Meet Vanessa Coy

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Vanessa Coy. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Vanessa, appreciate you sitting with us today to share your wisdom with our readers. So, let’s start with resilience – where do you get your resilience from?

I get my resilience from my family. Both sides have always been my example to look up to. Their stories are all about hard work, starting from scratch, and making things happen by following their instincts, knocking on doors, and exploring every possible option. My mom is an Indigenous woman who’s overcome so many challenges since the day she was born. My dad and my grandma are some of the hardest-working people I know, and they’ve always believed that if you put in the effort, you can make anything happen. Seeing their determination has taught me to keep going, no matter what.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I’m an Indigenous Venezuelan visual artist focusing on photography and creative direction. I’m also one of the founders of ‘Witches of Miami,’ a collective for brujas and queers.

My work revolves around creating impactful visuals—whether it’s through creative photoshoots, directing the art for music videos and short films, collaborating with marketing companies, or most importantly, helping bring your vision to life. My goal is to make sure that whatever you want to showcase through a visual medium communicates your message loud and clear.

What excites me the most is when someone comes to me with a ‘crazy idea.’ Those are my absolute favorite projects, and I’ve been lucky to get more and more of them lately. That’s the space I want to play in—the kind of playground where we at least try to make what seems impossible happen. Without risk, there’s no chance of creating something truly powerful. And honestly, that’s the ultimate goal: to keep working on the wild, out-of-the-box ideas that push boundaries and make an impact.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

I think the three qualities that have been most impactful in my journey are resilience, curiosity, and empathy. Out of those, staying curious has been the most useful by far. Even though I was always drawn to the art world from a young age, I explored so many different paths before figuring out what I really wanted to do. I studied all kinds of careers along the way, and there were times when I thought—or was made to feel—that I was wasting my time. But honestly, everything I learned during those years has been valuable and comes in handy for whatever project I’m working on now.

My advice? Stay curious above everything else. Be open to finding new ways of doing things, and don’t be afraid to explore areas that might seem unrelated to your end goal. You never know what you’ll pick up that could make a difference. And most importantly, try to have fun with it—curiosity is so much more powerful when you’re enjoying the process.

Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?

Honestly, my friends and community have been the most helpful. I’m not sure I’d be fulfilling my dreams without their support. These are the people who believed in me before I even had anyone to show my work to, and they’re still the foundation of everything I do. I’m constantly inspired and held by them, not just in my career but on a personal level too.

It’s so important to have people you can count on, who not only support you but also challenge you to grow and tell you the things you can do better. Success is something you define for yourself, and for me, having them in my life is a huge part of the success that little Vanessa always dreamed of.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.vanessacoy.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vanessacoy/

Image Credits

Cj on the go for my personal picture, the rest of them i took.