V A is a long standing and recognised digital creative; her voice resonates with many. In the last ten years, the site has developed into an online destination for fashion, beauty and lifestyle advice. Her sense of style, editorial flair and practical counsel offers an inspired and graceful approach to living.

V A is a long standing and recognised digital creative; her voice resonates with many. In the last ten years, the site has developed into an online destination for fashion, beauty and lifestyle advice. Her sense of style, editorial flair and practical counsel offers an inspired and graceful approach to living.

Edit by: Vicki
Aug 09, 2016

Her Point Of View: Anita Rivera

Her Point Of View, Anita Rivera on vickiarcher.com
Let me introduce Anita.

Anita is a photographer, a poet and a woman with a beautiful aesthetic. She has been a long time reader and I look forward to our exchanges here each day. I learn so much from Anita; her glowing outlook on life makes me view the world in a different way.


Meet Anita,

Anita Rivera, Minnesota, JULY 2016

How would you describe yourself?

I’m ambitious and focused. I’m self-taught in music. At the age of 34, I taught myself French and went back to university during night classes. It took me 17 years to earn a B.A. in French, a M.A. in education and two public school teaching licenses. After working for about 14 years as a French teacher, I decided I also wanted to be a poet.


Self-taught and now belonging to a poetry group, I am working toward getting at least one poem published in a real poetry journal. My next ambition is to improve my photography and share it on a grander scale. I’m an extrovert, but I can easily revert to solitude in order to connect with my creative muse.



Tell us about your day-to-day life?

During the school year, I teach French in one of the best school districts in Minnesota. I literally run from my classes (in heels) at the high school to the adjacent middle school where I also teach. In the evenings, I relax with my husband while we either read or write poetry or I play my harp. During the summer months, I devote my time to photography and poetry writing in the quiet setting of our garden and home.

Her Point Of View, Anita Rivera on vickiarcher.com




Are you the woman you imagined you would become?

No. I’ve become more. I always said that I couldn’t be like my mother, i.e., uneducated, not trained to be in the work force, etc. I have done more than my mother ever dreamed of doing, but years later, I now look at myself and all I want to do is be like her: kind, wise, slow to speak but quick to listen, a beautiful spirit. Just coming to that realisation after achieving beyond my family’s expectations was an unexpected turn in my maturity.



What are the valuable life lessons you have all figured out?

Stay humble, keep learning and constantly observe life with wonder in order to find more below your surface and that of others. Treat others the way they should be treated and hold everything out lightly because the only thing we possess are the intangible rewards of a life well-loved.



What do you like most about yourself? What do you like the least?

I like that I seem to have aged slowly, that I’m energetic, positive and a good dancer! I love my skin, eyes and hair. What I like the least about myself is my inability to control my tears in certain circumstances. On my small frame, the largest thing about me are my hips which makes wearing certain articles of clothing difficult, however, that one “flaw” has helped me be creative in how I wear my clothing.


Her Point Of View, Anita Rivera on vickiarcher.com




What do you like most about getting older? What do you like the least?

I’m not getting old. I’m growing up.


If you are positive, you will see that wisdom in any measure is an opportunity for learning new things. What I don’t like is realising you don’t have much time to accomplish everything you’d like and that the world at large sees ageing as the end. I see it as the beginning of becoming the soul you were born to be.



What’s your favourite way to dress? Do you have a signature style?

My signature style at work is a combination of Chanel and Amélie all rolled into one!


Since I work during the fall and winter months, black tights, boots of various heights and sweaters with white blouses and pearls are what any of my students could verify is my style. During the summer vacation months, I love my crisp white shirts, boyfriend jeans and espadrilles. Shorts are reserved only for gardening or recreation! I also love to wear diamond studs; as I have aged, I keep my jewellery to a minimum.



Do you have a beauty secret to share?

Eat like the French, i.e., minimal to no snacking, eat plenty of unprocessed foods, lots of fruits, vegetables, lots of water, exercise, but most of all, be happy and give of yourself to others by being a good listener.


Wear make-up to enhance what you have, not to create what you don’t have.

Her Point Of View, Anita Rivera on vickiarcher.com




What’s on the bucket list?

See the Cotswolds and the Lake District, revisit France, publish a book of my memoirs, and one of my poetry and photography.



If you could change one thing in the past, what would you do differently?

I would have gone to college immediately after high school to study journalism.



What age do you feel right now?

Physically, I feel 20 years old. Spiritually, I feel like a child, mentally, I feel ageless.


Simply put, I am a learner with no restrictions on what I can accomplish with hard work.



Who would play you in a movie?

Any European queen in history, so I can wear a crown! Really!



Anita has the most beautiful Instagram account, follow here HERE.



images anita pelayo rivera

Edit by: Vicki
In This Post: Lifestyle