_Cherrymiffy - Jenny Sandoval

We've got our first poet on the blog today! Jenny Sandoval (They/them) is first generation a poet, film photography enthusiast, and passionate educator. Jenny has a background in elementary education and believes deeply in encouraging creativity in the classroom. Their family roots trace back to Tijuana, Nayarit and Michoacán. Their poetry explores powerful themes like identity, mental health, and the immigrant experience- often drawing form their own life. They've self-published two poetry books and are currently working on a new collection. When they're not writing you'll fund them taking dreamy film photos with their hello kitty camera.

I was so happy open my inbox to Jenny's submission with their poetry. Their words are beautifully relatable and the imagery created to go along with it is so captivating and eye-catching. It is cool to see the kawaii influence that can be seen through Jenny's work which came from an introduction of anime from their uncle and childhood trips to the Sanrio store with their mother. I also got Jenny's opinion on why so many Latino's end up interested in kawaii culture, "I believe this is because Latino channels have a lot of anime options. I vividly remember when I was a kid and I would spend my school break with my aunt in Tijuana and her having “Candy Candy” on the TV. I also believe because many immigrants and first generation had to grow up fast and not really have a childhood or a childhood they could enjoy, kawaii things are a safe space to bring back a way to connect with your inner child"

"I write my poetry in English and Spanish, being a first generation, eldest daughter from a single mother, and Tijuana. I write politically about the Mexican experience living in the USA and right now during these extremely difficult times that ICE is at high rate. We have to protect our communities! Art is political use your voice, your writing, your painting, your photograph to make a point!"

"No matter how much you think your art is not reaching people or don’t feel you aren't doing your best, remember there is someone in this world that will connect with your art! I took over a year break from poetry and didn’t know if I would share my poetry again due to these feelings and what got me back was knowing my words are important and I can keep some poetry for myself and also share some poetry to the world. Imposter syndrome is real and especially for people like me that don’t have any writing connections and are self taught. I am truly proud of everything I have put out as a poet and understanding the process of always learning how to write and graphic design better."

Huge thanks for Jenny for this submission and being so vulnerable in your writing! It is truly inspiring. You can check out Jenny's work on their website here.

Mooeyandfriends - Michelle

Today on the blog we have Michelle of Mooeyandfriends.com Apart from being an OG  kawaii lifestyle blogger (she's been running her blog for over 10 years) she is an amazing crochet artist! She is a first generation Mexican-American, with familial roots to Morelia, Michoacán. Her work that especially caught my eye were her crochet piñatas. 

So many of people that I feature on this blog inspire me in so many different way's, what admire about Michelle is how varied all her work is. "I blog about topics such as  astrology, beauty reviews, books, crochet, crystals, curly haircare, dolls, gaming, journaling, kawaii culture, lifestyle, tarot, reading, skincare, and more! There is no niche  here!" Like I mentioned she is also a crochet artist and has a substack dedicated to Blythe dolls.  

"I feel like it’s always been part of my life since I was a child. I loved Hello Kitty, Sanrio,  and cute things for my entire life. However, I got really into Japanese Harajuku fashion in  the mid-2000s, and I feel like that really amplified my love for kawaii culture as both go  hand-in-hand." The mixture of her kawaii interests and Latino culture make for the cutest content on her blog too. "For my blog, I've published some photo diary posts when I visited Mexico since I visit  family pretty regularly. Because of these posts, I also started sharing more of my travel  photo diary posts on my blog."

My favorite thing about this interview was hearing about how Michelle got the inspiration for her Latino inspired crochet works. "In one of my previous jobs, I used to frequent Latin /Hispanic grocery stores. The bright colors of the store and the fun illustrations on the packaging inspired me to crochet some crochet patterns for my blog (the candy skull garland and papel picado garland). I  also crocheted some skull keychains and plushies, and a series of piñatas, which were  inspired by the piñatas I would see at these stores. I loved piñatas as a kid! I mean, who  doesn't want to get their anger out by hitting their favorite cartoons and be rewarded with candy? lol!" 

Hope you enjoy discovering Michelle's work as much as I did. Her work perfectly embodies kawaii culture with a pastel twist that is so eye catching! You can follow along with Michelle's content on her Instagram here and if you'd like to purchase of her crochet art or some of her crocheting services you can check that out on her Depop! 

Kawaii y Latina Merch is here!

