Vanessa, Mexico

I am very happy because I can continue on my design pathway and start to do the things I most love to do; that is design jewellery.

My name is Vanessa, I come from Mexico.

Designing jewellery is something I am passionate about. I have made jewellery with natural stones since I was 14 years old. I built up a business with my mum who taught me to design, and we worked together in Santa Tere market in Guadalajara, Mexico for around 10 years. We had a stall in Jewell shopping center, but the environment of the country changed with a Flu H1N1. This paralysed the normal behaviour of people in the shopping centres for 4 months as no one wanted to leave the house, so after that I decided to close the store. This broke my heart. I was so disappointed that I decided to change my career and become a sales representative in the pharmaceutical industry.

I was working in areas relating to the nervous system, dermatology and ophthalmology for around 5 years. Now in Australia I am very happy because I can continue on my design pathway and start to do the things I most love to do; that is design jewellery.

I arrived in Australia one year ago with my husband. We met in Mexico and decided to start our family in Australia. It was a strong and emotional change for me, and it made me feel powerless and overwhelmed. It was difficult starting a new career.

My friend Pamela recommended I come to SisterWorks in August 2016. Since then I have been aiming to volunteer in the SisterWorks store once a week. I would like to become more involved in the design labs. I use the public transport in system to get around, I think it is fast and comfortable.

I have a range of jewellery in the SisterWorks store, including necklaces and earrings. I use natural stones, which I sourced on a recent trip to Mexico. In the future I would really like to import materials into Australia. I have been selling many products in the store, and in the future I would like to continue to expand my business.

I recently went home to Mexico for three months. It was pretty interesting to go back, I find it feels like nothing has changed. It is easier for me now because I know I can come and go whenever I want to. When you migrate to a new country, it can feel like you are leaving forever, that it is too far and you won’t be able to come back. But now I realise that was like drowning in a glass of water, and I can let go of the beliefs that I held on to that it was too difficult to return to Mexico.