Growing up as a third-generation Mexican American who didn't speak Spanish, I navigated multiple communities where I struggled to find my place. I spent my childhood in Bakersfield's poor Black neighborhoods while attending a predominantly White Mormon church. Caught between worlds, I secretly wanted to be a cholo-drawn to their tough brotherhood and style— but chose the Mormon path instead, believing I couldn't be both.

Through moves between communities-White punk rock scenes, Latino neighborhoods-the feeling persisted. There seemed to be so many competing pathways, and I felt like I couldn't authentically exist in any of them.

A pivotal moment came during a retreat when someone with a similar background said, "Isn't it beautiful, coming from nowhere?" I realized I could embrace building my identity without being tethered to any single community. I could finally accept the paradox within myself.

I take a little here and a little there. I am a dad, a husband, a Chicano, spiritual, a drummer, a mountain biker, a filmmaker, an artist, a Utahan. This work explores the beauty of existing in the spaces between-celebrating the complexity of identity that refuses to be contained by any single definition.

32x24in Framed prints available for purchase. Email to inquire.