We recently had the chance to connect with Stephanie Ordaz and have shared our conversation below.
Good morning Stephanie, we’re so happy to have you here with us and we’d love to explore your story and how you think about life and legacy and so much more. So let’s start with a question we often ask: What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?
The first 90 minutes of my day are chaotic but peaceful to say the least.
I have a sketched out schedule of what to do.
Lately I’ve been waking up at 3 am…
– wake up drink water and open all the windows for fresh air.
Go downstairs and light some incense and walk through the house usually while listening to sound frequencies or audio books I have at the time.
Recently it’s been Oneness with All Life By Eckhart Tolle.
– Drink a glass of ceyenne pepper lemon water for digestion
– take my vitamins/ meds
– either a daily devotion book and reflect or draw/ journal something for at least 10 min.
-go on a hot girl walk before the sun comes up because the gym isn’t open.
-blast Good Morning by Kanye West and walk for at least 20 min
-do some yoga
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
In Denver’s creative landscape, Stephanie Ordaz — also known as Ordazsma — is proof that art can transform struggle into vision. Living with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, she has learned to navigate pain and limitation while refusing to let it define her. Instead, she pours that resilience into her work, building an artistic world where visuals and music come together as one.
For the past five years, Stephanie has been capturing life through her own lens — literally. Every photo, every video that shapes her music is her own, a practice that keeps her work raw, authentic, and deeply personal. “If I’m going to put my art into the world, it has to look and feel like me,” she explains.
By day, she sharpens her craft in social media marketing, mastering the digital side of storytelling. By night, she leans into her identity as a creative genius, piecing together visuals, sound, and spirit. Her art is not just about expression — it’s about survival, transformation, and creating beauty from the challenges she carries every day.
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What was your earliest memory of feeling powerful?
Being a photographer for my high school football team.
That was when I realized what the occipital cortex is really for and how it is a key to the world!
When did you stop hiding your pain and start using it as power?
I don’t think I ever really hid my pain.
I wanted to be a walking example from a young age that pain is normal. If I can do it… Physically and emotionally.. YOU can do it too.
No matter what I’m going through I look to the person next to me and give them grace because they could be going through something way worse. I simply pass on as many what I call “energy balls” as I can to keep positivity and love going to keep people from remembering their pain.
Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. Is the public version of you the real you?
100%
There’s no doubt that I’m always myself. I’ll wear the weird outfits in public (sorry guys), I’ll play Marco Polo in Walmart, and there is nothing stopping me from getting people to feel a little better in their day and smile. I just like to see people smile!!
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?
Both.
My Mom never told me to follow some path that lead to a career. Of course she nudged me in the directions but she always said follow your dreams. And to be whatever I wanted to be and to live my truth.
I can’t help being naturally creative. I’ve tried so many times stepping away from the creative life…. That’s not an option. So God is telling me I’m here doing what I’m told to do.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: Ordaz.sma
- Youtube: Ordazsma
- Soundcloud: Ordaz.sma
Image Credits
Shawn Hardin
Desiree Monique
