When did you know you wanted to be an artist?

I knew I wanted to be an artist ever since I was little, I grew up being very expressive through different mediums of art, and as I continue to grow I keep learning new ways to express myself through art. I knew from the start that this was something I would never give up on. I didn’t expect it to become my future career but knowing it is possible thanks to Squinkbox brings me happiness.

What do you think you would be doing if you weren’t an artist?

If I was not an artist I think I’d shoot for opening my very own cafe. Being my own boss is always a goal of mine. I grew up with a love for coffee and my creative spark encourages me to clash different flavors together. The cafe ambience itself is what I like to surround myself with.

Have you found any other artists on Squinkbox whose work you admire?

An artist from Squinkbox’s collection that I admire is Albert Jackson. I have actually purchased his “Time for Love” piece printed on a t-shirt. I love how he keeps a certain color palette with most of his pieces, and his shapes are not completely easy to decipher. They really make you think “What is this? What does it mean?”. I admire each and every one of his pieces.

What advice could you give to young artists starting out?

Considering I am a young artist I would tell others that if art is their passion, it should be self encouraged. Make art you love, it is important to make stuff consumers will enjoy, but in order to truly be happy with your work is by doing stuff YOU love. That’s why you do art in the first place right? Because you love it. Never lose sight of that.

Could you tell us about your artistic background and what made you decide to become an artist?

Growing up it was really hard for me to communicate verbally, half of the time I just did not speak. This was when I was becoming more self aware. It was really hard to be stuck in my own thoughts for a long period of time so I began to experiment with different mediums of art. For my younger years of art it was very clear my art was a call for help but as I have grown a bit more it became more about things that made me happy. Not only did art definitely help motivate me to speak more, it helped me really dig down and figure out what makes me happy. Something about creating just made me wanna create more, even if it was just creating words. That’s the thing I love about art, it comes in many forms. This is how I knew it is what I wanted to do, create.

What project are you currently working on?

Currently I am working on an acrylic piece on wood inspired by the cartoon Adventure time.

What artists, writers, academics, curators and other creative thinkers have influenced your art?

My art has been influenced mostly by cartoons like Steven Universe, Star vs. the Forces of Evil, Adventure Time, and way more.

What made you want to take part in a curated collaboration with Squinkbox?

I have been admiring what Squinbox has been doing for a long while and I decided to message them on instagram and tell them how much I love their work when the person running their account asked if I was interested in submitting art to them. I was completely mind blown cause I never even thought of having my work shared with them. It took me a while to finally be ready to submit work but I am so happy I am now doing so.

Who inspires you the most?

The people who inspire me most in my life are my friends and family. They unintentionally give me a park to create. My art is usually inspired by a specific person. For example my piece “Sagisi” is inspired by Alyssa Sagisi, a friend of mine.

What is your greatest indulgence in life?

One of my greatest indulgences in life is music. It is the form of art that I only admire and not experiment with myself. In my life music is playing throughout the majority of the day. Without it, life would be very silent, and silence.. is VERY loud.

Why do you love what you do?

I love what I do because it not only makes me happy, but it makes others happy to. Making people happy is a different kind of success to feel. If I can do that by doing what I love, creating, why stop. In fact it is even more encouraging.