If there was one thing you’d want people to know about you, what would it be?
I wanna say that my answer to that is “I get it.” Those three words. I want them to know that I get it. I know everybody is going through their own personal thing whether its big or small. I try to be conscious of that whenever I talk to anybody. I try not to judge people based off of things that they tell me. I want them to know that I get it. At some of the darkest points in my life I’ve been told I’m one of the funnest people to be around. These were points where my self esteem was at an all time low. I’ve been told that I’m the most beautiful person when I haven’t felt that way. I want to be that for other people. I get that something has pushed you to feel this way or act this way. You don’t have to apologize. I find that a lot of people apologize for how they act or feel. You don’t have to because I get it.
If you could describe yourself as a pair of shoes, which would you choose and why?
That’s a tough one. I have this pair of slippers. Suicoke. They’re some purple Japanese slippers. They’re one of my favorite pieces of clothing that I have. I say the slides because I see myself as a very calm individual. But, it’s a flex at the same time. I’m calm, but there’s more to me. You put the slides on and it feels completely different than how you’d expect it to feel. I feel like all of that encapsulates me. Like we discussed earlier, when people see me they see me as a generally intimidating individual. When people see the slippers, they see that and nothing more. They’re clunky, but when you put them on it feels like you’re walking on air. But yeah, the Suicoke slippers.
What motivates you to get up in the morning?
That’s a tough question. I struggle with getting up in the morning a lot of times. Not that I hate the routine. I like routines in certain aspects, but the routine that I have now isn’t something that I enjoy. What gets me up would be the motivation to do better than I did the day before. Thinking about designs, that’s one thing that would get me up. Doing something related to my brand. Whether its design work, research, contacting my business partner, brainstorming ideas. That’s something that motivates me to get up.
What emotion do you experience the most?
From 2016-2020 I struggled with depression and anxiety. I still struggle with anxiety to this day. I feel like that’s an emotion that I think about a lot. For a lot of reasons. Being anxious is something that I feel a lot. It’s not entirely negative though, I feel like it pushes me to do things. It pushes me to pursue my interests. That’s how I know I’m alive. I’m conscious of what’s around me, and I care for myself. I care for my future, and I feel like me being anxious encapsulates that.
If you had a year with no responsibilities, how would you spend it?
I’m going to sound like a broken record, but I’m really passionate about my clothing and my brand. Back in 2020 in the midst of the pandemic when everything was uncertain, what I did with most of my time was design and work on my brand. That was me developing it and getting into the legal aspect of it to start it up. That’s the best answer for that question because that was a time when everyone could only do so much. That’s what I did with my time. I can’t emphasize how much I love creating art in general. That’s my brand of art. That’s something that I want to leave my mark in, and it means a lot to me.
What do you think it means to live a good life?
I would say just being happy. Doing what you want on your terms. I feel like it’s that simple.
Your friends are hosting a dinner party and everyone has to bring one dish. What are you bringing?
Shit, I would bring Baleyaras. It’s a Honduran dish. It’s my favorite dish ever. Its something that I grew up on. Its just flour tortilla with fried beans, mantequilla (Hondurans call it sour cream, but it translates to butter in regular Spanish), and some shark fish or salmon. That’s what I would bring, because I love baleyaras. I really be trying to put everyone on to that shit.
What activities make you lose track of time?
Graphic design. I’ve really been trying to hone my skills in that area. I love to draw. I love watching anime. That’s something that I would deadass waste hours doing. Watching anime. Reading manga. Even working out. I can tell myself that I’ll spend thirty minutes in the gym and I’ll spend an hour and a half or some shit like that.
If you could have one superpower, what would it be and what would you use it for?
It’s funny because whenever someone asks me that question, I always say I want the power to take other people’s superpowers. I feel like that’s cheating though. I’m gonna give you a real one. The power to control gravity. It sounds simple enough, but you could really create mini planets by controlling gravity. I would be a supervillain honestly. That’s some supervillain shit: either taking someone else’s powers or controlling gravity. If I’m fighting someone, I’m using my powers to make a mini planet and I’m throwing it at them. Shit like that.
If you could go back in time and tell younger self one thing, what would it be?
Honestly if I could go back in time, I’m telling myself to invest in bitcoin. I would tell myself to take my time. In the past, I’ve rushed into a lot of things that ended up either biting me in the ass or not working out in general the way I would like it to. And, that everything’s going to be ok. I feel like a trend within my life has been me worrying about something. Everything’s going to be ok. You made it this far by yourself and you’re ok. Just remember that. But, definitely invest in bitcoin.
Describe your perfect day.
I would wake up around nine. Nine or ten. I say nine or ten because I struggle with sleep. I’d do my usual morning routine: shower, brush my teeth, cook breakfast. I would do whatever responsibilities I have for that day. Something that I do is I design. I have a clothing brand. I design a lot, or I at least try to. If I’m not designing, I’m doing my own brand of personal research. It’s kind of like faux shopping where I would find pieces that inspire me. So: wake up, brush my teeth, do some design work, thrift shop. By that time its midday. I would – I don’t want to say smoke cause I’m trying to cut that out – but typically I would smoke to kind of sooth me. Simple day really. I would always end it with going to the gym though.
How have you changed in the past five years?
Being more emotionally mature. 5 years ago, I was in a very dark period in my life. That was one of my heights in terms of being depressed and anxious. Since then, I’ve gained (by experience) the ability to analyze my emotions and know when I’m getting back into those bad habits. I’m more conscious of myself and more aware. More emotionally intelligent. Back then, I was very stuck in my ways. Only thinking about myself. I try not to be that person.
If you could travel anywhere in the world for twenty-four hours (all expenses paid), where would you go and why?
Is it ok if I have two answers? The first answer that popped in my head is Honduras. I’m from Honduras, if that isn’t already known at this point. I haven’t been to Honduras since I was eleven. I’m twenty-four now, so it’s been a very long time. I still have very fond memories of being there. The last time I was there was probably the best time. It’s a very beautiful country. So, either Honduras or somewhere I’ve never been. I’ve always wanted to go to Amsterdam. Literally, because when I was younger Amsterdam was one of the few countries that had legal marijuana. I didn’t smoke at that point, but I knew I wanted to and I knew I wanted to go there to do it.