If You Are A Creator, You NEED To Watch This... (Life Of A Mom, Artist, & Entreprenuer)

Originally, my idea was going to Florida to possibly get into like the field of like Disney and animation. So an at-home kitchen. So I would make Filipino food and I would do like lumpia. And so that's like a spring roll.

And when somebody asks us for a logo, usually I'm like, mm. So today we have Veronica on. We literally just met. And so kind of just tell us what you're about, like a little bit about your story. I just want to get to know you.

Sure.

Um, I know you mentioned you're a graphic designer.

Yes.

Which it's kind of in the same field. We do more video stuff.

Sure.

But we always need a good graphic designer. So how did you even get into that?

Yeah, so I've always been passionate about art. After high school, I went to the Art Institute of Tampa, and originally my idea was going to Florida to possibly get into like the field of like Disney and animation. So my focus was animation and media arts. And then after school, I kind of, I started my family. I had a baby and I was like, well, I can't really do that. You know, I put my dreams on hold for a little bit. And then I decided, I was like, you know what? I said, let me just do a little bit here and there. So I just started doing like free graphic designs for people or like drawing people as cartoons and just kind of just getting my stuff out there. And so eventually I just started taking on commissions and I would literally charge them like $25 for a design, $50 here and there.

But that was at the beginning, right?

Yes, at the beginning. So now I charge a little bit more, but it's, it's honestly so rewarding because people want to— they're like, is that it? And honestly, it makes me question myself. I'm like, well, maybe I'm not charging as much as I should, but I really enjoy being people's graphic, like, go-to graphic designer in such a small town. I just know that people can rely on me and everyone Um, for pretty much like my marketing is organic. I don't really push my stuff out there as much as I'd like to just because with all the kids, but I always have commission work and I always have someone needing something from me. And whether it be ongoing clients or their friends, I feel really good about it and I feel very passionate about making sure that everyone feels good about their design or their brand or their company. And I get really attached. I get emotionally attached to every one of my clients. I'm not gonna lie.

That's awesome. So you said You did some work for like $25. Did you ever do any free work? Oh yeah, because that's a big thing that like even us, like that's how I got started. We did, we would just do free videos. We still do free videos, right? Like we're about to do a free video just because we need it in our portfolio, um, next week about the mobile coffee truck Espresso. Oh, um, and that's going to be like a very high production video, but like I just want to do it. And so we still do free stuff 3 years in, and hopefully it'll gain more clients from that.

I definitely resonate with that because sometimes I see, you know, sometimes I'll see a business, I'm like, I just want to do something for them, and I want to, I want to make something cool for them. And a lot of times I don't really ask for much. Like, for instance, um, Don Dolce, I'm his main graphic designer. So sometimes if I'm feeling like, oh, he needs something new, like, let me, let me just make something and put it to him and see what he thinks. And so it's And it's really cool because he's getting to the bigger production to where he's wanting to make labels now and nutritional facts and hopefully maybe going to stores one day.

Are you allowed to talk about that?

Yeah.

Okay. So you— did you say you interviewed recently for it or you got—

no, so Don—

got a gig with them or—

well, Don Dulce is— he's a Mexican candy. So he's Adam Gonzalez and he sells Mexican candy and it's dipped in like chamoy and tajín. And he also sells like rim dips at some of the local bars. And so I did like a character design logo for him, and it's just gone so well. I mean, one time it first started out with just a cartoon design, and he would just sell like his Gushers or his candies. Now he's kind of doing car shows, he's doing markets, market vendors, um, and now he's like selling his chamoy dip just at local bars and whatnot. But now he's needing more like leaning towards merch because we made a really cool design for him and it's like him. I wish I could show you. It's just like a design, literally a cartoon design of him. So that's what I really like doing. So whenever—

Cartoon stuff?

Yes. So whenever I do logos, I get really excited when someone needs a little something a little bit more complex because I'm like, oh yes, this is my— this is where I shine.

Well, cartoon stuff. You mentioned you wanted to go to Disney.

Yes. So what, what, like, that you just drew cartoons growing up and then Yeah, I kind of like, me and my brothers were always artists and my dad was a draw, he drew a lot and it's kind of like, it's funny, like I remember when my dad, my real dad went to jail and he would draw me like cartoons and send them on letters. I'm like, I love that. I love that, thanks. And so I come from a really creative family and then whenever I went into school, I was really passionate about like just character drawing. I love drawing people as like an anime character, not even anime, just like a different, just character design. And so now whenever people ask me for them, I'm like, yes, I can do that. And I love shading and coloring. And I really wanted to do like animation and I still can, but it's just little, little by little. It's not like I could go in a big production. It's like I could probably make a 5-minute video if I wanted to. But yeah.

Okay. That's so interesting because like I— what do you use for animation?

So usually we— so in school we did like Maya and then like After Effects.

After Effects. Okay. So do you still use After Effects?

I haven't used it in such a long time, but, you know, I use Procreate and they have an animation tool now and it's pretty easy to use. Pretty simple. I would, I would dabble into it if you're curious.

So your cartoons and your sketches, do you primarily do them on an iPad?

Yes, I do.

Do you ever do them on paper?

I do. I usually start off on paper and then I'll do like a rough sketch on paper and then I'll take a picture of it and I'll go from there. And digitize it.

Okay, so you're not just like a Canva graphic designer?

No.

You hand draw this?

Yes, I am. I'm definitely hand drawing a lot of— some of my fonts are hand drawn too, whether it be— I need to— it's like the Don Dolce design, it's more of like a groovy font, but he wants like a drip on it. So all of his designs I have to hand draw, especially the fonts, because I can't— I wish I knew how to produce fonts. I'm sure I could figure it out, but for now we're doing the long way.

