Patch Mayor Vanessa Thomas Values Art And Loves Covering Events

Vanessa Thomas came to Dublin, California from the United Kingdom four years ago. When she arrived, she was a stay-at-home mom. In an effort to find an activity she could do with her family, she took up martial arts. Then, she began writing about martial arts. Then she found Patch. Eventually, she was writing about more than just martial arts, she was receiving invitations to all kinds of community events. In her spare time, she channels her love of the arts, whether working on her own photography or gathering those with artistic minds. Thomas founded the Dublin Art Collective, for which she was nominated for Citizen of the Year in 2017. When the opportunity to be Patch Mayor of Dublin came up, it seemed like a natural transition.

Q. How did you end up in the United States?
I’ve been in the U.S. for four years. My husband works for a global company. Initially, I moved from South Africa to the UK. I’m a South African native. My kids sound Californian, they used to sound like they were from the UK.

Q. What has been your favorite thing you have written about on Patch?
I think one of the stories I really love is a young author, she’s 12 years old and she published her first book. I sit down with NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) every October and try to write my book. To me, that was remarkable. It just reflects on everyone who loves writing and has a passion for writing. She was so nonplussed about the achievement.

Q. What are some of the goals you have as Patch Mayor?
Get Dublin on the map. Dublin is very new and constantly growing and expanding. Every time one of our artists goes to have an exhibit...or anything related to arts, I try to cover it.

Q. How do you think having grown up in South Africa impacted you?
I think it gives you an idea of how many resources you have. I think you acknowledge these are things you need to take advantage of. For me, coming from South Africa... we didn’t always have access to these things. I appreciate access to these kinds of things. South Africa is known as the rainbow nation...valuing the diversity and colorful nature of our culture. That’s something I enjoy about Dublin as well.

Q. You describe yourself as a stay-at-home mom. What are you going to do when the kids are grown?
I started out as a scientist. My background is in microbiology. I think the thing that I enjoy is that the writing has always held everything together. I think it’s always been there and it’s just the way I enjoy spacing it out. I love a good story.

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