Once again, January arrives bringing an anniversary. This blog was started on January 10, 2012 as a jumpstart to selling my books, short stories, words, art, and photographs. I've marked the anniversary every year here, mentioning that I genuinely never thought it would last long. However, I'm no longer surprised that it has. That's due to the self-confidence I've gained in what I have completed during this time. Five books, four of them published, over two-dozen short stories shared, two plays, essays, poems, art, photographs, and a great deal of words from the heart. A blog and three other websites, registrations with the US Copyright Office.
What I've never celebrated is the fact I opened my Fine Art America account the same year. Twelve years and hundreds of images and photographs later for sale on that site...and here we are. Thousands and thousands, and more thousands of photographs taken but never used. I don't really feel intimidated using my cameras anymore and will take on most projects, except weddings. Again, experience brings self-confidence; it also allows me to turn down things I don't wish to do and admittedly can't do (weddings).
Not too long ago, someone asked me what I did with my days. With it came a snide remark that I won't mention here, but it implied something that upset me. Because "what I do with my days" is reflected in the first two paragraphs above. And that's just the so-called icing on the cake of my life. While I would love to be able to snap my fingers and have magic happen, the simple truth is I've worked hard, and quietly done so for a very long time. I've really worked my entire life.
For this blog post, I decided to share my bio which is on my official website. A little unknown fact about my life is that in my twenties I started and owned a Communications, Public Relations and Advertising company. I also auditioned for small roles and bit parts on so many television shows and for movies during the 1980s that it's hard to recall them all. It's an "oh, yeah, forgot about that one" moment when I do.
So below is the screenshot summary of my existence. Read between the lines. There is a lot more that isn't reflected. Thanks to all who continue supporting this little blog by reading what I have to say. As always, it's appreciated.
Veronica Randolph Batterson is an author, photographer, artist, and playwright. She has published four books, over two dozen short stories, and has worked as a freelance writer, proofreader, ghostwriter, and editor. Her photography is in private collections throughout the United States, and also in the United Kingdom. Frequently, she combines writing and photography for publications, has written two plays, and is editing her fifth book. After a long hiatus from painting, she is working with acrylics again.
Her earliest memory of drawing is as a six-year-old sketching cartoon characters for classmates; a few years later, she won her first art competition. At age eighteen, she received her first single lens reflex film camera: a Pentax 35mm. Additionally, she obtained her own developing tank for black and white film at that time, and learned how to make prints in a darkroom. Her early career in front of the camera as a model later prepared her for what worked as she found herself behind the camera; however, most of her work today is comprised of landscapes, wildlife, and natural settings while using a DSLR camera.
She studied art at the University of Tennessee, and later graduated with a degree in Communications from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Her work experience has been in the fields of broadcast journalism, technical writing, creative writing, copywriting, and she has been a multiple business owner. While living in Michigan, she taught journalism classes for elementary-aged school children, and started the school's first student-written newspaper.
Veronica is currently working on her next novel. While her two latest books, Williamsburg Hill and Daniel's Esperanza, can be found at Novel Bookstore in Memphis, and at select bookstores around the country, all four books are available via Amazon. A quote from Daniel's Esperanza has become the unofficial slogan for the state of New Mexico, having been used by numerous sources in publications, memes, books and on inspirational websites. Her photographs and other merchandise are for sale at www.veronica-batterson.pixels.com through Fine Art America; she maintains a website at www.veronicabatterson.com; and a separate blog via www.veronicarbatterson.blogspot.com. She can be found on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Goodreads.
A 30+ year volunteer in the communities in which she has lived, she created the Mid-South Arts Against Hunger annual food drive campaign benefitting the Mid-South Food Bank in Memphis, served as chair of the Art of Giving fundraising event which benefits Baptist Hospital's Camp Good Grief, and has served on the planning committee for the American Cancer Society's Imagine Ball. A former member of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA), as well as the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), she has been featured in such magazines as Seventeen, appeared in the movie, A Winner Never Quits and enjoyed an early career as not only a model, but also as an actress and spokesperson. In May of 2019, her photography was exhibited at WKNO's Gallery Ten Ninety-One in Memphis. In June of 2019, her work was featured for sale at Palladio Interiors, also in Memphis. She has made donations of her art to organizations such as the League of Chicago Theatres, Auditorium Theatre in Chicago, American Cancer Society, Baptist Memorial Hospital, Association for Individual Development, and the Orpheum Theatre in Memphis.
After living in various cities, including Detroit, Chicago, and Denver, Veronica currently resides in Memphis with her husband.
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