We were lucky to catch up with Valeria Wicker recently and have shared our conversation below.

Valeria, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. I’m sure there have been days where the challenges of being an artist or creative force you to think about what it would be like to just have a regular job. When’s the last time you felt that way? Did you have any insights from the experience?

I’ve contemplated this question many times, Especially, during times when providing for a large family was challenging for me and my spouse. Despite that, I’ve always believed there was a call in me that needed to be followed and that creating was, and still is, at the core of my existence.

Being an artist is a labor of love, and because love does not know time, often reaping the rewards of it may take a while. With that said, although it’s not always easy, I wouldn’t rather do anything else but create art.

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 am an enthusiastic multi-skilled artist and writer who discovered a passion for art as a child. Throughout my life, I’ve always been eager to try new mediums to expand possibilities.

As a student I’ve discovered art was merely just a word connected to so many worlds I didn’t know existed. From carving to painting, to ceramics to music, there’s never been a method of creating I wasn’t interested in. I had a weakness for anime and Mangas and longed to be an animator when I’d grew up.

Later in life, becoming a mom has opened a door to the most rewarding of all creative fields: children literature (at least to my opinion). Once my love for art met children’s illustration, it was a true calling.

In 2018 while on submission, my debut picture book THE UGLY DOODLES (Little Brown, JIMMY Patterson Books- 2020) landed on James Patterson’s desk and opened the door to the amazing journey I’m currently on. At the end of 2019 he offered me the opportunity to illustrate his own YA graphic novel THE RUNAWAY’S DIARY, which was published in 2022.

Among the stories I’m working on, THE KNIGHT SNACKER (Little Brown) is slated for publication in Fall 2023 along with a very exciting unannounced project slated for 2024 with another fantastic publishing house.
My work is currently represented by Adria Goetz at P.S. Literary Agency.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

When I decided to illustrate children’s books, the first thing I was negatively affected by was my own ego. Given the odds of a breakthrough in the publishing industry were ridiculously low at the time, I immediately told myself I was never going to make it. That was until I started doing research, but once I was familiar with the process and learned about what the industry was looking for, I felt there was hope. .
Another bump in the road I have encountered at the beginning of my career, was how competitive the publishing industry is. Being able to just illustrate was not enough for me to breakthrough. My studies continuously pointed out that my odds were going to be much higher if I would write and illustrate my own stories. However, I am an Italian native and unfortunately, I did not have the privilege to pursue a formal education here in the US. That being said, writing was a challenge for me, although I did read a lot, I had no idea where to even begin writing a story.
Then one day, through Facebook, I came across a website called Kidlit411.com that had all the resources available for beginner writers. I was able to study creative writing through books and webinars. The amazing community behind this organization and the wonderful people I had the opportunity to meet, lead me to cross paths with an amazing writing coach, to who I owe an enormous amount of gratitude for taking me as her student and pushing my writing to that much desired breakthrough that finally presented itself back in 2018. They say, “it only takes one yes” and after over 75 rejections from different literary agencies, my agent Adria Goetz, said yes! My debut picture book THE UGLY DOODLES (Little, Brown/JIMMY Patterson) was published in 2020.

Sometimes people tend to get scared away from their dreams because they have the misconception that everything is too far out of reach due to self-limitation. But if they’d arm themselves with the right information and start taking baby steps toward their goals, they’ll begin to notice nothing is too far out of reach.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

My mission is to help children and adults understand that self-limitations and false self-beliefs are the only things standing in the way of their dreams. There’s no dream too big to become true, and no goal that’s too far out of reach, as long as there’s a burning desire and determination for its achievement.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.valeriawicker.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/valeriawicker/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ValeriaWickerIllustrations
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/valeria-wicker-a1401516a/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/vwicker2478

Image Credits
Claudia Catania