But you could probably sell those.

I know, right? I could. I should. I see people— I mean, I've seen fonts go for like $17. I'm like, that's crazy.

We— so we do a lot of stuff for our church, and we— it's like a western vibe. And so we buy fonts, and we've paid like $25 to $50 for these font sets.

Yeah.

And so there's a website called Creative Market. Have you ever heard of that? So that's where we buy all our stuff. Like, there's fonts, there's like graphics, there's all kinds of stuff, templates you can use. That's what I do because I can't, I can't draw. Like, I, I, I'm an old— like, Canva. Canva is what I use.

Hey, Canva's cool. I like it.

And it's, it's great for like thumbnails and stuff, especially for YouTube. And, um, and when somebody asks us for a logo, usually I'm like No, sorry. Because they're like, oh, you're a media company, you do that, right? I'm like, no. And the same thing with websites. We're like, no, we don't do websites because I hate it.

Yeah, it's— I like doing websites and I get very passionate, but I'm almost too passionate to where it's like, I'm taking way too much time on this as if it's my own business. That's my problem is I'll take on every client and I act like it's my own business that I'm starting up. So recently I did, um, G's Tent Shop. So I did his logo, okay? And he recently made a bunch of sweatshirts with the logo on it. I'm like, oh, I love that.

So right now, okay, G's Tent Shop, they're— they— I saw somebody— did you tag them in that Facebook post?

Probably. I'm always— any client that I have, I am sharing everything that they post. I'm their biggest fan.

Okay, because I, I keep seeing their name pop up in some of the comments. Yeah, for like—

yeah, I did tag them. I did.

I did like a free drone shoot recently.

Yeah.

Um, and I saw G's Tint Shop.

Yeah, he's really cool. Him and his wife are really sweet. And at first he had sent me like an old logo of his, and it was like a window. And for me, I'm like, you know what, I, I like to think outside of the box when a business comes to me about like what they want their logo to look like. And I'll hear them out for what they want, and I'll give them what they want. I'll show them like, okay, this is what you asked for, but then I'll make something on my own. Like, do you like this? So I was thinking, I was like, ooh, something edgy, like a skull, something cool. And now it looks like a brand. Like, yeah, I should have brought one of the sweatshirts up here. I have one in my car, but it looks so cool. I'm like, you know what, this is something I would like find at a store and I'd buy it.

Yeah, but well, that's, that's awesome. And that's, yeah, that's one of the things that I want to get to eventually with Howdy. Uh, we have some shirts that are like just for us to wear, just like if we go shoot an event or something, right? Um, I don't know, that's a whole other aspect of the business that I'm like, eventually we'll get there.

Yeah, I'm excited for it.

Just to like make merch that people want to wear and buy.

Yeah, I mean, I love the font and then even just the cursive font. I love that.

Yeah, so the cursive one is our actual logo.

Okay.

Um, this, we bought this poster off of, I don't know, my wife designed this set.

Wow.

So I don't know where she got it from, but she bought it and that's kind of been like one of the staples for the studio. And so that's honestly, that poster is the reason we're Howdy Media now. I love that because people started calling this the Howdy Studio. They saw it in all our videos and I was like, because before it's a vibe, before we were— did you know us before Howdy Media?

No.

Okay, so we were Flights and Sights Media. Okay, we started in real estate.

Primarily.

Okay. So we were like doing drones and we still do that, but that was the only thing we were doing. And so Howdy Media, Howdy Studios, like it only makes sense. We're in Abilene, Texas.

I love it.

And so my wife came up with a pretty cool design and it's like a cursive font.

I love, I love her style and honestly it's on brand.

Yeah.

You mean for Texas? I love that.

So it's sticking.

Yes.

But yeah, I'm excited for the merch in the future. So you're a part of the Insiders group on Howdy Media. Insiders?

Yes.

When did you join that?

Um, I actually got invited by, I think, Garen. So, you know, yeah, that's a good friend of mine.

So he invited me and I was like, okay, so how do you know Garen?

Garen, he's a longtime friend of mine.

Okay.

Um, I've known him for probably, I would have to say, almost 15 years.

Oh wow.

Uh, he was good friends with my— so I have 4 kids, and 2 of them, their dad Kyle, he was really good friends with them, and he passed away like in 2020. So we were all really close, and Garen is also good friends with like my best friend, and I know he's in the music industry. And so we— oh, I look up to him. I love him.

Yeah, he's awesome. He's been helping.

He's so sweet.

Yeah, he— well, he reached out to me. Um, I think Naomi, her husband That's his barber. And so I don't know. I don't even know how it came up, honestly. But he texted me one day and was like, hey, I love what you're doing. Can I help out in some way?

I love that. And he's good. I know he's going to school right now for graphic design. He literally inspires me. Even this morning, I saw him post on his story already on the Peloton. I said, oh, you're better than me. You're better than me. I'm like in the drive-thru at Jack and Jill.

Getting some donuts.

Yes.

That's funny. But yeah, Garen's awesome. He's been helping us out with some of the YouTube stuff.

Okay.

But he's like, I just want to help out. I'm going to get this degree. I think it's like a graphic design and multimedia, which I didn't even realize was a thing going to college. I graduated from Hardin-Simmons.

Okay.

And I got a finance degree and decided to go into media.

So you're like, well, that's how that went for me. Yeah.

