Why Am I?
My mom used to wake up early and bake for me on Valentine’s Day before getting dressed for her ten, sometimes eleven-hour shifts at the hair salon. I proudly shared my heart-shaped treats with classmates. After school, I’d hop into my Papi Pedro’s cement-encrusted Toyota pickup after his long, hard hours on site. No matter how exhausted he was from work, he’d always insist on carrying my mochila for me. In grade school, I’d curiously watch my Mami Mela effortlessly create patterns for my Halloween costumes despite unbearably hot days in the sewing factory. She must have spent months perfecting them and I won all but one of my school costume contests.
It was in witnessing these simplistic, collaborative, family efforts— of making something from nothing— that the idea of De Nada Vintage came about. My love for clothing and antiques are mere compliments to my passion for the arts, sustainability, and community. But that wasn’t always so clear to me. Like many facing a quarter-life crisis, albeit in the midst of a global pandemic, I remembered our innate ability to achieve anything from nothing—de nada. It was the stark nothingness that surrounded me in these unprecedented times that illuminated the vast realm of opportunity within myself. It was the painful dissatisfaction with this nothingness that forced me into action… a practice well-known by my family for generations before me.
Once paralyzed by the fear of failure, I aspire for greatness with the help of selfless acts of kindness and Valentine’s Day surprises on an ordinary day. I no longer wish to remain crippled by the inevitable hardships or possibility of failure. While we may not always have what we need to attain the most polished version of our dreams— our heart’s deepest desires, I have chosen to work with these beautiful nothings until we have everything.
Le hechamos ganas y seguimos adelante.
mochila – backback
le hechamos ganas y seguimos adelante – we put in the effort and kept going
