- I remember my dad told me one day,
we were painting a house,
and then he said, he's like, "I'm doing this
so you and your sister never have to be
around paint like this again."
(mellow music)
- I feel like I disappointed my dad.
I don't wanna talk about that.
Right now we're about to go pick up a furniture piece
that's gonna be a royal blue.
I like to have monochromatic with everything.
I usually spray the foam on top of it
and then I spray paint it or I add little objects.
(lively music)
My mom, she was trying to escape
the horrible living condition where she was from.
She had to cross the desert to get here.
She would always tell us
that she lived in Skid Row for a few months
when she first got here and she said
that for her to survive she had to go
to a McDonald's dumpster and pick at the food and eat that
until she found someone that gave her a job at a bar.
I really experienced it when I was older, like 14,
and I went to Mexico.
And I showed up with my clothes that I had here
then I went there and I was like
not everyone gets to have what I have.
I feel like there's sort of this pressure
with children of immigrants
who get into a money making career
because you come from nothing.
Your parents did all this so you don't have to do
the same that they're doing, you know?
My mom was really supportive all the time
with what I wanted to do.
My dad was more realistic and was like hey,
you need to do something that's gonna make money
so you should just be a nurse.
And I was like f--
It would have been easier if I just wanted to be a nurse.
Everything's already set for me.
But as an artist you never know
where the opportunities are gonna come.
- [Interviewer] Do you feel like your mom
is ever disappointed about it?
- I don't think so.
I think she sees all the potential.
That makes me a lot happier, hopeful that okay,
if she sees something in me then I can totally do it.
(hard rock music)
I mean a lot of us have the same story here.
You know, we have immigrant parents.
And we're doing something that it's like
they don't understand, but we're doing it
because that's what we love.
You literally got all the odds against you.
I mean most of the galleries are white run
or it's people that come from money.
And it's like they get to pick and choose
who they wanna put.
So now if they wanna have diversity
they start adding people like us.
That's with anything here.
Who runs Buzzfeed?
Buzzfeed is giving me the opportunity
to talk about my stuff right now.
But what if this person didn't want that happening?
And that's with anything.
(dramatic music)
I would tell myself that eventually
it's gonna be all worth it.