Well, I didn't. Like want to work. One of my only options was to work at a bank. And it was either that or you go to like a wealth management firm.

And you're like, boring.

I'm like, I don't know if I want to do that for 40 years.

Right.

And so I don't know that that's why I was like, this has to work.

Yes. And you're passionate about it. And I feel like whenever you do something that you're passionate about, There's endless opportunities. And I really do believe like whenever— so for me, my beliefs is like when we do something we love and we're passionate about and we're honest about it, I feel like God blesses us with clients, money, opportunities. It's amazing.

Yeah, that's one of the things that I talk about. And it feels weird to say, but my book, I have an ebook out. You have a book? Okay. Yes, I know. It's like 14 or 15 pages. It's like a real quick read.

Okay, I need that.

But it's called Content That Converts: Building a Brand Online Through Video. That's what it's called. And so within it, it kind of talks about how we got started, how we utilize content to like jumpstart everything. But within that, I talk about like passion. And like for this specific thing, the Lord revealed to me one day like, Hey, this could be a cool thing. And so immediately, like, I was set on fire and I was like, this has to work. This is going to work because, like, it wasn't necessarily my own idea. And so ever since then, it's just been like, it's somehow—

it's just, it's almost like it falls in your lap.

It's like just— and not to say it's not hard or anything, but like you said, like, I feel like the Lord blesses those decisions, those businesses. Especially whenever you prioritize him through it all.

Absolutely. But yeah, yeah, and like speaking of Garren, we're actually doing an event together December 13th.

Uh, music?

Yeah, he's so he's gonna be DJing the event and then I'll be singing a live set and there's gonna be a few other musicians. Singing?

So you're a musician?

I'm a musician too. I forgot to put that in there.

Okay, so What kind of stuff do you sing?

I like to sing like R&B. I like to make it acoustic. I love singing. I do like singing worship music too, so that's fun. I usually do that with like my kids or something, or like when I'm— every time I'm pregnant, I like to sing while my baby's in my belly, and I swear I think 2 out of 4 are gonna be singers. But yeah, I do like— I like to do acoustic R&B covers. I love I like country music. I don't mind it. So here and there I'll sing a little bit of Parker McCollum or Jason Aldean. But mostly I like to hear like a song that everyone loves, like whether it be like something that everyone knows right now and it'd be like a rap song and I like to make it acoustic and I like to make it all vibey. I'm very much like, I like to take a song and make it my own for the most part.

Yeah. Have you, do you know who Lundy is?

Yes, that's, they're going to be at the event too.

Okay, sweet.

Yes.

I was about to say, that's exactly what they did.

They're so good.

We met them my freshman year of college, and I think they were playing at Monk's or something at an open mic.

That's where I met them.

And we were like, whoa, these guys are pretty good.

Literally here in Abilene. I literally was like, no way. And I think this is before they started bringing the MIDI controller and stuff. It was like the box and the guitar. I was like, oh, I love them. And then whenever they told me they like my voice, I was like, Yeah, no, I like your voice, but they're awesome.

Yeah, they're gonna be there. You're gonna be there.

Yeah.

Um, Garen's gonna be there being the DJ.

Yeah.

Who else is gonna be?

I think—

what event is this?

So this is gonna be at, um, do you know Jen Harmel? Or— yes, yes. So she's gonna be throwing the— it's like gonna be a Christmas event. She hasn't made any of the media for it yet. She's gathering all the artists for it, but there's gonna be a hot cocoa bar. It's gonna be at the patio.

December people party productions.

Yeah.

Okay.

Yes. And then I know Sterling Williams is going to be there. I don't know if you heard of him. He's really good.

I actually saw him on Facebook the other day, and I have been thinking about reaching out to him, actually.

You should. He's really good.

And doing like a little live music video in here because I want to start that. I want to do Howdy. Yeah, come on.

Oh my gosh.

I want to start a Howdy— what was it going to be called? Just like a Howdy live music session.

Almost like a Howdy Tiny Desk.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

That would be so much fun.

And so That's one of the things I've always wanted to do with this space. I just haven't done it.

Hey, and you have all the equipment.

I know.

That's my thing is I don't— and you know what's crazy is like with me and my music, I am so shy. I'm not shy, but I am. So my whole thing is like I need to get used to like the— what is it called? The art of being seen. Because I don't like it. It's like I don't mind if you hear me, but If you see any videos of me singing, I'm probably cutting my face out. You see my hand and my guitar, and everyone's like, Veronica, what are you doing?

And I'm like, I did that forever. So me and my wife, we were musicians. We lead worship at our church. We gigged around for a little bit, just like a little duo. I'd play the acoustic or electric, and she— we both sing. And so we kind of have stopped playing outside of church just because we— she has a full-time job. I'm doing this all day. Um, but throughout all this, I've learned how to like produce music up to an extent. Like, if it's just an acoustic guitar and vocal, like, we run Ableton on our computers and we have all the cameras, we have the microphones, we have a soundboard in here. And so like, I know how to do it and everything is here.

I'm just like Oh my gosh, I'm here for it. Okay, I am here.

I think it would be a vibe. So if you're a musician, let me know, you can be put on the list.

Oh, that would be so much fun. And honestly, there are so many good musicians that come out of here, and it's not— you would think that it's country, but a lot of them are like folk or R&B. Like, even Lundy, like, they've done so well with their, their brand and their Instagram and TikToks. I love that. That's they inspire me because I really do. Like, right now I'm at home with all the kids, so it's like, it's kind of hard, like, to even— it's hard to even draw sometimes. But, um, in singing, like, my 3-year-old, I don't know, she's like, you're too loud, only I can sing. And I'm like, no one wants me— they don't want me to be great at all.

