We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Anne Soliguen-Vera Cruz. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Anne below.

Alright, Anne thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

A little backstory…as a Filipina, growing up in predominantly white neighborhoods, I struggled a lot with finding my place and where I fit in. I had friends, but it was apparent to some peers that I was “different” from them. And as a result, I was bullied…because I was Asian. Fast forward to high school – this was where I found my FIRST group of Filipino friends. If I brought Filipino food to school, no one would say it was weird. If they came over to my house and heard my parents speaking a different language, it wasn’t out of the ordinary. I finally felt SEEN.

In college, I surrounded myself with peers that were like-minded, and like me – Filipino American. I immersed myself into learning more about Filipino history and culture and finally felt like I found the piece that I was missing growing up.

This brings me to my most meaningful project. In the midst of the pandemic, I pivoted and rebranded my business from creating wedding gifts to Filipina-inspired floral designs. My most popular design is a silhouette image of a Filipina with her hair braided to one side, wearing a Philippine sun earring, and a floral design beneath her. I placed this design on tote bags, pouches, t-shirts, stickers, and art prints. The feedback I was receiving – “I feel represented,” “I feel seen,” “Thank you for creating this,” “I feel so proud to be Filipino!” – warmed my heart so much. Having come from a background where I didn’t feel seen, to being able to provide an outlet for others to feel safe, seen, and represented…that meant everything. I’m excited to create more Filipina-inspired designs!

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?

I’m a full time Behavior Therapist for kids with autism and a part time Creative/small-business owner. GandA Creations is a Filipina-owned small business that strives to create beauty in uniquely designed, personalized, and customized gifts. It’s pronounced “gahn-da,” and in Tagalog, this means “beauty.” I keep the “G” and “A” capitalized to represent my husband’s name, Greg, and my name, Anne.

I think I’ve always had an entrepreneurial mindset since I was a kid – lemonade stands, friendship bracelets – and into adulthood – baked goods, graduation leis, direct sales – all leading to where I am today with GandA Creations. My business started with creating custom wedding-related gifts after friends saw what I had created for my own wedding. But, when the pandemic hit and weddings were postponed, there was a huge decline in my business. After connecting and building friendships with so many fellow Asian American Creatives through social media, I found myself part of an amazingly supportive community and decided to shift and rebrand GandA Creations to Filipina-inspired floral designs.

I’m a big believer in creating with meaning and intention…something personalized that speaks to my customers and creates a sense of feeling seen and represented. I also try to create designs that emit a feeling of beauty or uniqueness (hence the meaning behind the name GandA Creations). Even though my main customer and supporter demographic are Filipino Americans, I still create a variety of products that speak to everyone, especially those who love floral designs!

Is there a mission driving your creative journey?

Since becoming part of the Filipino Creative community, I’ve definitely found myself driven to create space and visibility for Filipino Americans. With the heightened awareness of the Stop AAPI Hate movement, there’s been a more demanding need for true AAPI representation in the media, workplace, education, and government, to combat hate, violence, bigotry, and dismantle systemic racism. As an introvert, I’m not by any means comfortable speaking or being at the forefront, but I “speak” my support through art and by amplifying other AAPI-owned small businesses and non-profit organizations through the social media platform I’m continuing to grow.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

EVERYTHING behind the scenes. Particularly these 4 areas: [1] being a Creative is a continual growth process,
[2] a lot of us often under-value our work/worth because we want to make it affordable, but we know our years of experience and time should reflect our prices,

Contact Info:

• Website: www.etsy.com/shop/GandACreationsShop
• Instagram: @GandA.Creations
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annesoliguenveracruz/