Today we’d like to introduce you to Yvonne Romera.
Hi Yvonne, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Where I am at today was set in motion after I lost my job at the end of 2023. It dawned on me that I was thrown into a very competitive job market where the rules of job searching had changed in the last five years. It was a despairing time for me, the struggle and uncertainty dimmed my spirit and while deep down I knew that things were going to get better, I just didn’t know how long I would have had to struggle.
My career coach Angela encouraged me to go out and network, meet people who might know people. It felt like I had to rely on fate and destiny to meet the right person who could lead me to employment, much less a job I would actually like. So I decided that if I were to go out and meet people, I had to be doing something that makes me happy to attract what I want. After my 35th birthday, I decided to build a business. And of course the big question, what business should I put up? Months prior, there was a typewriter poet based in London whose profile got fed into my Instagram algorithm. Seeing the magic she weaves by writing poetry for strangers on the street just lit me up! With nothing to lose, no interviews lined up, I quickly put together a table booth and signed up for my first market. I remember feeling so nervous setting up my table and comparing myself with the other vendors. But with the support of my family and friends, I quickly relaxed and saw the beginnings of my own magic I was weaving.
Basically, I started a business to look for my dream job. Four months into writing poetry for people, opening my heart to listen to all their stories, and expressing the deepest part of their soul, I realized this was my dream job! The market pop up scene is such a welcoming environment and I enjoy making new friends at every market I participate in. This is my first journey into entrepreneurship, the highs and lows taught me so many lessons and renewed the resilience and grit I had in me.
Today, I have a rich network of small business owners, event coordinators and planners, and other fellow creatives. Most importantly, I have found myself a life purpose that feels like this is what I’m meant to do in this lifetime. Walking into venues with no expectations of whether I was going to do well or not showed me what I was capable of and that I will show up for myself every single time. It is surreal how my poetry has led me to the most supportive and loving people and into rooms I would have never been in otherwise.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The road to your life dream will always be pebbled with imposter syndrome, uncertainty, and financial scares; all 100% normal things in anybody’s journey. What I do is unique and cool, but I’ve had market pop ups where I did not sell a single poem or only sold one for the whole day. It is a frustrating feeling to be the only vendor in a market with no customer, but it built the pattern for me to ultimately figure out which kind of venues I won’t thrive in.
And sometimes, a terrible event can turn out to be a blessing in disguise. I didn’t sell anything at one market, so I ended up checking out the other vendors. I met this woman who sold one-of-a-kind eyewear she made that I fell in love with and we ended up being close friends up to this day. Not only that, she linked me to a 3-day event at an art gallery the next week where I did amazing work at!
So my advice for those who are feeling the struggle is to let the feelings flow through your body then let it go. Cry it out, vent to someone, and also never make an important decision based on that fear. If you truly believe in your dream, just breathe, hold on tight, and you will get through the bumpy roads. We always do.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a professional weaver of words where I take pieces of people’s souls and feelings and turn that energy into something tangible. I use the art of typewriter poetry to achieve this.
It’s simple, in retrospect. People give me any topic they want and I can write a poem on the spot using a vintage typewriter. I love being able to open up my energy to hold people’s space to listen to their story and be rewarded with their honesty and a touch of vulnerability. My writing talent, partnered with my intuition that listens to messages and inspiration from spirit, channels everything to my hands as it flies over the typewriter keys, similar to how a pianist moves over their piano. It is a constant practice of not overthinking and trusting the words that come to you, even if they don’t make sense. Then I read the poem to them, establishing that emotional connection with a small and intimate performance.
It prides me to be the person who has the words for people who don’t have the words to help truly express how they really feel. On occasions, they don’t have to say anything to me. I’m also capable of doing cold intuitive readings where I get to channel a message from the Universe for them and write the wisdom in poetry form. It still amazes me to have this gift I developed just from writing words for people.
I believe in this day and age of technology, with the normalcy of screen-to-screen interactions, typewriter poets provide that authentic human connection that society is so thirsty for. We have that listening skill while forming the poem in our head happening at the same time. And because a poem is at stake, a natural honesty and authenticity surfaces. So when two people are capable of showing their hearts to each other, magic always happens.
What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
The most important lesson I’ve learned in this journey so far was how simple yet powerful the choice of belief is.
It’s a no-brainer, yet the biggest distinction of whether or not you will be successful. Do you believe that you can do it? Then yes you can do it. Do you believe that you don’t have what it takes to make it? Then yes you don’t have what it takes. It’s honestly just that easy, it’s scary. Choosing what you want to believe in, despite what is happening in real life, is what’s going to get you through the hard days when you feel uncertain. My creative journey ultimately began with me choosing to get my optimism back again on a day I hit rock bottom from the job search. I chose to believe when I bought my first typewriter that it was going to get me out of my unemployment struggle, find me my dream job, and that it will attract so much wealth to me. I chose to imagine that my poems and my words hold healing and protection power for the recipient, which resulted in me becoming more intuitive and psychic.
You believe with all your heart, then you become. And trust the road you will be put on will lead to the best version of yourself.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/poetryvonchelle
Image Credits
Scott Pitts
Jaycee Alcala
Hannah Edmondson