So 4 kids, I can't imagine.

Yeah, 4 girls.

4 girls.

Yeah, yeah. Mm-hmm.

Wow.

I don't need to take a sip for that.

How has that been?

It's been good. It's been really good. I grew up with brothers, and so it's like a— it's very different. I have a 10-year-old, a 5-year-old, a 3-year-old, and then a 5-month-old. Oh, wow. Yeah. So I am pretty busy. It's just nice that 2 of them go to school during the day. So it's like I have this fantasy that I'm just like a mom of 2 during the day, and then I'm a mom of 4 at night, and it is Crazy. They— I just don't understand. They fight over everything, and I'm just like, just girls. I know. And it's like, not— and I have to teach them how to talk through it because you all can't fight. I was used to just fighting my brothers, and so it's like, um, that was mean, I'm sorry, when I know that I would have clocked my brother in the face.

I mean, technically they can clock.

Oh yeah, I don't get mad at it. I mean, I think the other night Emma had pushed Lua, and she said, "Clean up or I'll push you harder." I didn't look. I'm backing up because I've asked you to clean your room for an hour. So if big sis is in charge, I mean, better listen to her. That's funny.

Okay, so you do graphic design, you're a musician.

Yes.

What else? What else do you have going?

I cook.

Okay.

So for a while, I think a lot of people know me as— so I used to run— this is This is so funny that I'm talking about this again. Hold on. So I just, I swear I just do random stuff. There was a time that I was running like an at-home kitchen. So I would make Filipino food and I would do like lumpia. And so that's like a spring roll.

Hey guys, real quick. I wanted to give you guys a reminder of our podcast studio here in downtown Abilene. That's where I'm at right now. Where I filmed this show. And I wanted to let you know that there are slots open for you to film your own show here. So how, how it works is you come in, you sit down, okay? We do all the recording, we do all this fancy stuff, the cameras, the lights, the audio. You sit down, have your conversation, and we do the rest. We'll distribute it for you to all the major platforms like Spotify, Apple, podcasts and YouTube, and it's cool. So we have a couple spots open. Let me know if you want to get in so I can put you on the waitlist for 2025. Thanks.

And then noodles. And at the time, I was just doing it for fun because I was like, ooh, you know what we don't have is like a really good place to eat late at night. So I was thinking, oh, let's stay open till 3 in the morning. And my husband at the time, Kyle, would deliver and I would cook. And he actually suffered from seizures. And so whenever he lost his job just due to seizures, we took that on full time, and I focused on the media, I focused on the menu. I kind of wanted to make it look like we are a restaurant because I didn't want to get in trouble. I knew that there's some stipulations about like serving food from your home, so I was like, well, let me not make this sketchy. So I kind of made it look like We were just a little restaurant and it was just delivery only. And it honestly blew up. We were making almost $1,000 a week just from deliveries. And we would do lunch. We closed for a little bit. I only had one daughter at the time, so it was easy to kind of flex through. And then at night we would be open from like 7 till 3 in the morning.

And this was at your house?

Yeah, we literally lived in a one-bedroom duplex running this. Yeah. I mean, we made it work.

So, okay, so you're also like, you've got entrepreneur A little bit in there.

Yeah, yeah.

Is that the only business that you've ever done?

Um, kinda. I did try to do like clothing for a little bit, and that was short-lived. It was just for fun.

I thought clothing, like thrifting?

No, just making. So I wanted— so I tried doing like on-demand printing, and then I also wanted to dabble in like making an e-commerce site. So it's kind of like I was like challenging myself to see what I could do, but it turned out cool. I mean, I loved it for a little bit. It was just so short-lived. It's just a lot to keep up with, like ecommerce. Yes, as far as like, and especially when you're relying on a third party for stock and stuff, it's like, uh, and I wasn't buying in bulk. It's not like I had the money like that. It was more like I was okay with getting the little bit of $12 for a $35 shirt.

Yeah, you get like a few dollars. Yeah, so that's funny. I tried to start something like that in college before this, um, because I've always been just like thinking of businesses to start. This is the one that actually stuck. So I started this t-shirt company where it was basically, I just made like very dumb humorous shirts. I like, like straight up, it would like one of the shirts and none of this ever sold, but like one of the shirts just said avocado on it. It was a green shirt. Very like, took me 5 minutes. Like I was like, I'm gonna put it up on eBay, see what happens. Nothing sold. I had a few different options and colors, but nothing sold. And anyways, I was using a third party and I was getting like maybe $3 every time it would sell. And it was funny because literally 2 months ago— that was probably like almost 4 years ago at this point— yeah, 2 months ago I get a, a order off of eBay. Like somebody bought the avocado shirt.

I'm celebrating. I'm sorry.

But everything, I closed everything. And so I forgot to take the listings down. And gosh, sorry, we just bought a house and all these contractors are there right now. And they're—

Oh, you're fine. Congratulations.

Thank you.

Perfect.

We're getting our windows cleaned by Pristine Window Cleaning. Shout out Jesse Cochran. If you need your windows cleaned, I'll put the link in the bio. Um, anyways, that was a short-lived business. And then I got my real estate license, tried that for a while. Um, I've had my license for like 4 years now. Put it off to the side in 2024. I'm like, I'm going to go all in on this.

Oh, I love that.

The media thing. And so, yeah, now I just work at the church part-time and do this. What church? So I go to Bethel Assembly of Anson.

Okay.

