Meet Sibeli Velázquez

We recently connected with Sibeli Velázquez and have shared our conversation below.

Sibeli, first a big thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and insights with us today. I’m sure many of our readers will benefit from your wisdom, and one of the areas where we think your insight might be most helpful is related to imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is holding so many people back from reaching their true and highest potential and so we’d love to hear about your journey and how you overcame imposter syndrome.

I’ve certainly experienced imposter syndrome during my professional and educational years. A huge fact that you should know is that mostly WOMEN feel it, according to studies. The first thing to have in mind in order to overcome it, is to acknowledge and understand this feeling exists and it is VERY REAL. Secondly, in our daily lives we need to recognize the triggers. Once we put friendly reminders in our brain of all our small and big victories, our achieved milestones, looking back to see how far your path has gone, the imposter syndrome will not have power over you anymore.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

Hello happy people! My name is Sibeli, I’m a Creative and Art director based in San Diego. My work as a Photographer and Graphic Designer has led me to have more than 300 five-starred projects in more than 35 countries around the world. I’m currently 30 years old and even though I’m very grateful for all my clients and past experiences, I’m eager to explore new cultures, reach milestones and achieve new goals. I’m extremely passionate about fashion, aesthetics, architecture and minimalism – all this input merged together is what sets my work apart. Thank you to all my colleagues and friends for helping me grow and connect these past months in a new country. I’m very excited for what is yet to come this year: Los Angeles Fashion Week in front row – and experiencing the streets of Greater London after London Fashion Week is what excites me the most!

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?

#1- Social/Communicating Skills. – I’ve developed this skill since elementary school and I’m amazed by all the doors that have opened for me just because I knew how to communicate and sell my projects and ideas successfully. If you’re not a natural, I highly recommend you to take courses to improve this! English is my second language and it’s something I need to focus on refining (I wish I was as eloquent in english as I am in spanish, haha!)
#2- Teamwork – Your colleagues and friends are the ones that will get you far in life. They are the people that will connect you to your biggest and wildest dreams. Keep meeting and working with people like you! You’ll never know who will recommend you to your dream client.
#3- Adaptability. – Your ability to solve problems quickly and efficiently is what makes you a 1) great creative, and 2) great professional. Focus on what you have and how to use it in your advantage.

What was the most impactful thing your parents did for you?

A whole paragraph won’t be enough, but I’d love to focus on the *single* thing that changed the path of my life forever. I was raised in a mexican hardworking family of 4. I’m the oldest sibling and I have a younger sister who I love. Both of my parents studied and worked all their lives. We didn’t have much but they focused on one thing and one thing only: top-tier education. My mom managed to get me and my sister scholarships in the best schools and colleges in my hometown. My academic performance was always exceptional so that I could keep my parents proud. When you’re young you don’t even realize how hard it is to get into fancy schools even less how to pay for them. As I grew older, I became more and more conscious and grateful for all of my parents’ efforts. To this day, I always remind my mom how amazing she is and how grateful I am for having a solid and nurturing educational foundation since we were babies, and my dad for making it happen.

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