Liliana — See Me Because

Most of my thoughts are visual, so sometimes I struggle to put my thoughts into words. Growing up I went to a lot of different schools so I never had a sense of community because I would have to leave the community as soon as I got there. It was hard for me to stay connected and I got kind of lonely. I would have preferred to stay in one place and grow up with people so I could be closer to them and have stronger bonds.

My relationship with my mom is at a best friend level. We’re really close. She was always there for me when moving around. She was my little community. She was a single mom, and she was pretty young herself. We're both maturing and learning. She's my world. If I were to lose her. I don't know what I would do. I’m really grateful to have her in my life.

I've started to come out of my shell and overcome my shyness. I have a friend group at my current school. Most of them are artists and their work is so amazing. They all stand out in their own way and I want to be a part of that. We find comfort in shared interests and topics that “normal” people would deem as “weird. We love weird. They like me for who I am. That’s what makes us a community.

If I could, I would change society’s negative stereotypes towards being different or being deemed a “weirdo.” People make assumptions that if you're different you do drugs or don’t want to follow any rules. It’s quite the opposite. Being different helps us understand each other better. We want to help everyone find peace in the world by learning how to be open minded, because a lot of our world is closed minded and we need to crack it open.

I’m Mexican but I don’t really look the part. Being lighter hasn’t really affected me, but I know it affects other people. I don’t speak the language, so I kinda feel separated. I want to identify more with my culture. That leaves me stuck in the middle of being White and Hispanic, choosing between the two sides. It’s a hard place for me to be, and hard for me to express my identity when I don’t even know what it is.

Diversity is a theme I love to put into my art. I'm also really curious about humanity and how we act. I love incorporating different perspectives into my stories so people feel represented. I want people to find comfort in my art and know that we’re not alone. I want to be a person others can look up to - that role model that I've always been looking for.

As an illustrator, I recently started learning animation. I’ve also created my own style of collage work. It all started freshman year when I got this moleskine sketchbook. I started developing my skill of layering, adding color, putting construction paper in my sketchbook, laying stickers, putting in random objects I found and gluing them in. I really like experimenting. My art is helping me gain a sense of being different. I identify more with my art work. My style is band tees and purple hair. I’m going to do blue hair next. I like that it brings me closer to my end goal of being completely different from everyone around me. I want to stand out.

I see myself in the future as a director of my own animation studio, offering a place where people can feel safe to come to share their ideas and different parts of themselves. I want everyone to have a place there. This is what motivates me.

I’m inspired by small animation studios and hearing stories of where the big shots started. I see directors now, doing what I want to do, creating things that help so many people. I want to be that person to help through my art.

I understand there will be struggles. In the creative world, it's hard to get to the top and make a living off of it. I’ll need lots of helping hands to achieve my dream, and patient people who don't mind me asking them thousands of questions. I can’t do it all by myself. I need a community. I don't want to dig myself in a hole where I can't reach people's hands to get their help. I don't want to feel alone. Even though I’m small, I want to take the time to ground myself in the dirt of the art world and hopefully grow to become that big, tall tree that everyone can admire. I really want this and I'm willing to strive for it.

I want people to know that my dreams are big, and I will accomplish my goals. I have lots of potential and I'm really excited to see the person I become.

Milwaukee, 2024