Um, it's like a 20-minute drive north of Abilene. Um, but yeah, it's like a rural church, uh, growing. It's awesome to be a part of.

But that's great.

Um, yeah, that's where I work. That's where I lead worship. I help with the production stuff, do their social media. And so that's honestly kind of where I learned how to do a lot of this stuff. And so it transitioned very well. Everything that I've done Um, in college I learned how to do the music and audio side. At the church I've learned how to do the camera side. And so I don't know, it's just been cool.

I love that. That's really interesting.

So yeah, um, I'm trying to think. So you're an entrepreneur and you did cooking. Is there any other businesses that you've started?

Um, no, not that I know of. I've had a lot— I've had my hand in a lot of businesses though. Um, I've definitely been the go-to designer for a few businesses here, or like if they need like a little commission work, like I've done a shirt for Yo Martez and Mother Herbs. So they'll reach out to me every now and then if they need something. And then recently I did commission work for Colt, you know, Colt Moss.

Yes.

So I am hands-on with New Cabins. So I'm the one that created the New Cabins logo and brand identity. So I really like working with him because he's easy. He tells me what he wants. If he doesn't like it, he'll tell me he doesn't like that. And I love that. It is so hard to find that.

We've done some video work for him and it's It's the same way.

He's easy to work with. And yeah, and even right now I'm doing a rebrand for his cleaning business that his mom and sister do. And so I just like— I like a client that will tell me what they want and I can do it. A lot of times they leave— like, a lot of my clients, I love them to death, I love y'all, but they leave the creative expression to me and they're like, whatever you think.

And I'm like, those are the best clients.

I don't know what I think, but I'm gonna— if you trust me, I got you.

Yeah, yeah, that's, that's how it is with the video stuff too. It's like, as long as you give me like a North Star of like where we kind of need to— the direction he needs to go, we can do everything.

Give me a vibe, give me the colors and the vibe and, um, what you think, and I'll give them a few to, to look from and we're good.

Exactly. That's what I do with like wedding videos especially. I'm like, I'll send them a few different options. I'm like, what kind of vibe do you want? Do you want like a dark and like cinematic? Do you want to like a bright and joyful? Like, because a lot of times nobody has any idea.

I like that you give options because sometimes you see, um, wedding photographers or videographers and it's like all just all bright, but I love the option of dark and moody. That if I get married one day, that's it, it's gonna be dark and moody and vintage. Yeah.

And so I think it's fun for me too because it kind of gives me a challenge. And some artists and videographers and filmmakers, they get real like it's real personal to them, and it's like, if you don't want to accept the way I do it, then I'm not working for you. I've gone at it more of like, we're the tool to express what they're feeling, and like, we're, we're just the in-between of like, this is what they want, we try to produce it that way to get them the product that they want.

I like that, and I feel like I can resonate that with that well because I used to feel really insecure about my So sometimes when I look at all my art and my logos, I'm like, none of it looks like it's from this one person, but it just truly— I just want to do what they want to do. I don't ever want to be so stubborn that it's like, well, this is how I do it and this is my style. It's more like, that's on you. And I just have a collection of, of styles and range. And I recently like one of the— so I really like seeing my art being in, in physical form. It's really interesting when I do art and then I get to see it manifest in the physical.

It's like surreal, like a print or something.

Yeah, whether it be a print or a storefront. Um, I did a logo a while back for this beauty store, Beauty Plug. It's, it's on the north side, but I never realized that they had a sign that had my logo, and I was like, oh, that is so cool seeing it up there. Yeah, and then even G's Tint Shop And then Don Dolce, and I never really, you know, with the kids I don't really go out and like put myself out there. I mean, I'll go out when I don't have like the kids and like I'll go hang out with my friends, but I don't go out to events that I may have like some of my stuff at. But Don— um, Don— Adam, he let me know that there's like a car show and I designed all the awards for the car show and then the drink like logos and stuff like that. So it was honestly surreal going to that because They're selling drinks with my logos on it. There's like candy with my logos on it. There's people walking around with my designs on it. And then all the rewards. I said, this is like, I feel so shy right now.

It's like, yeah, that was me. I did it. Yeah, that's cool. It's so crazy. Like artists in general and creatives, like that feeling comes up every now and then. And for me, it's like, we'll see like something come up on TV or like an ad pops up or like we had some clips play for the local ads on the Super Bowl.

Nice.

And I was like, I filmed that.

Yeah, that's a good feeling.

And so yeah, it's rewarding.

Yeah, it is because you think you're like, well, I did my job and then whenever you see it continue to flourish or oh my gosh, it makes me so happy. I love seeing businesses do well. Yeah, and especially if I had my hand on it, I'm like, oh yeah, I love you. I feel like a mom. Yeah, all my businesses.

So all your clients now, where do you primarily get all of your leads, all of your business from?

I believe through Instagram and Facebook. So Facebook, you know, they have that Ablene Supports Small Businesses. A lot of people would tag me in something, or even just by word, people just message me like, hey, someone told me about you and I need something done, can you do it? I'm like, yes. And so I'm surprised sometimes I get like 2 or 3 leads every other week. And sometimes people follow through with it, some people don't, you know. Sometimes they think that they want to start a business and they're thinking about stuff, and yeah, I'll go ahead and get stuff ready for them. But 9 times out of 10, 5 times out of 10, like, they don't follow through. But at least I know that people are talking about me and they're putting my stuff out there.

So you— do you feel like more comes from social media or word of mouth?

I believe from word of mouth, honestly.

That's a good place to be.

And social media is good backup too, because when they look me up and then they can see my work and they're like, okay, cool.

