really addictive. I asked her to invite me and it was love at first sight! I’m very visual and have always collected images of the things that I love or inspire me. It was great to finally have a place where I could put it all together and get inspired by other people`s amazing pins at the same time. I find lots of inspirations on Pinterest for my photography projects, crafts, recipes, and decorations.
You have gained over 3.9M followers! Wow! So what makes your Pinterest unique?
I pin things that I am passionate about. Someone once asked me once what the trick is to gaining so many followers. I don’t know for sure but I think that when you have a passion, it shows and people will naturally follow you. It’s important to be honest to your style and to always pin the best content you can.
You’ve lived in Canada and Mexico. That sounds interesting! Can you share more about that?
I was born in Mexico City and lived there all of my life. I met my husband online and soon after we met in Mexico in a lovely and magical city named Oaxaca. It was love at first sight, we got married after 6 months, and then I came to Canada to live with him. I go back to Mexico once or twice every year to visit. It is very important to us that our daughter experience her other culture, family, and traditions. Now I enjoy everything twice as much thanks to her! When you have a child you rediscover everything again. Now I see my country as a very exotic place, even surreal sometimes.
Marina and Martin when they first met in Oaxaca.
What do you like about both places? Have you traveled much?
I have traveled a lot inside Mexico, mainly road trips, as well as a bit in Canada, Europe and the USA. I am hoping to meet my family in Costa Rica soon and then travel to Africa next. For me, traveling is one of the greatest pleasures in life, particularly road trips. I love Canada’s nature. We used to live in the country before and I was like Snow White always surrounded by wild fauna. I still have a lot more to explore.
Canada is a clean, safe, and calm country to live in. Mexico is colorful, sunny and full of life with warm people and great food. We have an ancient history with lots of traditions. Dia de muertos is my favorite!
Tell us more about your Pinterest boards. What are your favorite boards to pin on and why?
It depends a lot on the mood I’m in. My Art board is probably my favorite. I love getting lost in all of those amazing works of art. I also have a passion for interior design and decoration so I enjoy pinning on my Interiors, For My Home, and Home Decor boards. I also love my Nature and Animals boards of course. I pin images that inspire and put my brain to work on my Photography I Love inspiration board too. I love them all!
Marina in Canada on a frozen lake at Mt. Laurier at -25 degrees Celsius.
Your Nature and Animals boards are so cool! Tell us more about them!
Thanks! I am just totally in love with nature and animals. Nature amazes me… even the smallest flower, a grain of salt, it’s all amazing. I love finding great images of things that we have never seen or knew existed. Marine life is probably my favorite. I could make a board only about sea slugs! They are incredible and look like they came from another planet. I explore nature quite a lot. It’s a great place to connect with yourself and heal, and to connect with nature itself. If everyone developed a bit more in their connection with the planet, we would probably take much better care of it. I have deeply loved animals since I was a small child and have rescued and cared for so many of them, especially cats. When you are passionate about something it just shows.
Tell us more about your Pinterest aesthetic.
I have a very defined style. I grew up in museums and galleries, surrounded by art and artists. I have an eye for interesting and beautiful things. I find beauty everywhere, even if they are sad or dark. I try to pin everything I find interesting and beautiful in the best quality possible. Every once in a while I will come across another pinner or board that matches my style or aesthetic and it makes me feel so happy! There are some great pinners and curators out there. I’m very happy that other people feel inspired by my boards as well.
Marina and her daughter Amelie.
What are your plans and hopes for the future?
There are so many things that I want to do! To start, I will start working again as a photographer when my daughter starts school in a year or so. I have a couple of photography projects that I want to work on as soon as I have more free time. I get great fulfillment out of helping others so I’m working out a way to put something together that might involve all of these things that give meaning to my life. My hopes? To be the best mom, wife, and person that I can be and to be as kind as possible to our planet, animals and fellow earthlings.
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