We were lucky to catch up with Kristina “Sk8marie” Sison recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Kristina “Sk8marie” thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

I’ve had the pleasure of partnering with various brands like a bikini clothing brand and boozy brands, but one of the most meaningful projects I’ve worked on just premiered recently. I was asked to be part of a gallery/community event highlighting other Asian artists and it was the first time I’ve shown my art in this capacity, and in Portland since moving here from LA! It was meaningful to create a collection specifically for a theme of Shared Spaces, something that I’ve dealt with my whole life since I was born in the Philippines and came to the US as a baby.

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.

I create custom, one of a kind unique skateboards – usually commissioned based.

I grew up with friends who loved skateboarding so naturally was always around it, and worked at skate shops in Central CA and in LA. Using a blank board was never the something I planned on doing but I had a skateboard in my closet and I thought it would be fun and a very different canvas than a typical artist uses and fast forward to 10 years ago and I’m still doing it!

I’m most proud of the fact that I’m still doing it after all this time. Pursuing art doesn’t seem like the most sustainable source of income, and it’s been a #sidehustle of mine that I truly enjoy doing.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

What’s most rewarding is being able to take creative liberty to make something different and bespoke, not something manufactured commercially. I love the collaborative process of getting 20 ideas thrown at me but having the ability to pick out the bits of pieces that work together in unison to become the finished product. As someone who works with some of the most creative people in the ad industry (and the whole world!) I love being able to show my creative side on my own terms. I love to hear how others are inspired and see how their ideas translate and it’s the same for me too!

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

A lot of my work started with words of inspirations, lyrics, and homage to sports teams. As time has gone by I still love to do these typography explorations with words, and I want to continue to paint for more people. I would love for my art to have a more global reach. The mission is pretty simple though: Make something for someone to make them smile or think back to a good time, or feel some type of way!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Sk8marie

Image Credits

Kristina Sison