It's like a trust.

Yes. And it's very laid back. I'm very— I'm your friend and I'm not— I wish I was more business savvy, honestly. That's why I'm excited, like, to possibly get into more working under someone. Maybe I could learn more structure. But I'm literally like, hey, yeah, what's up? What do you need?

Yeah, well And that's something that I've been trying to figure out still to this day. We've— so in March of 2025, it'll be 3 years. And this year I've had to figure out how to like delegate things and like do more of the business side, like taxes and like paying payroll and all the stuff that nobody talks about when they're like, oh, start a business.

Yeah.

And like, I personally enjoy up to a point And then sometimes it gets like, I don't want to do it anymore. I'm like, I just want to make videos.

I just want to be— I just want to have fun.

Yeah, but like, that's something that people don't talk about. And it's— I've mainly had to learn through trial and error.

Mm-hmm. Yeah.

And so I don't know, what are your plans with the graphic design stuff? Like, in the next 3 years, do you want it to grow beyond you? Do you want to just—

I would love it to grow beyond me.

Do you just want to charge more for the work that you do so you don't have to, like, I really do.

Sometimes I have clients that really, you know, I have some clients that will pay me more than I've asked for and they're like, you're worth this. And it's like, I needed to hear that.

That's awesome.

And I just have to stop being shy about it. And I really do have to take account of my time that I'm putting into it. If I were to break down the hours that I'm hand drawing a design and were to put an hourly rate on it, it would be a lot of money. And so I really need— I think I need to practice seeing my value, my own value, because I put so much focus on everyone else's value.

Yeah.

And I'm very— and even with my kids and you know how that goes. I mean, eventually you burn out and you're like, well, now I have nothing left for myself.

Yeah. So that's something that I've had to learn this year too. And I still struggle with it. I'm like, what should I price this at? What is it worth? How much time did I actually put into it? And so, yeah, I feel that.

Eventually I'd love— so like my dream right now, I'm very passionate about being a mom. But I am taking, um, a step back. I'm going through a separation right now, so it's like, okay, well, I'm gonna focus on my career now because I've been focusing on being a mom, being a good partner and whatnot. And so things have changed, and with love, you know, we're separating. But at the same time, it's like I've gotten this new, like, appreciation for myself and my priorities. It's like I never realized how much I put that on the back burner the moment I have a child. And it's like I'm all in and I love that because I feel like my kids benefit from it. But now with my fourth kid, I'm like, you'll be fine in daycare. You're all right. And I think I'm like, oh, you're an easy baby. They'd love you. So I really have to like, sometimes I have like control issues where I'm like, no, no, no one can take care of my babies but me. But now I'm like, well, now I'm forced to make that decision where it's like, well, time to focus on you and build yourself up. But Ideally, whenever the kids are a little bit older and in school, I'd love to focus on more music. And if we're talking about dreams, big dreams, I would love to make music and also do art for musicians, you know, cover art, album art, music video art, animation and stuff like that. So that's where I see myself in probably like 10 to 15 years if I could. I know that sounds such a long time. Oh gosh, that sounds so long. I'll be like 40. I don't want to do it. Let's say 5 years. Let me manifest that in 5 years. Adventurous.

So yeah, so have you ever ventured into like the— do you— would you prefer retainer type situations like, or freelance one-off jobs?

I like— I think I like the idea of a retainer situation.

Have you ever done any retainer stuff?

No, the only time I feel like I've done retainer, um, jobs is like, I know that with Colt he's going to need some more stuff with New, so that feels like I'm locked in. He trusts me and I'm his go-to person. Adam, I'm his go-to person. Garrett, I'm his go-to person, whether it be for graphics or their social media. And Adam recently asked me if I want to start taking over the Instagram. It's like, yes. So I like the idea of more consistency. I, I enjoy the freelance work, but I don't think it holds a lot of value, and I don't think people see its value either. There's a lot of people that will come up to me like, hey, can you draw this for me and how much would you charge? And then I tell them and they're like, oh, never mind. Yeah, go get AI to do it. Yeah, it's gonna have 10 fingers, just so you know.

That cracks me up because I, I love ChatGPT for certain things. When it comes to art, you do not need to be using ChatGPT. If you're listening to this, don't use ChatGPT.

Do not.

For logos, don't use it for art. Even like captions, like don't, don't use it for that. Hire someone who's actually good if you're serious about it, like Veronica. Because I've seen that, like, and you can tell. I've even seen it on billboards, like in town. It's like, obviously AI did that. And they just did that because they didn't want to take the time or hire somebody to do an actual good one.

Right.

And it drives me nuts. And the resolution And the resolution sucks.

I'm like, that's not in 300 DPI, is it?

Yeah, and then they like try to stretch it out and it looks all blurry.

And oh my gosh, it's— and even like, um, sometimes even with like, for me, I like simple. I think simple is effective. I think that's why I like y'all's logo so much. It's simple, white, black, howdy. Yeah, I love that. And it's— people would notice that. That's a brand. Like, I could literally see that. I already see it like on a, like a shirt, you know? I would so wear a howdy media hoodie.

Let me know, even if it just says howdy.

Oh my gosh, honestly, I'm already imagining like it'd be cool to do like a little cowboy, uh, line drawing.

That'd be cool. Let's do it, let's do it. Um, I'll send you it on Procreate, right?

Yes, of course.

I've tried to use Procreate, but like I said, I'm not a—

do you have an Apple Pen?

Yeah, I use the mess out of my iPad. Yeah, but it's mainly for like the notes side of things and writing things down.

