



Backstory
Cont'd
I grew up as the youngest of four, enveloped in the love of an altruistic, righteous mother and her ten siblings who used humor and Vicks Vapor Rub as cure-alls. Family get-togethers meant forming an assembly line to make Puerto Rican pasteles and laughing through tears at their endless, entertaining, joke-filled recollections, seemingly competing for the best childhood trauma.
Their disarming way of sharing wisdom through their wounds, finding the courage to be vulnerable and using laughter to develop shame resilience continues to inform my artistic approach. It has ingrained in me the healing power of storytelling.
We lived in Brownsville, Brooklyn--the notorious murder capital of New York--a community more populated than 98.5% of the nation's neighborhoods. It is a place where maintaining a positive outlook requires creativity.
I was the unexpected, straight-A student who loved to draw, write poetry, and spit raps to reflect on, rationalize, and find solutions to the deteriorating world around me.
As a child, I was deeply inspired by my father's boundless passion for the arts. He enthusiastically pursued his dream of becoming a professional Salsa Musician and Singer while working as a school janitor. Sadly, he passed away when I was still a teenager. His untimely death taught me the everlasting power of the art we leave behind. Art is proof of existence.
Much of my work navigates the complexities of identity, cultural divides, relationships, and resilience. I aim to create entertaining and meaningful works that promote connection and provoke a rethinking of obstacles as opportunities for growth and inner strength.