Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Veronica Parra. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Veronica, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

My parents always supported me on following the path I had chosen for myself, even though I know my dad would’ve liked me to study biology, he never pushed it on me. He taught me how to draw and always said “you can be whatever you want to be, but make sure you’re the best one at it”. My mom always took me to my drawing classes and would take me to the store for new sketchbooks, crayons and markers.

My mom taught me to do things with care, my dad taught me to always keep going and I think those two values, along with their support to be an illustrator/graphic designer from a young age really made a difference.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am a published Children’s Book Author / Illustrator, as well as the Marketing Lead & Chief Illustrator for Parra & Co., a family-owned Civil Engineering firm based in Texas. So far my published books include Elephants are Awesome, Angie’s Affirmations and most recently The Story of Pluto. All of these books can be found on Amazon.

Since about fifth grade I knew I wanted to draw for a living, I just wasn’t sure about how I was going to make that happen. Illustration wasn’t a stand alone major in Venezuela (where I’m originally from), so my sister suggested I majored graphic design, it made sense to me so I didn’t question it and happily chose to do so. I only had one illustration elective in Graphic Design but I loved everything! Except for Geometry I was thriving in all other subjects and to this day I love that Graphic Design was my major, many of my friends are still from those days.

I always wanted to come to the U.S. to study, but monetarily it was not an option right after high school, while it was a bummer at the time, my graphic design days were the best and are memories I’ll cherish forever. It took a little longer, but I did get to come to the U.S. to study as I always wanted, pursuing my M.A. in Illustration at no other than the Savannah College of Art and Design.

After that I’ve worked on many areas related to graphic design, such as wayfinding and signage, and now Marketing. I wanted to publish books since I can remember, I applied to many illustration agencies (repeatedly) without any luck for an agent, so I decided to self-publish my books. I believe the agent may happen one day, but in the mean time I’m happy at my job and I have books to show to the world, so this seemed like the clear best option.

I enjoys working with stories, as well as educational books. I believe it is important to create strong foundations for the children in our lives. I am highly driven by my values and intention of assisting others in connecting with their inner light. Through my work I highlights wellness and self-care through content that supports introspection, self-knowledge, and appreciation. This is especially seen in Angie’s Affirmations and though the self-empowering content I share on my Instagram (@vero_sparkles)

My Instagram is something that has shifted a lot, it used to be purely illustration, but that was getting boring for me and also very time consuming. While I still share illustrations and hand-lettered affirmations on a weekly basis, I started incorporating inspirational vlogs as well as working with brands because that is something that is bringing me joy right now. I’ve learnt that when it comes to creative pursuits especially, if it’s not fun then what’s the point of doing it? So right now I’m following what feels fun and brings me joy.

I am a member of the Society of Children’s Books Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), a Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) alumna (2015) and Universidad Rafael Belloso Chacin (URBE) alumna (2012). Born in Maracaibo, Venezuela and now reside in Atlanta, GA where I enjoy discovering new eating spots in the city, drinking iced lattes and watching k-dramas.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

“You just have to work really hard”

Since we are young I feel like society teaches us that we just need to work hard to achieve what we want, and while yes working hard is an important component of it, it is not all there is to it. If that were the case construction workers should be the wealthiest people in the world.

Through my journey I’ve learnt that while working hard is a key component to getting to where you want to be, there is much more to succeeding, such as mindset, strategy and focus. I believe working hard for the sake of staying busy and hoping that takes us to where we want doesn’t do anything much for us other than probably hindering our physical and mental health.

I believe we must be clear on what we want and stay focused on it, evaluating periodically what we are doing and if there is any progress, which sometimes it won’t be tangible, but only you will know. I believe we need to be in tune with ourselves, be honest with our believes about what we can achieve or what can happen for us and shift them as needed, if there is a belief that is not serving us in order to achieve what we want then a shift is needed, but that comes through self-evaluation. I think it’s important to believe in what we have to offer and that it has a positive impact for others, even at the times where nothing seems to be happening.

I am glad I chose a career path that I enjoy, because that is what I spend most of my time doing, and it is important for me to feel like I’m spending that time well and know that I am living a good life that I chose and molded to my liking. A life that 8 year old me and 80 year old me will be proud of.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

I believe creating awareness of the importance of shopping small. While I don’t believe mass production and consumerism are going away, I believe it is important to incorporate an understanding that when items are not mass produced they are going to be more pricey, but they will also have a special quality to them.

Maybe its me but I love getting things from small businesses, they always seem to be packed with extra love and it feels nice to support others’ dreams as well. I think the point of what I’m trying to say is that it is important to have a certain understanding about why smaller shops seem more expensive and that it is not that they are overcharging, but that they are charging fairly to the costs of making that product. I still remember the first time I decided to “splurge” and buy from a small shop, I felt so rewarded afterwards knowing that I was contributing to another creator’s dream.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.veroparra.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vero_sparkles/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/veroparra/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@vero_sparkles