EHHSTEPH

I've always been a little obsessed with the extraordinary. Growing up, movies were everything to me. The creatures, the music, the special effects, and those moments that made you wonder, "How the hell did they do that?" Michael Jackson's Thriller changed everything for me. Rick Baker's incredible werewolf transformation blew my mind! Jim Henson, Spielberg, Tim Burton, Guillermo del Toro, and all those wonderfully strange worlds only fueled my imagination. I didn't just want to watch the magic. I wanted to figure out how to make some of my own.Funny enough, it wasn't until my thirties that I realized I could actually learn practical special effects. Thanks to artist Tyler Green, I finally got my hands into prosthetics, molding, and creature creation. I've spent nearly 20 years working in healthcare, but art has always been where my heart lives. Somewhere between overnight shifts and ridiculous amounts of coffee, I started looking at ordinary mugs as little blank canvases. I mean, why not? And that's when things got wonderfully weird.During COVID, while navigating loss and infertility, my love for Frankenstein inspired my Nocturnals. These weren't just little monsters I created. They were my strange little kids, each carrying a piece of my imagination, emotions, and experiences. Every time one found a new home, it was bittersweet, like sending a little piece of myself out into the world. I guess that's the funny thing about art. Sometimes you start making something, and it ends up meaning so much more than you ever expected.I'm a first-generation American with Peruvian roots, and my culture, Incan ancestry, folklore, and fascination with the unknown are a huge part of who I am. I'm also big on individuality, women's empowerment, community, and making room for people who don't exactly fit the mold. That same spirit inspired School of Rejects, a creative project I started with my friend Chad that celebrated friendship, acceptance, and being unapologetically different.And speaking of where I come from, business has pretty much been in my blood since I was a kid. I grew up behind the cash register of my immigrant parents' business, learning about hard work, community, and connecting with people firsthand. That's also why Johnny Cupcakes has been such a huge inspiration to me. I love how he turned a business into an experience without losing that playful, nostalgic connection to childhood. Because seriously, who says growing up means you have to stop having fun? I don't want to just sell someone a piece of art. I want them to walk away with a story, a laugh, or a moment they'll remember.I love teaching, working with kids, and reminding people that creativity doesn't have to cost a fortune or follow some perfect set of rules. Give me some discarded materials, a little imagination, and permission to make a mess, and I'm happy. Whether it's sculpting, digital art, filmmaking, or dreaming up characters for a children's book, I'm always finding new ways to bring the ideas in my head to life.