We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Alejandra Vega-Rivera a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Alejandra thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Alright – so having the idea is one thing, but going from idea to execution is where countless people drop the ball. Can you talk to us about your journey from idea to execution?
I’ve always wanted to write a book, but I struggled with impostor syndrome: Are my texts good enough? Am I good enough? Where do I start? All of those insecurities sent me back to procrastinating my ideas and not executing them. Through reading self-help books and actually applying their advice, I started to focus on progress instead of perfection and managed to put together my first book, submit my pitch to a book fair, get contacted by a publishing company and now you may find “Shoelace Hug,” a children’s book about teen eating disorders, on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and other platforms!
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
I was born a storyteller in Mexico, where I was raised until I was 22 years old. When I moved to the U. S., I started to learn proper English and took it all as a challenge. I’ve always enjoyed persevering. Of course, I feel bad when things start getting hard or don’t go my way, but I’m resilient, and I always bounce back. I’m a creative person by nature, I enjoy art, culture, literature, and communication, so I’m working on spending my life and earning my income doing what I love, what my true calling is.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
The main lesson I had to unlearn was that some things are just for some people. Not at all. Set a goal and go for it. If you can dream it, you can do it.
The backstory lies in my formative years, when at school, they just taught you, as a woman, how to sew and aspire to be a secretary and a mom. In my homeschool, teachers didn’t inspire us enough to pursue our dreams; I feel it’s part of the Hispanic culture to feel that you’re only good for certain professions. And, of course, there’s nothing wrong with being a secretary, a wife or a mom, but there’s much more we can do and reach.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
Raising awareness towards mental health. Building empathy and compassion for us and for those around us.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://avrauthor.com/
- Instagram: alejandra_vegarivera
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AlejandraVegaR/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alejandravega1/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/Alejandravegar3
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChsrSlgZaAY7ooAmEtkzj-w
Image Credits
Alejandra Vega-Rivera