EP. 015 - VERONIKA

Playwright. Wild Child. Ignorer of status quo.

VERONIKA SHULMAN

'ANCESTRAL ROOTS BOHEMIAN WINGS'

Age: 30

Location: Los Angeles, California

IG: @veronikadoeslife

Veronika is a writer, editor, and activist based in Highland Park, California.

I grew up in Beverly Hills, but we were like gypsies; sometimes we had a lot of money, and sometimes almost none. My dad, like me, is queer, and I bent over backwards trying to be extra smart and chic so that everyone would love us.What a waste of time.

I soon realized that inner peace would be my secret weapon, rather than the world’s praise.I learned to rely on myself, not others, for stability and bliss and magic.I hung out in friends’ houses that were gigantic and statuesque, but some of them had dark energy.I learned so young that money does not buy happiness. That was a true gift.

I learned to tune into energies, stories, and ephemeral moments, instead of locking into material goals. So now, I look out for the underdog because I see what’s adorable in the seemingly overlooked, meaningless, or lonely. Those are my kindred spirits, and I promise to always keep their safety and joy in the center of my mind and heart.

Seer.

I live to tell stories of marginalized youth that change how they are perceived in media and culture. I live to bring people from the fringes right to the center, as our artists, our cultural leaders, our shamans. What the ancient poet Hafiz would call “the beautiful rowdy prisoners.” That is my family. My literal and global family. Movers. Shakers. Rulebreakers. I do this through activism and through storytelling. Plays, stories, films.

I come from a background of peasants who narrowly escaped the Holocaust, and I feel it is at the core of me to be a radical bohemian that lives simultaneously for beauty or art...and the revolution. It’s just the feeling of helping people get liberated, and letting the world know we’re all equal. That is life to me. In moments of justice, I feel peace.

To learn more about Veronika’s art and activism or read a bit of her writing, head to rvffian.com.

Dreamer.