V E R O N I C A —
How it all started…
“My business is to create.” — P.S. I Love You (2007)
My path into photography originated following my graduation from High School in 2001. The one thing that high school doesn’t teach you is just how hard life can be as you reach adulthood. I had to grow up fast at the age of 15 and face a lot of challenging, unfair situations.
I started photography courses between 2002 - 2004 off and on at Sacramento City College, majoring in photography. I began with film and transitioned into digital photography, but I was not prepared for what would follow during that time. In 2004, my beloved photography instructor and mentor, Andy De Lucia unexpectedly passed away. Before his passing, he made me promise him that I would never stop doing photography and didn’t care whether I was “successful” of not, so to this day, I am still active, paying homage to him. Following this was a car accident, which totaled the first car I had ever bought myself and the injuries sustained put me on crutches for a while. This ended my “college experience” and soon, I had to face the hard reality of adulthood at 21 years old while working to support myself. I was not fortunate to have both parents, let alone my only living parent to give me a platform to focus on school. Instead, I had to grow up fast; shortly after my car accident, I lost my job and life was constantly knocking me down no matter how hard I tried to progress. Eventually, I picked myself up and tried again…
I’ve now been a photographer for twenty years and counting and I’m always hard on myself when it comes to this element. Aren’t we all hard on ourselves in something?
My second attempt at college landed me at Southern New Hampshire University (Online) where I focused on Business Administration courses between 2015 - 2016. I completed a little over a year of schooling and went on what I thought would be a short hiatus, but life and the pressures of the real word had other plans for me. I did not return back to school due my an overload of responsibilities that needed my attention. Did I mention it’s hard being an adult? If the opportunity presents itself again someday, I might return to finish school, but for now, my education also consists of real life experiences that school doesn’t teach you. I am proud of what I have accomplished today. Moving forward, I’ve been focused on healthy lifestyle changes, and my mindset now centers on what’s best for me physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually.
If you ask me where do I see myself heading now in life and the answer is just to keep moving forward. Whatever this looks like is unknown but I will find ways to keep evolving. I don’t like to follow a life path based on what society says because it’s just not me, it has never been me. I was never meant to be inside of boring boxes with no character; I’m versatile and I like to do many different things that inspire me, that challenge me, that awaken my soul.
I work in Executive Administration full-time, I am a pet mom, I am a photographer, I am a writer, and sometimes, I am even a non-certified therapist to friends and/or people I might meet. I wear my heart on my sleeve freely. I am inspired by many different things, including the little things. I just live my life according to me.