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I remember when I was a kid, I was always so fascinated by markers, pastels, chalk, you name it — basically anything I could colour with. I remember rushing home after school to try and catch the latest Art Attack episode or kids' baking show. I’d try to write down all of the materials/ingredients as fast as I could, so that I could try to re-create whatever they were making. I used to bedazzle all of my school projects and I remember in grade eight, my teacher would often use my artwork as an example for the class. That was always a great feeling. Any opportunity to use my hands to CREATE, excited me beyond measure.
My abuelita on my mom's side was an artist. I'm not sure she ever called herself one, but she absolutely was. When I was young, she used to make these beautiful illustrated cards from scratch that were so intricate and full of texture. I only ever got to see the cards when we went on vacation to visit her in the US and getting to see all the new cards she had made over the year was always one of the highlights of my trip. I remember being so obsessed with the entire process, especially the tools she would use to emboss the cards with. I wanted so badly to learn.
One thing's for sure: being creative is in my blood.
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My ancestry is a mix of Indigenous Peruvian and Spanish. My entire family as far back as my great grandparents were all born in Perú. My parents immigrated to Canada in the late 80s and I was the first in my family to be born here.
I don’t know much about my Indigenous roots, but I feel deeply connected to them. I lived a majority of my life not knowing that I was Indigenous. My ancestors were at some point detribalized, I just don’t know when or how many generations back. It saddens me that my ancestors were not able to celebrate their Indigineity — they feared abuse, persecution, even death just for being who they were. What was internalized was that to be Indigenous was something to be ashamed of. So our culture was buried and we forgot who we were.
At the start of my beading journey, I used to say that I wasn’t Indigenous when people would ask. At that time, it was easier for me to deny it than to own it because I myself had more questions than answers and truthfully never knew how to respond. I had only learned about my Indigenous heritage a few years prior and it didn’t feel right to me to suddenly identify with and be very vocal about a culture I was never raised to know anything about.
I needed time. To be curious about where I came from. To ask questions. To unravel narratives, to learn and understand more. I began to put the pieces together and soon realized the importance of recognizing this giant piece of my family’s forgotten history.
To be Indigenous is a gift. My ancestry reminds me to always give back to the land that gives us so much bounty — to honour the waters, the mountains, the sun and the trees. What would we do without our Pachamama? My ancestry reminds me of my resilience too. So much beauty has been passed down to me.
I often wonder how much of my creativity comes from my ancestors. How many generations of creatives passed down their passions to me? Were they weavers? Did any of them paint? Were their nails filled with dirt from digging clay out of the earth for pottery? Maybe one was a metalsmith. I may never know, but it sure is a nice thought to wonder.
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I am inspired by the colours, shapes and patterns of the natural world. I am also inspired by a lot of modernist art movements. Some would say I'm more of a contemporary bead artist.
I'm often asked how what I'm inspired by translates to my beadwork. I see an image, an animal, a colour, a pattern… and then I visualize it in the form of an earring. How would it look? How would it feel to wear them? What do they represent? Then I channel that energy and play around with different colours and shapes until it feels right. I normally come up with 2-3 designs before coming up with what will be the final product. Beading the pattern to life is the best part – slowly preparing them with intention and care to go off into the world to work their magic.
I view each tiny bead as an individual seed — seeds that are then woven together into something that blooms. Each collective of beads paints a picture and tells a story. Beading reminds me of the importance of community too. As humans, we are kind of like the beads — when we’re together, we bloom. Beading reminds me to live my life slowly — that I should savour every moment and always practice patience. Beading humbles me. Over and over again.
Each set of earrings that I bead is a love letter to myself – an honouring of the creative child within and an ode to my ancestors. If you have ever bought anything from me, thank you. Thank you for choosing to adorn your body with my creations. I hope you can feel the love too.