We recently connected with Cassandra Balbas and have shared our conversation below.

Cassandra, appreciate you joining us today. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

When I was 9, my dad signed a 3-year contract with his company to relocate to Hong Kong. At the time, my family—my parents, younger brother, grandma, and I—were living in Anaheim, CA and we had just moved into a new home one year prior.

Rather than uproot the entire family right away, my parents decided to test out a long distance relationship for one year, and then re-evaluate from there. It was tough for everyone, but especially on my mom, who had to raise her two young kids (just 9 and 5 years old) with her mother-in-law.

The following year, despite my younger brother and I’s protests against moving away from our beloved cousins and friends, my parents decided that we move to the Philippines to be closer to my dad for the remainder of his contract.

I’m so grateful for my parents and their openness—my dad’s openness to a new opportunity of growth, and my mom’s openness to a different way of life for the betterment of her family. I can also say with full confidence that I would not be the person I am today had it not been for their decisions made at that point in time. Nearly all of the work I do now revolves around understanding, celebrating, and educating the Filipino-American identity and culture. I grew up in a predominantly Latinx community, and didn’t feel as though I belonged at home. I also didn’t see myself in the school curriculum. I thought moving to the Philippines would have relieved the feelings of loneliness being around people who looked like me, but that experience showed me that I was too American to be there too. In hindsight, I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to explore these questions and themes at a young age, and I’m grateful to make art now that expresses those stories of understanding my identities.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Hi! My name is Cassandra, and my pronouns are she/her. I am a freelance designer, illustrator, and lettering artist, I also started my own Filipino-American inspired product-line called We Are Sun-Raised, where I sell greeting cards, art prints, stickers and pins. To support these endeavors, I work a 9-5 as a Senior Product Designer and Design System Lead at an education technology agency.

Over the past few years as freelancer, I’m privileged and grateful to work with mostly Filipino entrepreneurs and creatives. I illustrated two children’s books in the last couple years— “Nasudi’s Amazing Adventure” by Chachie Abara and edited by Mario Doropan, and “See You Again Soon” by Nene P. Rivera. I’ve also donated time making logos for the Festival of AAPI Books and the Liwanag Lit Festival in Long Beach and Washington DC.

My business, We Are Sun-Raised, is my heart. Growing up in Anaheim, which has a large Mexican and Mexican-American community, I deeply admired their art and pride in their culture. At the same time, I knew that Filipinos had one of the largest Asian populations in the US; yet, had little representation in the art space. I wanted to change that with art and gifts that were seen in the day-to-day. I participated in an artivism fair at my alum, UCI, and sold Filipino-inspired stickers and artwork that I designed myself. It was fulfilling and received well by students and peers. The conversations and laughs I shared with other Fil-Ams over my banana ketchup sticker and my art print with shoes outside the house also healed something in me. I felt so aligned with the work and We Are Sun-Raised was born.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

In addition to working freelance and running We Are Sun-Raised, I have my full-time job. I recently designed a project called ‘Starwriter’ that teaches kids PreK – Grade 1 how to handwrite efficiently. It’s out in the universe in a few states, including New York, and my team and I were recognized by the Webby’s this year.

The stability and earnings of my job have allowed me to create art and designs that have always felt genuine to me, and I’m grateful for that especially as I continue to refine my creative style and voice. This past summer, I also transitioned from working a 5 to 4-day work week to spend more time on my personal projects. It’s a first step in the direction of taking my own personal work more seriously, and I’m excited about what’s come out of it so far. I’m also able to support my family when they need it, and that’s brought a lot of peace of mind for me too.

A big part of my creative journey is that I grew up in an environment where a creative career wasn’t encouraged or even heard of within my circles. My parents immigrated from the Philippines when they were 16 and 21, and like many immigrant parents, they did the best they could to ensure that I was on the path to financial security. When I was applying for colleges during high school, I got into a university to study Art rather than my first option, engineering, and my parents made the decision for me that I wasn’t going to enroll in that school.

Fast forward to my first few weeks at UCI, and I was fortunate to find a marketing internship that involved a lot of graphic design work, along with a supportive mentor (I owe you everything, Sydney) who really pushed me to pursue my creative passions. (Funnily enough, I also ended up double-majoring in Art.)

In hindsight, I knew that I had to go through that journey to get to where I am today. I had to prove that I could do it not only to my family, but to myself as well. For anyone reading who may have been or who is in a similar situation, I want you to know that there are many ways to figure this out and to make this path possible for yourself. I hope you give yourself the patience and grace that I’m sure you easily give others. You got this!

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

In my journey, I’m most grateful for the community and friends I’ve found along the way. I moved to New York because I knew there would be more creative opportunities for me, but I never expected to also find a family while pursuing my passions.

One opportunity I’m especially thankful for is being part of my art collective, the Tsismosas. We’re a group of six Filipino-American female artists who use art to spark conversations around topics considered taboo or swept under the rug in Filipino culture (which also inspired our collective’s name). As artists, we feel things deeply, and working with five other women who share the same values, uplift one another, and understand me with little to no explanation is truly a blessing and an inspiration. When the work becomes difficult, knowing that I am supported by my community fuels me.

I love being an artist because it allows me to create more of what I wish existed in the world. Being in community with other artists means that my original work or idea can grow into something bigger than I could have imagined. For me personally, that means creating work that allows me to share more Filipino stories and I’m grateful that I get to do that with the Tsismosas.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://cassbalbas.myportfolio.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/cassandrabalbas
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cassandra-balbas-4a515495/
• Other: We Are Sun-Raised:
  – Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/WeAreSunRaised
  – IG: instagram.com/wearesunraised

  I’m in the middle of working on my two websites: cassandrabalbas.com and wearesunraised.com ! Hoping to have them ready by the time of publication if that will be possible to include.

Image Credits

Stephen Esguerra