We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Viviana Rouco. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Viviana below.

Viviana, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s jump right into how you came up with the idea?

I have been drawing since the age of 11 participating and winning art contests throughout my childhood. I kind of knew I was always going to be in the world of the arts.

I graduated from the Art Institute of Ft Lauderdale in 1996. After I worked briefly at an advertising agency I found myself working in the music industry at Alliance Entertainment Corp., designing magazines, ads, and swag for record labels. It was a great introduction to the design field, as I had the opportunity to collaborate with record labels creating themed catalogues for Blue Note Jazz, Elektra Records and Virgin Associated Labels. I had the opportunity to meet emerging artists of that time like Britney Spears, when her first single Baby Hit Me One More Time had just been released.

When I moved back to the DC area in the early 2000’s I started my career as a Washington Post alumni. I formed part of the team at The Washington Post’s hispanic publication, El Tiempo Latino starting as a Senior Graphic Designer, and ending as Art Director. There under the Graham family, I developed as an artist and Award winning designer. Throughout my 15-year career at The Washington Post, I received numerous Gold, Silver, and Bronze awards from the National Association of Hispanic Publications (NAHP) for my work on El Tiempo Latino. These awards recognized my contributions across various sections and special publications, including Classifieds, Motor, Hispanic Heritage, and notable supplements such as The World Cup 2018 – Russia and American Heart Association, among others. My role encompassed leadership, art direction, and the full creative process from concept to execution. Notably, I was honored with a Gold award for the redesign of El Tiempo Latino under its new ownership by El Planeta Newspaper, a Spanish-language publication I proudly worked on during my tenure. A good climb for a Hispanic woman, in a male dominated corporate world!

But let’s see, because there are two sides to this, because as I have been a designer, and worked professionally in the world of businesses and corporations, I also outside of that, am a practicing witch and a card reader. And that journey began, well my whole life. As a first generation American, with parents from Spain, I was raised as a Catholic, but even as a child it was not something that made sense to me. Spirituality is something that should make sense to you, and I although I was in a Catholic home, the women in my family still taught me and spoke of traditional home remedies, candle burning, work and healing with herbs, cards, Espiritismo, muertos, limpias con huevo and interpreting dreams.

I came to more serious study and practice in my 20s, although I had already been reading for clients since the age of 16. It wasn’t until I was living back in DC and working at The Washington Post that I merged both of these worlds.

I was on Instagram one day and happened to notice that there was a post by a root worker; The Conjure Goddess, looking for a designer to create brand art and labels for her hoodoo line of candles. I thought it would be a great opportunity to get some freelance work, and I thought the concept of creating for witches was going to be fun, and I would have full creative control of making brand art differently. If not in this arena, where?! When I sent some of my samples and information, we connected and we began to work together. As we started to get into the details for her brand, I found myself asking her questions like, what deities do you work with? What colors do you feel represent you? What are your planetary placements? What are the herbs you work with? Do you work with any sigils? What are the symbols that represent your tradition?

I was asking from a different place. I was hearing from a different place too, because these questions were specific to her and only her. It was like a talisman that I was creating for her. If I was going to create this piece, it was going to be energetically charged, and it was being divinely created and intuitively downloaded. A protected, abundant piece of art that has purpose. Just like a reading, my ancestors are present to help me decipher and see, but the querent’s ancestors are present guiding the consult, or vision. I was so excited to serve in this way! As a practitioner, this was just another modality to connect to spirit. As a Hispanic woman in business, it was an amazing feeling to be able to marry two paths and support other healers to succeed in merging their spiritual world with a modern business.

When the label release would be posted with the branded art, it got a huge response. It blew the door open to other healers that saw these pieces. I began getting inquiries for brand and label art for many healers from different traditions and walks; from Voodoo to Lucumi. My designs are very stylized, and they are not the typical standard graphic logo you regularly see.

When you create a brand for a client the rule of thumb is usually to provide 3 to 4 thumbnails that get dwindled down to one. When I created these samples, I ended up making about 8 sometimes. The funny thing is that I could not control it. It would flow, and I would use specific flowers, or animals, or symbols that represented deities from the specific lineages of these clients.

Here’s the kicker. When it was time for them to choose, or modify their chosen piece, I would hear “These are me!. These all represent me, and I cannot choose the one I like because I want ALL of them!”

That’s where the way I serve changed. I decided I would offer “branded libraries” for all of the different areas under the umbrella of their business. A lot of these small businesses make various products, like blessed candles, oils, sage wands, jewelry, body butter, spellwork, courses, mentorship among other things. So all those brand pieces could now be used to brand each product they sold, therefore expanding their business, and letting them have custom created pieces that were assigned only to their energy to work for them. It was a great way to make art work for your business.

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

I’m a practicing witch, artist, and spiritual designer with over 28 years of experience in witchcraft and intuitive work. My path began long before I had the words for it. I was raised Catholic and spent years feeling deeply conflicted by what I was taught. I remember questioning things in CCD class; like why Lot’s daughters got him drunk in the desert, and have sex with him? and realizing early on that many of those teachings didn’t make sense to me.

Ironically, some of my most foundational lessons in magick came from my family, who never called it that. My aunt was an espiritista who regularly communicated with the dead, and my mother shared her deep knowledge of herbs, dreams, signs, candles, and intuition. These were their tools. Mine became the cards.

I started reading tarot around age 13, and by 17, I was doing exchanges for readings. When my family moved to Miami in 1992, I found myself immersed in a vibrant spiritual community full of Santeros, pagans, and seekers of all kinds. This was pre-social media, so my learning was done face to face; through being invited to tambores, ceremonies, and deep conversations. I was invited into many spaces and traditions with love and respect, and though I was offered initiation multiple times, I walk my path independently.

