We recently connected with Heidi Grace Acuña and have shared our conversation below.
Heidi Grace, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today I’m sure there have been days where the challenges of being an artist or creative force you to think about what it would be like to just have a regular job. When’s the last time you felt that way? Did you have any insights from the experience?
I definitely wonder what it would be like to have a regular job, honestly it’s hard not to! I think about the benefits of a regular schedule and a consistent income, and not having to wear so many hats as an entrepreneur. It’s not easy being an artist or creative in a world where we are underappreciated, underrecognized, and underpaid. It definitely gets to me, but nothing makes me happier than creating, and nothing comes as naturally as creating does. Creating eases me, yet it challenges me. It is constant, but it is not stagnant. As a multidisciplinary creative I flow between mediums and materials. One month, I will be focused on sewing and upcycling 20 garments and organizing community photoshoots, and the next month I am working between the printmaking and ceramic studios. As with any job, it has its pros and cons, but as an artist, nothing compares to having other people connect with something I made, something that was once just a wild idea. When I take the time to pause and actually reflect, I am so happy with who I am and what I am doing with my life.
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 back background and context?
Hello! My name is Heidi Grace Acuña, I am a second-generation Filipino-American artist, and I create to live. I tell people I create to live because creating is necessary for me to be mentally healthy, in tune with my soul, and to honor my ancestral calling. I am an artist, stylist, fashion designer, teacher, and community collaborator.
As a professional artist, I create multidisciplinary installation works in ceramic, sculpture, printmaking, fibers, video, and photography. I have exhibited in Seattle, Bellingham, and Philadelphia and had my first solo show at Western Washington University in October 2022. I am an award winning, published artist whose work addresses community, culture, diversity, identity, gender, and mental health. One accomplishment I am proud of is that my sculpture “Big Head” is part of the North Seattle College Permanent Art Collection.
As a teaching artist, I have taught middle schoolers through The Feels Foundation, and have taught teens at Gage Academy and Bellevue Arts Museum. I have also provided artist talks for Western Washington University and Seattle Public Schools and demonstrations for North Seattle College and Tacoma Sunday Market.
I am also a founding member and costume designer/soft-sculpture artist for House of Kilig, a Trans and Queer diaspora centered collective that utilizes kapwa and kilig as a compass in pursuit of interdisciplinary art creation.
I am also a freelance stylist who has worked with Verizon and local businesses including Etheric Vintage and my small business, Hybrid Honey. Hybrid Honey makes 1-of-1 clothes for 1-of-1 humans. Hybrid Honey is a sustainable, genderless fashion brand that specializes in handcrafted hybrid creations. I design and up-cycle garments from vintage and secondhand clothing using sewing, paint, ink, beads, screen printing, and embroidery. It is my hope that those who wear Hybrid Honey feel empowered to express their true selves with the world, and remember their unique beauty.
I am available for hire as a stylist/costumer, photographer, creative director, curator, guest speaker, model, and teaching artist. I am open to collaboration and any other creative opportunities that are aligned with my skills and experience. I love working with small businesses and community-centered projects. I am also available for commission work for art, costumes, and clothing customization. For all inquiries, please email me at [email protected]
If you are in the Seattle area, I invite you to these upcoming events:
– Shop ready-to-wear Hybrid Honey at the Night Market at Drip Tea Market on Saturday, September 23rd from 8pm to 12am
– I’ll be exhibiting a new soft-fabric sculpture installation with performance by Moonyeka for Shunpike Storefronts x Uptown Arts and Culture Coalition this Fall 2023 (date TBD) in the Uptown neighborhood of Seattle
In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?
If you like our work, please follow and engage with us on social media. It is free, shows your support, and if you share our work (and tag us–don’t forget to credit us!) it can reach more people and may provide us with more opportunities! Support artists by buying our work and paying for our services. A true artist has a unique set of skills and experiences that shape their creative lens that is exclusive to them. Because of this, we deserve to be treated with respect and paid properly. On a larger scale, the best way for society to support artists is by providing grants and more paid opportunities where artists can just be artists. Artists are integral society members that bring connection, raise awareness, and incite conversation. Support your local creatives today!
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
My mission is to show up authentically as I reflect on my life through creating. In creating, my mission is to continue to explore, understand, and expand in my knowledge and acceptance of my identities, culture, and human experience, with materials and humans that align with message. I am driven by the need to know and love myself. By showing up authentically in my artworks, I hope to inspire others to show up authentically as well.
Contact Info:
- Website: heidigraceacuna.com and hybridhoneyshop.com
- Instagram: @heidigraceacuna @hybridhoneyshop
- TikTok: @hybridhoneyshop
Image Credits
Heidi Grace Acuña, V. Babida, Finn Wendt & Amy L. Piñon