We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Justine Peñas. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Justine below.

Justine, appreciate you joining us today. Do you wish you had waited to pursue your creative career or do you wish you had started sooner?

Ideally, I would have pursued the arts much sooner had I known I would have any artistic potential, which wasn’t exactly strongly encouraged growing up. My artistic career started in 2018. I was academically burned out, and I had just left graduate school in the Spring. After studying science for six years, I was looking to begin my career in the chemistry field. After endless months of job applications and failed interviews, morale was at an all-time low. Though it felt as if I had hit rock bottom, there was one thing I had more of— time. I was able to pursue all the hobbies I didn’t have time to cater to before- cooking, long-boarding, watercolor art, etc. By 2019 I ended up being featured in about ten shows at Insomnia Gallery here in Houston. I later pursued digital art and discovered the social commerce platform, TeeSpring, which kickstarted my design journey.

I believe pursuing my creative career sooner would have provided me the balance I craved in a studious lifestyle. An early start would have opened up more opportunities and connections, and had I took it more seriously earlier in life, I’d like to think of the possibility of greater artistic, financial, and professional growth in the field. However, I believe that everyone is on their own timeline, and that everything happens for a reason. I believe the events that occurred happened right when they were supposed to, and I am more than satisfied with what has become of my art.

Justine, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am a twenty-eight year old healthcare professional, native Houstonian, and first generation Filipina-American. Apart from my role as a scientist, I consider myself to be a self-taught mixed media artist, designer, and creative. I specialize in digital design, mostly varying apparel such as t-shirts, hoodies, mugs, stickers, phone cases, socks, and leggings. I am most proud of showcasing quirks and aspects of my culture that I find to be the most relatable among our community. Every single drawing, font, and script was created by myself, including a design of Baybayin script, a native Filipino writing system used prior to Spanish colonization. I believe what sets me apart is my career journey, and how I have an opportunity to use art to help cultivate the unique culture of living as a Fil-Am.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

The goal that is driving my creative journey is to bring Filipino culture into mainstream media. Firstly, I want to inspire others to be proud of their own culture in a society where we have long been made to feel like we have to assimilate and blend in with our neighbors and peers. Fortunately in the past decade, the Filipino community has had growing collective pride as we see more representation in the media. I would like to use my role to build on this pride, and encourage my fellow Filipinos to partake. Secondly, I want to give inspiration to those who feel stuck in their career, and encourage those to delve into areas they have always showed interest in.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being a creative is having a vessel to express myself, my experiences, and my emotions. I like that I have the opportunity to be able to share certain aspects of my life with the world. Being a creative is also rewarding in that I have a visual timeline where I can see my growth not only as an artist, but a person as a whole.

I would like to evolve my career into something more multi-faceted, and I think I’m heading in the right direction. Not only does being a creative utilize my talents that my professional role doesn’t require, but it balances out the more stressful environment of my professional role.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://justine-nathalia.creator-spring.com/?
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justinenathalia/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justine-peñas-b92ba1144

Image Credits
Eric Esparza Aleyda Perez Gregory Castillo Pureza Joy Peñas Nadine Villanueva