deep southern wet.

vanessa was raised by her single mother in a small beach-side cabin on the coast of the gulf of mexico. van never knew who her father was and honestly didn't care much or ever have any real questions about it. she was always realistic about it and didn't ever have any grand delusions about finding her father or thinking he'd come back to connect to her. (if he wanted to he would, he didn't)

her mother was an eccentric of sorts and always treated van as more of a best friend or tiny roommate than daughter. for better or worse, van grew up with a lot of freedom and was hell on wheels in her youth. eventually she ended up being homeschooled by her mother (which allowed her a lot of time to explore artistic expression) for most of her grade school years and attended the public high school when the time came.

while she received above average grades and a diploma, van skipped her high school graduation as she had already taken off out of town with her boyfriend (puppy love and first one ever). the two took his beat up car and made their way east, getting married in vegas on their way.

her husband was an aspiring actor and van helped as best she could for him to achieve that dream. while he went out on auditions she picked up odd jobs to try to cover rent. (jobs included: nanny, singing telegram, go-go dancer, award season seat-filler, wedding singer and bartender) eventually (after several failed pilot seasons and sparse commercial work) he got a role on a soap opera and became a fan favorite.

helped co-found the band 'submergence' with some friends during a pilot season in LA. after doing so much side hustle van wanted something that could just be fun and creative and hers and thats what the band was.

the band starting gaining traction at the same time as her husbands career. as the band was starting to gain momentum, he left soap acting and landed a popular netflix show. the same week the band got signed to a label her husband announced that he was leaving her for his co-star. since there was no prenup and he could afford better lawyers he essentially got everything and van landed on her ass roughly three years ago.

currently van is enjoying the newlywed life with her husband, xavier matthews, in their beachfront home with their border collie, bayou.

fun facts.

collects vinyl records. while most people would assume it to be vintage rock, it's actually mostly old broadway musical soundtracks.

actual fiend for donuts. always buys two -- one for now, and one to keep in her bag for later in case she starts feeling kinda bummed.

expert cocktail mixologist. her favorite is a pink squirrel. enjoys ordering it in bars purely for the look on people's faces. (also queen of tequlia shots)

once went viral on tiktok for the face she makes while playing bass solos. now it's just a thing and she does it every time because the crowd goes wild.

sunglasses indoors kinda gal just for the vibes really.

tries to convince everyone to cancel their netflix subscription.

fluent in french and italian.

current connections.

bandmate of and married to @xaviermattthews

ex sister in law of @luckylewis @lemielewis @lorelailewis

half-sister of @ulyflynn, cousin of @jordanmitchell

employer of @cricketcampbell

wanted connections.

always down for friends! she needs people to have deep convos with

someone she knows through eccentric hobbies. she picks up something new every other week.