Meet the cre (art) ive
I’m a multidisciplinary artist and creative (to which I’ve coined the term “cre(art)ive” who works across traditional and nontraditional media to explore themes of cultural identity, memory, and narratives, alongside lighter subjects such as lifestyle and everyday experiences. As a Filipino American, I draw from my heritage and lived experience to create both digital and traditional works.
Lately, my practice has centered on textile arts– crochet, knitting, and cross-stitch– while remaining open to new ideas and projects that emerge through ongoing inspiration and visual research, AKA things that pop up on my explore feed and Pinterest homepage.
There’s no one else that exists that sees the world the way you do and has experienced what you have.
That’s why what you create matters.
This is my favorite quote from my college advisor that succinctly describes the motivation behind my work. While preparing for my thesis, I had a lot of doubts on the subjects that I wanted to pursue, especially if it related to my culture. It felt too obvious, and I was worried that my peers would dismiss it as predictable and not challenging or original. That tension made me question whether pursuing something this subject would be meaningful, which made me dig deeper into my ideas and push beyond surface-level narratives and generalizations.
what is sumbi studio?
Sumbi Studio (stylized as SUMBI STUDIO) is my multidisciplinary creative studio. I use this space to develop my practice, explore my identity as a 1.5-generation Filipino American, and create work inspired by my experiences. I also document craft projects outside this main body of work, using them as a space to play, experiment, and explore new materials, processes, and forms of storytelling.
The studio was founded in May 2020, originally under the name Ssumbi. Its name, “Sumbi,” comes from Batangueño Tagalog, the dialect spoken by my family, making it a natural reflection of the cultural perspective that informs my work. In the future, I hope to collaborate with other artists, expand the studio to support them, and offer academic scholarships, but for now, my focus remains on developing my own practice.
Fun Facts:
- Sumbi is the name of this assistant
- Her clothing consists of a combination of two Filipino costumes: the Barong Tagalog and the Maria Clara I was inspired by these guides: Halo’s Cortana and Genshin Impact’s Paimon
First version of Sumbi Studios before I rebranded to SUMBI STUDIO.
SUMBI STUDIO 