Right.

For meetings, I'll write all that down.

I like it so much better than pen and paper.

Yeah.

I hate it. I'm like, sorry, I love this.

Do you have the paper screen protector on it?

No, I used to on my last iPad and I loved it. My ex, he hated it because he's also an artist too. So he would draw and he's like, I hate this. I hate the sound. I'm like, I love it. I love this.

I have mixed feelings about it.

It kind of like, I don't know, it feels a little sandpaper or something. It does.

I'm sure whenever you're drawing for a while.

Drawing is okay, but whenever I share my iPad with my kids sometimes, it gets disgusting. I really need to stop sharing with them my expensive iPad when all they want to do is like veg out on YouTube.

Yeah, YouTube.

Or Roblox.

Oh my gosh. So do you watch a lot of YouTube or what kind of content do you like to watch?

So The content that I like to watch, I like to watch more like, um, so I like to listen to podcasts, or like, I like to listen to like, um, there's this— it's so funny talking about because it's like I don't watch TV, but I'll listen to this woman called Abraham Hicks.

Okay.

And then Louise Hay or like, um, Wayne Dyer.

Are they podcasters?

No, they're like, they're on YouTube. I think they do. I think Wayne Dyer does have a podcast or speaks on podcasts, but they talk about like vibrational frequency, energy, law of attraction, things like that. And it's real. Sometimes I just— that's what I listen to like while I'm going through my day. And so that's my media, and I like it. I— it shares like really good insight because I believe in God, but then I also believe in the work that takes to like kind of get into that energy. Like I believe like God is source energy And so those people, I'm not sure what their beliefs are, but they really, it aligns with that to where they're like, you know, like if you believe in good things will happen to you, like good things will happen to you. And if you're in this vibrational frequency, that's what you're going to experience. And I so believe that, especially with my kids. I mean, like Lua, my 5-year-old, she'll wake up just mad at the world. I'm like—

Listen to the vibration. Listen, literally, um, listen to 350 Hertz.

Yeah, no, literally, seriously. Or, um, honey, you haven't done your affirmations.

Yeah.

Or I really will be like, look, if you keep on being mad about this, you're gonna be mad about the next thing. Can you tell me 5 things going right for you right now? Your shoes fit good, your pants don't touch your ankles. I mean, she is a big freak about everything just like touching her. So yeah, we have to kind of divert her energy towards like, aren't you so excited to see your friends? Aren't you so excited to see your teacher? And so I think whenever you conjure up those good thoughts, it really— it's like revs you up for that energy where you're like, I'm good, I can find 10 more things, 15 more things to be grateful about.

Yeah, whenever you show that gratitude, like whenever you turn on that part of your brain, you physically can't like think about negative things.

No, seriously.

And so absolutely.

And it's almost like, so those people that I watch on YouTube, they talk about like tuning your frequency. And so it's like, what is your frequency on? Like, is it on a negative frequency? Sometimes like, and I get that, sometimes I don't even think about that. I'll be having a bad day, I'm like, I'm mad about this, mad about that. And then for some reason I spilled my coffee or I tripped or something's not going right. I was like, I'm not It's because I'm like not there. I'm focusing so much on the bad things, so that's all I'm seeing.

So what do you do in that situation? Do you like play a frequency, like physically?

No. So, whoo, I wish I was like that. Um, but no, literally I'll take a step back and I'll be like, I'm good. Even if it's to pray to God real quick, like, oh, please protect my energy right now, or please remind me how good I have it. And sometimes I'll just think Thank you for waking me up today. Yeah, I've dealt with a lot of loss, so sometimes it's just, I woke up today and my kids woke up today and everyone's here and we're happy, we're fed, and we're good, and we'll figure it out.

Praise the Lord.

Exactly.

That's awesome. Okay, so being in the Howdy Media Insiders group, yeah, um, what kind of stuff? So my goal ultimately is to share like stories first of all, and that's going to be on YouTube and my page there, but also just to be like a resource to teach people how to utilize like video and content to grow their brand and grow their business, because that's how I've literally launched everything here, and we've seen it happen multiple times. So what kind of stuff would you want to see on that page, if anything?

Yeah, I'd love to see— you know what I'd like to see? I'd like to see the, you know, the local businesses you talk about having on your show, but also like who they are as like a person. And like, I like the emotional attachment and getting to know them on like a more emotional side and who they are. I feel like that will make me more even attached to like working with someone, especially because we live in such a small town. It is so— it's a benefit that if we know each other and we, we respect each other and appreciate each other's stories, like you have no other choice but to support them in their business. And so I love that.

Like, and that's why I'm a big fan about podcasting.

Yes.

It's because you can sit down. We've been sitting down for 44 minutes at this point. And that's 44 minutes that they're hanging out with you and me.

Yeah.

And so they get to know who you are. They get to trust you more.

Yeah.

Like I didn't know what you did really before this interview or podcast. And now I know. Everything I need to know to trust you. And so that's why I'm such a big fan of podcasts. Have you ever thought about starting a podcast?

Oh my gosh, yes, I have. And it— and the podcast that I think about, uh, starting are more like on, uh, I wouldn't do video, I would more do like audio. You know me, I'm trying to hide my face. But I'd love to talk about like, uh, energy, trauma, going through trauma and, and finding your way through it and like alchemizing pain. And really just showing up as your authentic self. I'm very passionate about that. I don't have, you know, with me being a mom, I don't really have time to like have a lot of like friend groups or things like that. So whenever I've thought about a podcast, it's like, "Aw, think of it as a friend." Because whenever I was postpartum with Danny, that's my 3-year-old, I was really lonely. And so whenever I started listening to podcasts, it almost felt like I had like a friend in my ear. I'm like, yeah, I'm like listening. I'm like, yes, girl.

