I am a diamond in the rough due to my understanding of my worth only recently.
Only recently have I come to terms with who I am and how I go about my life.
I have lived with a ton of pressure to succeed since I was a
child. My family, both mom and dad’s side, is a family of hard-working
Mexicans; Merchants, artisans, and service providers in many domains.
From construction to fashion, my family is intense. I don’t know many of
them very well, but their histories precede them in ways many strive to
achieve. Not to mention being a child of immigrants, growing up in a
faraway land from where I was born. The stakes went up 1000% and never
decreased. Destined to be successful no matter the odds, I had to prove
that my parents made a wise choice to move to another country for the
betterhood of their children. I had to live up to this myth for a part
of my life.
Obviously, I am a diamond in the rough, for many reasons, but mostly because I have just now understood my worth.
Only recently have I come to terms with who I am and how I go about my life.
I have lived with a ton of pressure to succeed since I was a child. My family both mom and dad’s side is a family of hard working Mexicans. Merchants, artisans, and service providers in many domains. From construction to fashion, my family is intense. I don’t know many of them very well, but their histories precede them in ways many strive to achieve. Not to mention being a child of immigrants, growing up in a faraway land to that where I was born. The stakes went up 1000% and never decreased. I was destined to be successful no matter what the odds, I had to prove that my parents made a wise choice to move to another country for the betterhood of their children. I had to live up to this myth for a good part of my life.
Growing up, I never knew my purpose. I found art by accident, trying
to please my parents and failing to do so. In high school, we make tough
decisions that seemingly define our futures. I lived on to believe I
was good at nothing. That art was only an escape, an way out, and the
path least likely for success. Math was fun. English, reading, and
writing were always frustrating. Whitewashing my Mexican accent helped
me escape into the world of wonders far away from my roots as an
immigrant child trying their best to fit in. Focusing not on the future
but the immediate: How not to be Mexican.
I have always been
proficient in the arts. Yet, it was hardly ever a virtue my parents
applauded. I didn’t know my worth. To me, their approval was everything.
That led me to learn many different things while secretly following my
passion. From anthropology, linguistics, french, development, and urban
planning to ceramics, drawing, woodwork, soldering, and even some
graphic design. The thing about delving into these different sources of
knowledge and work is that they have given me so much to work with. I
make sense of the world I live in through art. Weaving these different
backgrounds into one “Manny” is like creating the most elaborate
sculpture you can appreciate 360° of.
A diamond in the rough. A diamond is a symbol I have defined for myself. A jack of all trades (I am really good at many things, but not too much, just enough to make you feel inferior at your measly good perfection in one skill – The delusional artist speaking) reminds me of a jack in a deck of cards. The jack of diamonds has an odd history, so I tend to take this imagery and appreciate its mischief.
Recently I have done some work on myself. Unpacking, reprogramming, introspecting, healing, if you will. How the hell am I supposed to love someone else if I don’t love myself, kind of thing.
It has allowed me to stop wanting to please my family or live up to them. And now I can happily write about how much of a well-rounded artist I am. The good old masters who were, at the same time, architects and master surgeons, philosophers, and sculptors inspire me. Or be more precise and bring it closer to home, a surrealist god-like person who went by the name of Salvador could be a filmmaker, sculptor, designer, fabulous painter, sketch artist, and delve into fashion, architecture, and theater in a lifetime. Mind you, of course, not all of this was exercised 100% of the time. I assure you. As a multifaceted artist, being creative can not be tied down to a single medium. Our expression expands over anything we touch.
This is all to say that my work as an artist far reaches into the domains of researcher, tailor, designer, poet, “influencer,” (hah!) collector, organizer, sculptor, muralist, and DJ, yes I do like to mix songs with a machine. Sometimes, an online presence is difficult when one is not held to a single medium. So I am happy to share my creative process through different channels.
Personal art inspiration and all things art account : Instagram
Extra Medium Tailored account : Instagram
All things video blog related : YouTube
Collections of images and more inspiration : Pinterest
Art curation and more collections of art: Tumblr
So the two Instagram accounts are for my creations in sculpture, drawing, or fashion as a tailor. As you may or may not know, I am a sculptor (mostly) in textiles these days, but I love working with wood, metal, ceramics, and found objects. I often mix different materials and components to create creatures and sculptural objects. This experience has allowed me to be more experimental with sewing. As exciting as sewing costumes was, I am now a self-taught tailor.
I use youtube to execute random projects- otherwise difficult- to post about. I also like collaborating with my buddy Katreena on wacky videos that usually are only funny to us. I thoroughly enjoy editing videos. Some video poems I made during confinement and some old music videos are available for viewing. These adventures will be posted in the miscellaneous category in future posts.
Pinterest and Tumblr are both used as a collection of inspiration and for mood boarding. There you will find an extension of the aesthetics I strive to work by. From color schemes to thematic interpretations of the world, I use these two platforms as a visual satiation tool. I read images like bookworms do books. My glossy eyes melt for some nice visuals; these platforms are full of them, and I can scroll for days.
On my personal website, you can find my latest work, my tailoring projects, and an archive of old work from when I was studying, all neatly organized for your pleasure.
I like to teach anything related to creative projects as well. This
is something I excel in and enjoy yet don’t have much practice doing it.
I would love to collaborate on projects with other people, so this is
an open invitation to hit me up 