Today we’d like to introduce you to Yvonne Zepeda.
Yvonne, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I have been an artist and writer since I was a child. When I grew up, I did the typical 1980’s thing to do, which was to marry in my 20’s and become a Mom. All the while, continuing to create art, write poetry and short stories. It was something that came naturally to me and also served as a stress reliever. At one point, I needed to return to the working field and was able to land a great job at The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston in the Latin American Curatorial department. As an artist, working at the MFAH is a dream job. If an artist can’t break out and become famous, they at least want to work for the best museum in the state that they live in. I considered it a blessing. I was a single Mom and needed every dollar I could make.
Needless to say, when a creative person works full-time, their personal projects get put on hold. Though I tried to keep my passion going, it was difficult and many, many creative projects got put on the back-burner. I worked in my position at the MFAH for almost 12 years and enjoyed every minute of it. One year ago, budget cuts forced myself and others to lose our jobs at the MFAH. As a newly unemployed person, so many questions come into your mind. What do I do next? Where do I go from here? Should I go back to school? And through this worry and nervousness, like static noise and whispers in my head, my passion kept creeping into my mind, almost calling me from the boxes they were stored in. Most of my creative projects that were put on hold were in a storage space I owned. I couldn’t even wrap my mind around art and writing, while my brain was worried about paying bills and staying afloat.
And just like many things in my life that happen by synchronicity, I was forced to remove everything I had in my storage space because there was no way I could afford to continue to pay for it. And on a cool Sunday morning, sifting through dusty and wilted boxes and bags, there it was. Every word I had put on paper that didn’t have final edits or an ending story or a final destination for someone else to read. Every piece of art that had been started and never finished and remnants of life when I was an exhibiting artist. Every shred of the gift bestowed of me that deserved to be shared with the world. So there I was. Unable to find a job in my field. Too young to receive any government benefits and retire and too old to get a different job in another field and be paid for my worth. I was stuck. And just like looking in a mirror and telling yourself, “This is the real you. You can’t fake it”. Through unemployment, I created a new life. I now spend my days editing my writings and creating my own illustrations for books I self-publish on Amazon.
My current titles are: “Shoulda Swiped Left. Disaster Dating Stories and Journal Book”, “Rant Here….. not on Social Media” and “Soaring over Muddy Waters. Inspirational Poems and Short Stories”. I also work part-time with a wonderful company called Abrakadoodle, teaching art to children. I heard a saying the other day that sums up how I feel about my life and it goes something like this, “It’s not where you start that’s important, it’s where you end up”.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
A smooth road depends on whether or not a person learns from the lessons on that road. Definitely, not smooth, but I wouldn’t change a thing. The road in life will be smooth, jagged, cracked and never the same and each one has taught me how to maneuver the next step. But, to answer your question, being a single Mom was challenging and being laid off from a job I loved was also challenging.
Yvonne Zepeda Studio – what should we know? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
My company is called Yvonne Zepeda Studio. I am an author and illustrator of my own self-published books on Amazon. I’m also an art teacher, breathing creativity into young minds and hearts. My current titles are: “Shoulda Swiped Left. Disaster Dating Stories and Journal Book”, “Rant Here….. not on Social Media” and “Soaring over Muddy Waters. Inspirational Poems and Short Stories”. I also work part-time with a wonderful company called Abrakadoodle, teaching art to children.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Success is finding that one thing that makes you happy while also creating a financially independent life. Its the thing that you would do, even if no one paid you to do it, which I have also done (smile). As far as criteria and markers……. I normally follow my intuition and fly by the seat of my pants. I somehow always land on steady ground.
Pricing:
- Books on Amazon start at $9.99
- Prints of my art start at $30
Contact Info:
- Website: www.yvonnezepeda.com
- Phone: 281-871-9254
- Email: yvonnezepedastudio@gmail.com
- Instagram: @yvonnezepedastudio
- Facebook: @yvonnezepedastudio
- Twitter: @yvonnezepeda1
Image Credit:
Yvonne Zepeda
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