Ryan Mesina

Current job: Photo Director, Martha Stewart Living

What’s your superpower? I'm great with my hands. Whether I'm crafting, baking, or tiling a bathroom, I can usually do a pretty excellent job. Not a surprise I guess, considering where I work!

3 things you can’t live without: There is only one thing....PRINT MAGAZINES

Name an inspiring Instagram feed: @mccormickcharlie, @metpaintingsconservation, and @marthastewart48 (she's the real deal...always up to something!)

What’s on your bucket list for 2022? Travel. Lots of travel. And I'd like to get back to making pottery, which I took a quarantine break from.

A mistake you made early in your career: I thought I made a mistake by leaving my first job at a great title for a better salary and position at a completely different title I had zero interest in, but it ended up being an amazing experience that really broadened my scope and helped me grow in so many ways. I ended up staying for four years and eventually moved on to a great job at The Wall Street Journal. It's all about what you make of things.

Favorite streaming TV show: I like to watch GBBO or BBC Gardener's World with Monty Don before going to bed. They're like lullabies for adults...and educational!

What's your advice for young creatives? Work hard, stick with it, and be patient — things don't happen overnight. And don't burn any bridges — you never know who you will run into ten years down the line.

What (or who) inspires you? Biographies and backstories — I love hearing about how people got to where they are today.