 

We now have merch available to rep Kawaii y Latina! I hand made pennant flags inspired by the university one you've probably seen before. As you can see they make insanely cute wall decor and I'm super excited to see pictures of how you guys add them to your space. I also got jumbo sparkly logo stickers made that also double as bumper stickers ͙͛ ˚₊⋆ They are weather proof so they are super durable :3 I stuck mine on my iPad case but I would love to see one on a skateboard. If there are any skaters reading this let me know and I will send you one in exchange for a pic of it on your board!! Last item in the merch drop are some acrylic logo keychains to add some cuteness to your keys. Profits of the merch go to the costs of running the blog ͙͛ ˚₊⋆ Don't forget to tag us on Instagram if you decide to get any goodies! <3

_ajmart_ - Amaryllis Monzon

First of all, happy Hispanic Heritage Month! This month is a time to celebrate all the beautiful things about our culture and I'm so grateful for all of you who tune in to the blog and help create our Kawaii y Latina community! <3 I'm hoping to squeeze in some extra blog posts this month to celebrate.

In this week's post we are highlighting the Mexican artist Amaryllis Monzon, a 20 year old artist, creating original characters along with stories to go along with them. She is a college student who will soon be attending Otis college of art and design to continue studying illustration. 

Her introduction into kawaii culture as a kid included shoujo animes and mangas, which also impacted her art style as well. Amaryllis blends this inspiration with her own life experiences growing up Latina, creating characters that many people can relate or see themselves in. "If it wasn’t obvious enough with my work, I love illustrating character concepts and designs or comics and colorful pieces! I use a lot of brighter colors with my work especially pink, I feel no matter what I’m drawing there is always some bit of pink hue somewhere in the piece. If the subject matter of my pieces aren’t a character of mine it’s usually my artist persona as I also use my art a lot to feel good about myself as a form of self love!"

Amaryllis also made a great point about how a lot of us being into kawaii culture really challenges the usual stereotypes that we are usually labeled with, "I think it’s great for more Latinas to get into kawaii culture and express themselves more in such a sweet and cute way, I feel sometimes at least in my experience we can be told we have sharp attitude or we’re always placed in that “spicy Latina” stereotype and I feel kawaii culture is just such a expressive and l enjoyable way to embrace our femininity more and step away from that stereotype that some try to stick us in."

As you may know, one question I love asking my interviewees is their opinion on why Latino's may gravitate towards kawaii culture. This is what Amaryllis had to say: 

"I feel they gravitate a lot towards kawaii things or cute culture because it has a very

childlike whimsy and innocence to it, and i feel with the way some of us are raised and

tend to be in a lively extroverted household we sometimes find enjoyment in loud and

positive aesthetics such as kawaii culture! Not only that I find that lots of latinos are

raised on mixed media and find themselves in things they are shown and since not a lot

of popular children’s characters are latino aside from dora you tend to project that onto

racially ambiguous characters like hello kitty in a way as there’s numerous edits on

social media of hello kitty repping different Latino flags or even sailor moon characters

edited by amazing artists to have them look more Latina!"

Some of Amaryllis's upcoming projects include a story called Late Night Party of Five, centered around one of her original characters. She also recently became an affiliate for the makeup brand, Flower Knows. You can keep up with her projects and art by following her on Instagram here. <3

We're now on Discord! ⸜(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝♡

 

Hi guys! 𖹭.ᐟ After doing a poll on Instagram, a lot of you were interested in a Kawaii y Latina Discord server. So I had to give the people what they want. ദ്ദി(˵ •̀ ᴗ - ˵ ) ✧ It will be a fun place to chat about all things kawaii with like minded people. Super excited to interact more with all of you <3 You can join by clicking here. Link is also on the home page of this site in case you ever need it again under "Quick Links"

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Bratty Natty Couture - Nathalie Sánchez

Today's Kawaii y Latina feature comes from Texas! Nathalie Sánchez is the artist creating one of a kind kawaii inspired creations for her brand Bratty Natty Couture. She is a first generation Latina with roots that trace back to Ecatepec, Mexico and Celaya, Guanajuato. Although she started her brand back in 2021, the inspiration for it came from her childhood.

"I was a quiet and shy kid who loved getting lost in my own little projects. Drawing was my favorite thing, and I was always finding fun ways to make something out of whatever I had—cutting up magazines, saving candy wrappers, or using gift bags for collages. I even used nail polish as glue or paint sometimes! Being creative was how I expressed myself back then, and still is to this day. Bratty Natty Couture started in 2021 and is very much inspired by my personal obsessions, childhood nostalgia, sweet deco and a commitment to always having something pink -whether it’s a statement accessory or a full-blown pastel fantasy. My pieces are made for the dolls who like to stand out, and wear clothing that feels like a mood board come to life. I specialize in making 1 of 1 pieces -whether it’s making Decoden cream lighters junked out in charms , big hair bow or sewing dreamy silhouettes from scratch or reworking vintage finds into something entirely new. Every look and products is an extension of my world: kawaii, pink, expressive , and unapologetically bratty." 

