Vero Aviña: Photo Stylist

For many of us growing up the best toy you can have is a cardboard box. With it’s unlimited possibilities and a little imagination it can become a spaceship that takes you to Mars, a treehouse overlooking the expanses of the Amazon, or a submarine searching for buried treasure in the Atlantic. For a young Vero Aviña it was a pathway to her professional career. 

Vero and her sister Ruby had to get creative when it came to playtime as kids, particularly during those long summer breaks. Raised by their single mother in the Brighton Park neighborhood in Chicago, they weren’t a family that went on vacations. Instead, while the commercials for Wisconsin Dells played in the background, the two would fashion dream houses for their Barbies repurposing the boxes their mother would use to bring groceries home. 

“We’d cut some of it out and put paper in there like it was wallpaper, well I did anyways. I went extra with these boxes,” said Vero laughing. “I’d put magazine clippings in there, fake little curtains, napkins, and I would make a bed. My sister would always complain, ‘You take forever making these houses and we don’t even play. By the time you finish, mom is home and we have to clean.’”

As an adult, Vero moved from designing cardboard dollhouses to visual merchandising and working in retail for luxury brands. She was longing for a change though and wanted a career she could feel passionate about. Remembering the time and care Vero put into their Barbie’s homes when they were younger, Ruby had a suggestion: Why not find a job where you are constantly decorating or designing spaces? 

First Vero thought about working in event planning or designing weddings, but as she put it, “doing all of that sounds like a nightmare to me.” A little bit more research and she found out about set design. There were college programs for it, but that would require a pricey degree and accumulating a lot of debt. Applying for photo studio positions on Indeed wasn’t going anywhere though and she was at a loss of what to do next. While hanging out with some mutual friends, she was telling an acquaintance about her career aspirations when the woman replied, “You know what I do, right? I’m a photo producer. Send me over your resume.” 

A week later and Vero had an interview at a catalog studio she had already applied to three times in the last five months with no response.  “I feel like this goes for so many careers. It’s really who you know and who you’re willing to have a conversation with,” said Vero. As she prepared for her interview she admitted, “I have no experience in this besides maybe a few small things I’ve done in the past. But I’m going to let these people know how hungry I am and that I want to do this.” Her drive and willingness to learn shined through and led to a job offer as a freelance photo stylist assistant with the studio. 

When Vero arrived for her first day on set she looked around and noticed something odd. “Oh, everyone’s white. I’m like the only person of color,” she thought. Still, it was her first day on the job and she shook it off, thinking maybe it was just this one team. Her second project with the studio was again with an all white crew. The third? All white. This started to weigh on her. 

Vero wondered what a future in the industry would look like and if she would ever be able to advance past being an assistant. At that point she had worked almost exclusively with the catalog studio with little experience working on other creative teams. She found a few colleagues she could relate to which helped, but there was one definitive moment when things started to mentally shift for her. 

“I remember seeing the first Latino lead stylist there and briefly assisting him,” recalled Vero. “I pulled him to the side and said, ‘Hey seeing you here means a lot to me. I know you’re not trying to set an example or anything, but you’re the first Latino I’ve seen in a head creative position here.’”

The stylist was surprised, but let Vero know that it wasn’t like that everywhere, especially on the coasts. It gave her the boost of confidence she needed to start looking for freelance work outside of the studio. In early 2020, she landed her first big gig working as a lead stylist for a project with Interior Define. 

“It was a huge job, almost a week long shoot, a week of prep, and maybe 12 to 13 shots. Long days. It was so hard. It was sooo hard,” Vero stressed. “But you know, everything came out well photo wise. Was I mentally and physically tired afterwards? 100%. But it came out good, the clients liked it, they posted it on their instagram, and it’s still up on their website. I’m really proud of that job. Oooh, it gave me a workout, but it looks great.”

The project for Interior Define was a big win for Vero who in 2020 was only three years into her career. Looking at the images now she can see where she might have made mistakes, but reminds herself not to dwell on it and continue pushing forward. “I forgot to put water in that vase, but I’m not saving lifes. It’s ok. People are still going to buy that coffee table,” said Vero. 

The life Vero is creating for herself now is not far off from those summers she spent crafting doll houses out of cardboard boxes with her sister years ago. The pieces have just gotten a little bit bigger, the materials more expensive. She has a team of collaborators now who appreciate her vision and attention to detail. Best of all? She can finally go on that vacation. 

A small portfolio of Vero Aviña’s styling work. See more on her website https://designveee.net/work