The most beautiful magazine I haven’t created yet

When I lost my mother in January of 2014, all I could think of was how I could honor her memory. She was passionate about art and education — and she wanted me to be whatever I wanted to be, and made many sacrifices so that I could do so. I remember finding an acting class for preteens at the mall across town. It never even crossed my mind that this would be out of my mom’s monthly budget and would cause her to have to take extra shifts to afford the registration, not to mention the schedule shifting she’d have to do to get me to the classes. But that was her wish for me when we moved from North Carolina to Oregon, to pursue and follow my creativity.

My mom published poetry and earned an architecture degree. She was a talented portrait illustrator, loved to read, write, and solve sudoku puzzles. She believed in following your dreams to matter the opticals.

Following my creativity

In 2016, I photographed and composed a panoramic photography series called, My Mother’s Daughter. The series represented the now spiritual relationships between myself and my mother. The large format black and white photographs were 6 feet, 10 inches by 2 feet, 8 inches.

Entering the photos for the Arlene Schnitzer Visual Arts Prize, where I won the third place prize and was awarded $3000 grant, as well as an exhibition for my work at Autzen Gallery in Portland State University.

It was the first time I was able to consider myself an artist. I could feel how proud my mom was, even though she wasn’t there to express it. After the exhibition, I wanted to find ways to keep honoring my mother’s memory through my art and design.

Honoring a memory

That is when the idea of a magazine in her namesake was created. An independent publication highlighting and empowering creatives of color and other marginalized communities. Serving an audience with profiles, photo essays, short stories and poetry.

Not only would Black and Brown faces appear on the magazine pages as the focus of our storytelling—they’re also the people on set crafting the story. They’re styling wardrobe and hair, they’re art directing, and producing this publication.

What makes this magazine distinct is its open lens of culture and design. This magazine gives creatives of color a home to tell their stories and showcase their work to unlock the potential in our future generations. At its core, the magazine promotes diversity, equity and inclusion—serving as a permanent model of representation.

Recently, I applied for a grant to kick start a first issue and was disappointed when my concept wasn’t selected. However, the process reignited the passion and drive I have to make it real. Make it real for my mom’s sacrifices, not only hers, but for all the ancestors who came before to bring me to my present.

Veronica is the most beautiful magazine I haven’t created yet—but I can now visualize it as a tangible magazine.

to be continued…