We were lucky to catch up with Laura Cepeda recently and have shared our conversation below.
Laura, sincerely appreciate your selflessness in agreeing to discuss your mental health journey and how you overcame and persisted despite the challenges. Please share with our readers how you overcame. For readers, please note this is not medical advice, we are not doctors, you should always consult professionals for advice and that this is merely one person sharing their story and experience.
As many people can relate, my mental health declined during the lockdown. The sudden isolation and uncertainty of the future made me develop into a depressive state in which I had panic attacks weekly and a lack of motivation. I started writing more often to process all these feelings and the new reality I was feeling. At first, I just journaled in my notebook, talking about my day and how I felt, but then I noticed that I needed more to express myself. I started writing short stories and poetry, and I noticed how many of them had similar elements that connected them even though they weren’t sequential. That’s how I created my first graphic novel, Essence, in which I explore more deeply my healing process of depression.
The mental health healing process is non-linear and entirely different for everyone. After thinking I had overcome depression and anxiety, the symptoms come back whenever something triggers me. And the truth is, they might never go away, but I’ve learned how to manage and live with them. After all, I know it’s my body and brain trying to protect me from unknown “danger.”
To cope with some of the recurring symptoms, I learned that to overcome mental health challenges, you have to create. In my case, I made art, but creation doesn’t have to be physical. One of my therapists gave me advice: In order to avoid being stuck in a depressive state, you have to create something to look forward to every day. New habits, developing meaningful connections, creating a space to make you feel comfortable, being able to cook nourishing meals, and, in my case, creating art that expresses how I feel on a deeper level. These are all ways in which not only do I maintain my physical health, but they also help me to create a life I look forward to every day.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
Hi! I’m Laura, a Dominican book illustrator. To me, it is really important to connect with people, and the best way to do it is through art, by sharing different perspectives and emotional experiences. That’s why my work talks about stories of people and their own internal journeys and I represent them from a symbolic and humanistic perspective. My artistic goal is to create meaningful stories that can impact the lives of people and make them reflect on themselves and the world.
In 2023, I debuted as a writer and illustrator with my graphic novel “Essence”, a story about overcoming mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety, from a symbolic and poetic perspective. This project led me to work as a freelancer with some Dominican writers, sharing personal stories about women, immigration, gay rights, and grief.
I’m currently continuing my studies at the School of Visual Arts in New York. From this experience, I want to obtain the knowledge and practice necessary for entering the publishing industry professionally. Books and comics have been my passion since I was a kid, and now I want to create meaningful books for the upcoming generation and help them grow.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
In order to pursue your goals, might be career, personal or financial goals, it’s necessary to make tiny steps daily. That requires a lot of discipline, patience, and, most importantly, trust. Looking back, this last year I had to develop those skills in order to get where I am now. There were moments of uncertainty and anxiety, in which I didn’t see any immediate progress, but if you take the right steps slowly and steadily, everything will unfold super fast at the right moment. These are qualities that, to this day, I still develop daily because the self-growth journey is non-linear, but every time I feel overwhelmed about the future and my goals, I always look back to these qualities and find peace in them.
Thanks so much for sharing all these insights with us today. Before we go, is there a book that’s played in important role in your development?
When I was in a moment of uncertainty and doubts about my career, I started reading The Artist’s Way, by Julia Cameron. I would recommend this book not only to people who want to build a career in the arts but to anyone who wants to explore their creativity and find their inner voice. I was in a depressive episode and doubting so many things about my life and this book gave me hope and strength to pursue and continue my studies abroad and expand my creativity. It gave me the opportunity to discover what I really wanted and how to express it.
The most important thing I learned in this book is that artists, but I would say all humans, don’t thrive in a scarcity mindset. If we focus so much on what we “have” to do, we could miss all the things that make life interesting. That’s why, in order to have a creative life, we have to allow ourselves to do those things we want to do but don’t make time for it because we have more important things to do. We have time to go on walks by ourselves, go to the library and read a new book or comic, go swimming, or even take a writing class. Everything that seems “selfish” or “unuseful” is fuel for the soul and helps us to find ourselves by enjoying life and growing in the process.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://lauramariecepeda.wixsite.com/laura-cepeda-illustr
- Instagram: @lauraindraw