From doing a good amount of these interviews, I've noticed a similar experience of how a lot of us got introduced to kawaii culture and that is the internet in our middle school years. So many of us watched those iconic makeup tutorials during those early youtube days. Nathalie really describes her personal experience with that so perfectly. "I first started getting into kawaii culture around middle school, but my love for all things cute started way earlier. I grew up completely obsessed with Hello Kitty, anything pink, hair bows, sparkly, princessy, or covered in unicorns—it was always my vibe. In middle school, I started exploring makeup and would spend hours watching dolly and kawaii makeup tutorials online. By high school, I had discovered Harajuku fashion / Hime Gyaru and instantly fell in love. I was so inspired by the bold makeup and creative styling, big lacy hair bows and I started finding ways to blend that influence into my style."

I really admire Nathalie's work and how expressive it is. Looking at her art feels like entering a whole new kawaii-fied universe. But her work doesn't end with Bratty Natty. She also recently started co-hosting Deco Dolls Market with @lovelyfresas—a fun, safe and creative space in Dallas to showcase small businesses and artists. "Our first market in July featured was Little twin Star themed where we had giveaways, DIY Decoden clips, photo ops, and support for families impacted by recent ice raids. Our next one’s in December! Can’t wait to keep building community and what’s in store for the upcoming year. 💝" From the pictures I've seen, the market looks amazing and it is always inspiring to see other Latinas work to create something bigger than themselves while also giving back to their Latino community.

Nathalie's next project includes a new clothing collection coming soon and her first fashion show as a designer later this year! We'll be keeping on tabs for that for sure following up for a follow up interview. (∩^o^)⊃━☆ In the meantime make sure to follow Nathalie on Instagram and if you are in the Dallas area, check out Deco Dolls Market!

Violetsarentbluue - Giselle Gonzalez

 

If you frequent pop ups or vendor markets in the SoCal area you have probably come across Giselle. She is the artist behind Violetsarentbluue and a regular vendor at the Little Tokyo Flea Market. I found myself relating to so much of what she said, specifically when she mentions how many different mediums she has tried out. And how her visits to the swamp meet while growing up introduced her to so many new characters. (I remember buying my first hello kitty items at the swamp meet and santee alley way before I ever set foot in a Sanrio store.) The interests Giselle grew up with have stayed with her and how inspire the work she creates. 

Tell us about yourself and your work! (✿◡‿◡)

I've always been a very creative individual and I pick up more hobbies than I can count. I love to draw, play bass guitar, and make keychains. I always feel the need to make or do something which is why I offer a variety of products such as keychains, button pins, hair clips, stickers and clay items. I started off my account doing ramos, my business name is a play on words inspired by a poem and my weenie dog Violet. I attended my first ever market last year as a customer and was amazed at all the talented vendors and didn't know it was something you could do, so I decided to test my luck and make the switch. Since then, I have had the opportunity to sell at so many different events from Orange County to LA & SD, meet likeminded people, and make this my full time job. I love what I do and I mean it when I say that everything is handmade with love! 

When did you first get into kawaii culture? (´･ω･`)?

 A lot of my items are inspired by childhood toys, retro magazines, music and youtube. Back when youtube was really popular, I remember watching videos of people doing dolly makeup, trying japanese snacks, and making decoden items. Music videos like Avril Lavigne's “Hello Kitty”, PonPonPon, and Hatsune Miku changed my life. Early internet days have influenced my aesthetic and who I am today.

Why do you think so many Latinos gravitate towards kawaii things and cute culture? ☆*: o(≧▽≦)o*☆

I think Latinos gravitate towards kawaii things because we were surrounded by it from a young age. I visited swapmeets a lot when I was little so i am used to the cross of cultures and items. A lot of latinos also grew up owning Hello Kitty items or watching DBZ. I was one of the kids who had to get rid of her Hello Kitty items when the whole thing about her not having a mouth came out. And I think not being allowed to own those items or even allowed to fully express myself has made me gravitate towards it a lot more now. 

How does your Latina culture impact your work? o((>ω< ))o

Trips to the swapmeet every weekend and seeing the many toys, colors, different characters and influx of different types of products is what has inspired what i make. Especially for future projects, i am going to be incorporating a lot more of my personal art which is influenced by the chicano style. 

Giselle is currently fully booked for events in August so I encourage all our SoCal cuties to check out her account for those upcoming events. She also let me know that she is going to start selling prints as well. You can follow her on Instagram here. <3