So would it be just by yourself?

Yeah, yeah, I think it would. Gosh, if me and my friends went on it, I just feel like, I feel like we'd be absolutely unhinged. So we're not going to do that. I'm actually watching a show right now where she's like a podcast person and she's dating a rabbi and it's, it's such a—

I've watched that show.

Do you like it? I love it.

What is it called?

Is it Nobody Wants This? Yeah, yeah, I love it.

It's a very— it's entertaining.

Yes, I love it. I didn't want to say what the podcast was, but I was like, I like it because especially because he's a rabbi. I was like, that is just so funny. It's like, it's so ironic.

So she's the one who has a podcast, right? Okay. Yes, that's hilarious.

That's what I think. So her and her sister doing that podcast, that's— I'm like, yeah, that— if me and my friends did podcasts, no thank you. Nobody—

yeah, I do some stuff by myself sometimes, but it's It's always so much harder to like keep the thing going because it's just myself and I can just sit here and talk. Like we go live every Friday on the Insiders group and for like 30 to 45 minutes.

Okay.

And usually it's just me. And so I've gotten better at just like talking because I am an introvert at heart. And the first few times I tried to get in front of a camera was like, awful.

I feel that.

It probably took me like 5 or 6 hours to get like a 5-minute clip because I'd mess up, I would forget what I was saying, I would get like nervous because the camera is looking at me. And that's what happens to everybody whenever they first get in front of a camera and they don't understand that. They're like, why am I not good at this? Listen, you filmed like 2 videos your whole life. Yeah, keep practicing, keep doing it. It's gonna suck. Whenever, like, people aren't seeing your stuff at the beginning, that's the best time to practice. And that way, whenever they do find out about you, say you grow your following, people start to see your stuff, that way you've put in the reps and the time to be good at what you're doing.

Yes.

And so just get started.

In other words, fake it till you make it.

Fake it till you make it.

Act like you already have millions followers. That's what I have to think about.

Pretend that you're talking to, like, 500,000 people. Yeah, and all your content will be good.

Yes. And even me, like, with my graphic design, I recently did like a digital portfolio, and I'm like, why have I not done this before?

So do you sell like digital art?

No. You know, I was for a while whenever it was just me and like the older kids. Now that I have like a little baby, I just kind of put it on the back burner, but Eventually I'd like to get back into that, whether it be like, um, character art, like whether they want to have like a picture of them and their significant other digitized, or their dog.

Well, like I'm talking about like pre-done art that you've come up with.

Oh, like, yeah, okay, I would love to do that, like on Etsy or like Amazon. Yes, I want to do that so bad, but it's like, um, figuring out the optics of it and like, you know I'm like all art, so I'm like, I need to have that left and right brain like come together one day. One day, one day they'll be friends.

Yeah, that's funny. That's how I am. They're always fighting each other in my head. No, seriously, it's like I'll get on a business rant and then I'll get on a creative rant where I cannot think about business.

Why can't I?

I wish I could do it like hand in hand, but it's, it's a balance. That's what I've had to do with the video stuff. It's like especially like wedding videos, for example. Like, the amount of time and creative energy that that takes, it wears me out sometimes. And it'll take me 2 weeks to edit a 12-minute video because there's all these parts, and you're like, you're developing a story and putting it together in your head and making sure everything flows and transitions good. And then by the end of that, I'm like, I don't want to think about anything. Like, I just want to sit and stare at nothing.

Yeah, the burnout is real.

And so then it'll take a couple days of like not being creative. I'll start getting in a business mode, come up with all these ideas. A week later I'm like, okay, now I have to execute these ideas. So I'll get into creative mode. It's just like a loop.

Yes.

And so I don't know, figuring out systems and building teams and that sort of thing can be helpful. It's just like a learning curve.

Yes.

So I don't know. I don't know if that'll ever— if you'll ever wanting— if you're ever wanting to bring anybody on like your team or anything, that's I guess where that'll apply.

But yes, I mean, I would love that, you know, eventually I would love something like that because I feel like I am very collaborative spirit. I'm very much— I don't like being— I haven't had to be so independent for most of my life or like not most of my life, but you know, being a wife and then being a mother and things like that. It just feels like I've always had that collaborative teamwork spirit. So for me with my business, that, that is something I'm passionate about to where if somebody wanted to work with me or somebody wanted to hire me, I'm like, yes, yes, boss. Yes, please tell me what to do because I just want to, I just want to execute. That's my thing is like, I'll just execute it. I don't want to think and I don't want to plan and that's my problem, unfortunately, but I'm getting better.

That's awesome. So I think we'll go ahead and wrap up here. Thanks for coming on.

Yeah, of course. Thank you for having me.

Thanks for being a part of the Insiders Group. Yeah.

We're slowly growing.

If you haven't joined, make sure to join. I'll put the link down below. Um, where can they find you if they want to go follow you, see what you do, see your work? Where can they find you?

Sure, my Instagram is @veronicaraycortez, and it's C-O-R-T-E-S, and that's where I post most of my art, my music. I do have a TikTok under the same, um, ID, so I usually post my music, or I'll post like a TikTok with me and my kids, so— okay, or a good selfie every now and then. We love that.

Yeah, yeah, go follow her on the socials. We'll link all that in the description as well. Thanks for coming on, Veronica.

Yes, thank you for having me.