In my early 20s, while working in the music industry, I met a mentor who truly opened up my world. He encouraged me to research European witchcraft during the Middle Ages, not to follow anything blindly, but to understand where the power and persecution began. That historical perspective rooted me in goddess worship, nature-based paganism, and a lifelong dedication to the craft.

In 2001, I returned to D.C. and began working as a designer at The Washington Post in 2004. Throughout this time, I continued building my tarot and spiritual practice. My client work includes readings, spell work, mojos, custom candles, spiritual baths, and other rituals; always tailored, always intuitive. Every experience is different, but the goals are the same: healing, evolution, balance, and connection to one’s ancestors and highest self.

Many of my clients are women, although I have a male client or two that works for the government! and some have worked with me for over 15 years. It’s an honor to witness their growth—whether through discovering their ancestral roots or finding the courage to change their lives. Sometimes someone comes back after five years, ready for another bath or reading. I trust in divine timing. That’s part of the magic.

Outside of spiritual work, I’m a visual artist. I’ve always loved drawing – especially with pencil – and I have collections that feature priestesses, fae, and supernatural themes. One series explores how Orisha gods might look if they walked among us today. As social media became more central, I began offering intuitive digital art and eventually began designing for other witches and spiritual brands.

That’s when my path as a spiritual designer truly came alive. I combine my technical skills in design with my intuitive and ancestral knowledge to create visual talismans; logos, brand visuals, and custom artwork charged with meaning and intention. These aren’t just graphics; they’re storytelling tools, rooted in your energy, your lineage, and your practice. They help call your clients in.

I’ve completed portrait commissions (both hand-drawn and digital), collaborated on ancestor-based designs, and worked with spiritual traditions from Vodou and Ifá to Wicca and Hoodoo. One of my favorite projects is a collaboration with Synergy Soul, where we created a non-lineage-specific ceremonial ancestor money. It features my illustrated skull, a global ancestor prayer, and the word “Thank You” repeated in multiple languages to honor diverse heritage.

Over the years, I’ve had the deep privilege of working with spirits and pantheons from many cultures. What sets me apart is the combination of lived experience, spiritual devotion, artistic skill, and a commitment to telling stories that resonate and uplift. Whether through tarot, ritual work, or visual design—I help people connect with who they truly are, and who they’re becoming.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I had to unlearn letting others dictate how I run my business, how I create, and how I show up in my work. For a long time, I felt pressured to shape my decisions around others’ expectations, what was “professional,” what was “marketable,” what others thought I should do.

But with time and experience, I realized that I set the tone. I set the vibration, I claim my worth and I am worth it! When I stay aligned with my voice and stay true to myself, and trust my intuition, I naturally attract the right people; those who resonate with my energy, who support and uplift my growth, and who respect the journey. And so we grow together, and do that for one another.

One of the most important things I’ve learned is the value of boundaries. Especially as a healer and an empath, it was challenging to ask for compensation or to separate the heart-led nature of my work from the business side. But boundaries are never barriers. They are self-respect. And they allow me to show up more fully and sustainably in the work I do, to serve these incredible healers.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

For me, the most rewarding part is the deep connection I build with powerful women, healers, and magickal beings from all walks of life. Through my work, I’ve had the honor of collaborating with respected Voodoo houses such as Labelle Deesse Vodou Temple and Labelle Deesse Botanica. Together, we created a one-of-a-kind candle label collection honoring Haitian deities; not through the lens of colonized imagery, but through interpretations that reflect their truer, deeper essence. Each label incorporates traditional offerings, turning the art into a sacred tool; educational, devotional, and alive with meaning.

I’ve also created labels for the Orisha. And while I’m not an initiate, I am incredibly grateful that the gods still find ways to connect with me, through their children, through collaboration, and through spirit. This work is my offering in return: a way to honor the knowledge being shared with me by creating meaningful, beautiful representations of these divine forces.

Another project I’m proud of is my collaboration with Hauzofsoul of Synergy Soul, through ElementalsFire. When Hausofsoul and I began working on this Ceremonial currency we discussed how important it is to co-create something that is non-lineage specific because Ancestor veneration is NOT tied to one religion/tradition alone. It is an ANCIENT practice of all people before the western world turned us away from honoring and venerating our Dead. As thank you is repeated in multiple different languages; it is our way of honoring all cultures and traditions. It features an illustrated skull by me, with an ancestor prayer, and a multilingual repeating “Thank you” in languages from around the world. Every step of the way has been guided by the Muertos. The Skull on the money is part of the Synergy Soul brand which was HAND DRAWN and engrained with love of the Dead. The colors, the paper, the prayer on it… it is NOT your average Ancestor/Spirit currency.

Throughout my journey, I’ve worked with practitioners of Santería, Palo, Hoodoo, Wicca, Ifá, and many of solitary paths. Every project is an exchange; I learn as I create. I witness the symbols, rituals, and unique gifts of each tradition and transcribe that into visual storytelling that honors and uplifts them. My work is rooted in reverence and detail.

This is also a way I get to support small businesses; healers, spiritual workers, and artists whose magick deserves to be seen, known, and respected. Whether I’m working with a well-known house or a solitary practitioner like myself, I have the honor of creating magickal tools and brand visuals that carry their essence and elevate their presence.

It’s more than creative work. It’s spiritual work. And I’m endlessly grateful for it.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.vivianarouco.art and www.vivianarouco.com
• Instagram: vivianarouco.art
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/viviana-i-rouco-53a80a7/
• Other: www.vivianarouco.com

  https://www.redbubble.com/people/vivroucoart

  https://www.instagram.com/theelementalsfire/

Image Credits

All images are taken and owned by Viviana Rouco, except bottom left credit goes to @thegalactimystic