By Ryan Demarest
Staff Writer
Instead of spending her college days studying in the library or socializing on campus, Mira Costa alumnus Erin Clifford has found a different way to devote her time through her passion for music and photography.
Clifford graduated from Costa in June 2015 already committed to Fordham University in New York. Clifford said she quickly conformed to the New York state of mind through her business of taking photos of smaller, amateur bands and advertising for them through social media.
“I’m not directly affiliated with any company, but I mostly go to concerts at local venues in Brooklyn or more prominent places in New York like Irving Plaza,” Clifford said. “I have been invited to shoot for a few magazines by some cool photographers in New York City as well.”
Clifford contacts the band’s public relations manager, and gets photo passes so she can photograph for the bands, she then helps expose them through her social media sites. Following her arrival to Fordham University and the beginning of her photography career, Clifford has taken pictures for groups such as The Growlers, The Babe Rainbow, DJ Basil, and Diet Cig.
“Right now it is purely more about exploring what I am passionate about,” Clifford said. “I think music is so important and not enough people take advantage of how influential it is. Like in the most basic sense, I’m just sharing bands that are important to me with the public.”
Clifford’s exploration of the music industry did not begin in New York. Since her days at Costa, Clifford said she has exhibited a great passion for all things music, especially through her internship at Static Beach, a broadcasting studio located in Hermosa Beach. Clifford said the internship at Static Beach helped her learn more about the professional music and broadcasting industry, as well as the possibility of pursuing a career in music or media in the future.
“In the future I want to do some form of music marketing or new media. I would like my own magazine or website to post all my pictures and share artists,” Clifford said.
The internship program at Mira Costa, taught by Andrew Caine, provides an opportunity for all students to explore their different interests, all the while developing the necessary skills to maintain an internship, as well as a career in the future. Clifford said that the internship program gave her the extra boost to go further with her passion of music.
“This course is designed for students who want to explore and develop an understanding of the working world, and to gain and improve skills that will help the students succeed in both work and life,” Caine said.
Because of her marketing and real-world experience gained from the Costa internship program, Clifford has set out to give exposure to smaller bands. Alongside her desire to expose bands, Clifford wanted to experience all that New York music had to offer, ranging from local coffee house performances to Carnegie Hall productions.
“Music is a huge part of my life in general, so why not get the best seat up close and personal with the best artists from New York City,” Clifford said.
Although Clifford is still in the early phases of her new profession, she holds high hopes for the future. Like many independent photographers in New York, she hopes to one day create a way to share her photography with the public in a wider sense.
“I plan on starting a website. I know a few photographers that start their own independent magazines, and I would want to do something like that in the future,” Clifford said.
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