We were lucky to catch up with Andrea Santizo recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Andrea thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?
As a proud member of the Central American diaspora, I’ve always felt the lack of representation of our rich and vibrant communities in the two fields I love deeply, design and art.
Growing up I was surrounded and adopted by the Mexican American community but I didn’t see anything aside from visiting 6th & Bonnie Brea that showed me a piece of myself. Guatemala and its beautiful multicultural richness was relegated to a few blocks of vendors in LA.
Tired of the homogenization, the lack of visibility, I took my sculpture based art practice of large sculptures inspired by Mayan weaving an and textiles, and started IX’IQ Designs.
IXIQ is a brand that focuses on creating wearable artwork that is accesible and representative of the Central American community. IXIQ, centers Guatemalan culture, heritage, ancestry, gastronomy, and indigenous iconography, and practices to create pieces that fill a void in the representation of the Guatemalan diaspora.
Andrea, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I have always been drawn to the creative fields. I went to PCC and Art Center in Pasadena to study Fine Art and Photography. I was a sculptor for years and loved the work but quickly realized that my very large pieces were inaccessible to my community in both size and price point. After a big life change involving my place of work in 2018, I took some of my savings and began IX’IQ Designs.
This brand is a love letter to the Guatemalan diaspora. A way of connecting for all of us with Mayan ancestry who are far away from our culture and our ancestral land.
IX’IQ offers talismans for us to physically hold close parts of our identity that we feel are dear to us. Ranging from ancestral jewelry that is approached from a sculpture and studio practice background, my practice has evolved to engraved wooden home goods depicting mesoamericana scenes and codex imagery. As well as some clothing honoring the artisan work of Guatemala, and last but not least a children’s book that teaches about Guatemala using the ABCs, all lovingly illustrated, written, and self-published.
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
I think that being in a state like California and in a city like Los Angeles that houses the largest population of Central Americans outside of Cwntral America helped me build an audience. Using the hashtags that felt impactful and highlighted the brands mission also helped. It is amazing what word of mouth and shares will do for a small business, especially one filling a void in a community.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
My biggest obstacle and unlearning journey was that of fear and scarcity mindset.
What if I fail? What is this doesn’t work? What if I invest my savings and the business flops?
There were so many reasons to not start this business. But I am so glad I worked through the fear and broke free of the scarcity mindset to establish a brand that gives back to my community.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://ixiqdesigns.myshopify.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ixiq_designs/
- Other: https://www.etsy.com/shop/IxiqDesigns
Image Credits
Sofia Uribe -Cultura en tu Ropa Yaquelin Hernandez- La Vida Fotográfica