It’s Hispanic Heritage month and I’m a dual citizen of both Mexico and the United States. Just yesterday I celebrated Mexican Independence Day in my other hometown San Miguel de Allende, the cradle of the Independence movement. I’m a Latinx Californian with a neurodiverse mind and those layers shape the artwork I create. Sometimes it feels like I’m standing in three places at once, between two countries, and in my own world entirely. 

Growing up in San Diego and San Miguel, I learned to switch between languages like flipping between channels. I learned to ride my bike with my father down the California coastline or into the mountains. Each year for as long as I can remember, my family and I would catch a flight for Guanajuato, my Mexican home state during long summer and winter holidays. In the blink of an eye, I was walking down century-old cobblestone streets. I would hang out in the town zocalo to listen to mariachi music or savor the smell of my abuela Pillo’s home cooking. 

At the end of a long break, I was back in school again. Lucky for me, I was mainstreamed at an amazing elementary school, San Diego Cooperative Charter where the incredible teachers and staff always had my back. Grateful to Dr. Wendy and Sarah Saluta whose vision crafted just the right kind of place for a kid like me. There I took art classes from a remarkable art teacher, Allison Bell who grew my interest in making art, skills and confidence. At a young age, I found out my drawings and artwork could help me connect to other students. As an autistic kid, I often noticed small details that others missed, such as the way colors hummed when they sat side by side, faces on a violin or cello or the rhythm of mosaic tiles. I used to examine the faces of unrelated classmates, searching for unexpected echoes that could make them seem like twins or study the intricate patterns on the backs of small insects. The world could feel overwhelming as I tried to blend in with society, but art became my anchor. 

When I create art, the borders disappear. Being of two cultures and neurodiverse means I don’t fit into any sort of category, but I’ve come to realize that’s my spark. It pushes me to see things differently than others and build a new visual language that celebrates that perspective instead of hiding it. 

Last week I posted a set of bookmarks I designed covering the lives of different historic leaders and heroes to celebrate Latino Heritage Month and Mexican Independence Day. Today I’m including a new bookmark I made of an artist I greatly admire. The Mexican painter Frida Kahlo. I still remember the first time I visited her house, La Casa Azul in Mexico City taking in her self portraits. Not only did I see her art, but also someone with an eye for details and a vivid imagination like me. Frida did not hesitate to show her true self, she never softened her Mexican identity, but painted rich, vibrant portraits to show her spirit to the community and the world. She painted exactly who she was and that is what I think people admire the most about her work and persona. As a young Latinx artist who is autistic and a dual citizen, I sometimes wonder which version of myself people expect to see. Frida reminds me that I don’t have to choose sides. She showed me that art can be a place where all my pieces belong. Where the chaos around me can be transformed into something both fascinating and real inside my creative world. I want my art to convey honest messages to viewers, even if it’s weird, surreal or blazing with color.

This Hispanic Heritage month, I celebrate the two cultures I carry with my family lineage, and the way my autistic brain sees the world, a kaleidoscope. Frida teaches us the bravest thing an artist can do is to be completely true to themselves. If I stay on this path, I believe my art can build a bridge. A bridge for anyone who has ever felt caught between two cultures, between expectations, or between worlds. If my work makes just one person feel seen, then I know my voice is exactly where it’s meant to be.