Creative Up-And-Comers: Virginia Borrego
By nature, creatives value independence. They want to stand out and take the effort to do so. Virginia Borrego is one of those individuals. Fusing her responsibilities with an inkling of rebellion, she performs each task at hand without giving up too much of herself. She admits, without hesitation, that pride is her crux, but she’s earnest and kind at heart.
Those traits are what caught my eye when I first met Virginia. We were both collaborators for a film project in 2015. I was working with a longtime friend who was submitting a piece to Austin’s 48-hour film contest, doing my best to juggle the responsibilities of a co-writer, script consultant, and sound tech—we were on an extremely low budget—while Virginia was head of the makeup department.
Often, when she wasn’t working on props or the makeup of performers, she was somewhere off by herself. Never quite separated from the group, but never closer than being within earshot, in case she was needed. This was another personal quirk of Virginia: her reticence.
It took time for me to get to know her but luckily some of the people we worked with professionally were part of the same circles. Over the next two years, we became more familiar, and she opened up. Allowing me to see her creative spirit.
“My role models are family, friends, people I meet—and Caravaggio. My inspirations come from all over, everyday life. Shower tiles, shapes of Fideo pasta, nature… cranes as of late. I also am driven by the vision of a brighter future for all of mankind.”
As the years have gone by, we’ve seen less and less of each other. I now reside in Brooklyn, NY and she remains busy in Austin, TX. But she’s active as ever and I’m more than happy to present a brief introduction to Virginia and her work through a small interview we had back in spring.
Joe: If it’s alright with you, I’d like to start with your current professional life and then proceed towards a more personal approach. Could you start by telling us your name, where you’re based out of, and your focus?
Virginia: “My name’s Virginia Borrego. I’m currently based out of Austin, TX, and I have many focuses—including performance art, music, film, makeup, and modeling.”
“Art is a reflection of experiences. They aren’t compartmentalized, but fluid, they blend together. That’s a large reason I am so into music. It’s powerful and expressive—music is the embodiment of everything.”
Do you have any previous personal or professional projects that you would like to share?
“ ‘Metaphorically Challenged', ‘The Nightmare’, ‘Hollow Scream’, my time as a set designer and makeup artist for Youvolution Productions.”
Any collaborations that you find worth mentioning?
“Heru Odyssey’s ‘Oh, Is That So’, Jessie Rodriguez’s short ‘Just Another Reason to Not Fall for Seduction’, working for Youvolution Productions as a makeup artist for the 48-hour film project ‘Pierde Almas’, and last but not least I have worked on a couple of songs through College of Hip Hop Knowledge (CHHK) titled ‘Leavened’ and ‘Still Here,’ which were part of a compilation album titled ‘The Curriculum’ .”
How did you get started?
“I had an awesome group of friends and fellow artists in Midland, TX encouraging me to keep trying, constantly.”
Did you have anything specific that kick-started what you’re doing now?
“I have been writing poetry and music since I was young, as well as painting. I stopped for a while in life, but I began pursuing the arts ‘professionally’ about three years ago. Pain, elation, relationships, life experiences, these are all my muses; it was hard at times and easy at others. Art is a reflection of experiences. They aren’t compartmentalized, but fluid, they blend together. That’s a large reason I am so into music. It’s powerful and expressive—music is the embodiment of everything. As for acting and art, well, I’ve always had a knack for being a fool so that’s where performing comes into play. We are all art in motion, so there’s that—but I still don’t consider myself a model, not in my mind.”
Photo Credit to Hal (@tootzmcgootz).
Do you have any sort of inspirations or role models?
“My role models are family, friends, people I meet—and Caravaggio. My inspirations come from all over, everyday life. Shower tiles, shapes of Fideo pasta, nature… cranes as of late. I also am driven by the vision of a brighter future for all of mankind. Motherfuckers want to settle Mars, and that’s fine, but I do my best for the sake of NOW and right NOW we are on the good old Mother Earth.”
What was your first collaboration or event?
“First collaboration? I messed around with a cousin of mine making shorts and fake commercials for shits’n’gigs [sic]. Professionally, the Ganzfeld Experience. No solo events but I am looking forward to producing one myself.”
Do you have any quotes or lines of literature that inspire you?
“ ‘Do your best, even if you make apparent mistakes. How are you to judge if they are mistakes? You can only obey the higher urge which inclines you to contribute the best that you have to the service of the community of [humans] and angels. Thus, you shall be an ever-growing channel for the light.’ – White Eagle.”
Do you have any future projects in the works?
“A new short film is currently in the works. The title is ‘The Blue Heart of Lady Redd.’”
Do you have a preferred method of communication for anyone that wants to collaborate or otherwise work with you?
“E-mail and Instagram. My e-mail is virgin7lamb@gmail.com and my Instagram is @VIRGIN_LAMB.”
Today, Virginia often travels between West and Central Texas, but she remains very involved with Austin’s creative community. An ever adventurous individual at heart, she’s always looking to collaborate on personal or professional projects. So, if you’re interested in working with her, give her a shout!Feature Photo: Credit to Armando Martinez (@mfourproductions) & Michael Cavazos (@hopeless.romantic.productions).