Welcome to the first edition of Up & Coming Coastal Bend — a series dedicated to showcasing the creative talents of our younger generation. Take a look at this month’s featured young adult.
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Born and raised in Corpus Christi, Vanessa Pérez is a writer who has found connections with others through creating. Since a young age, Pérez has always been interested in literature, describing herself as a “voracious reader.” This interest continued into college, where her formal introduction to writing began to change the way she thought about the practice. It was around this time that she began to take writing seriously, something she found herself creatively and emotionally invested in.
Inspired by the rich and colorful culture found in the Coastal Bend, Pérez believes there is inspiration to be found all around us. She states, “Being able to pull from all these different cultures or to merge them and bring light to something new and different in an era of exploring what is niche can be really exciting.” Creating gives opportunity to make those connections, to embrace what’s around us, and to create based on experience.
To Pérez, that aspect of community has always been one of the driving forces for her own creativity. Storytelling was her way of making connections as a child, a quality that has carried on throughout her life. When founding Olas, a literary magazine featuring writers and creators alike, Pérez’s core desire was to co-create with friends and offer a way to connect creatives to their community. This was driven by her underlying desire to find joy and share it with others. In fact, this is how I met Vanessa myself – through creating and sharing ideas with one another.
Moving forward, Pérez hopes to continue sharing her work and uplifting other creators around her, because ultimately that’s what creating is for – connection. As she continues to write, she’s reminded that creating a conversation with other artists is an important part of moving past that self-doubt many of us often feel. That creating, both art and community, is a gratifying experience that enables artists to find a collective joy and culture of creating. Pérez’s incredible way with words and jovial spirit has already proven to create connection, and can only continue as she shares more of her remarkable heart with others.
Check out the latest edition of OLAS at local retailers such as Lucy’s Snackbar, PRODUCE Goods, COMMONS, Washed Out and Hybrid Records.
