I have always been a designer, whether I knew it or not. One of the only things I always wanted to do was craft, (and use my hands to make something.) Seeing me at my easel while my twin brother tried to sword fight with me was a common occurrence. Although the power of the sword was quite tempting, to me the power of the pen and brush spoke truer. The first copy I ever created was when I was 10, saying, “The world is breaking apart, just like my heart. Save it, Recycle.” It needs a little work, but even then I knew how much I wanted other people to be more environmental aware, or activists in their community through my writing.
Yet, the beauty of personal style captured my fancy as well, so as a tiny tot I raided my dad’s closet for all of his ties to turn my twin brother and I into the most experiential designers that Milan and London had ever seen at Fashion week. From the age of 11 and through to middle school my passion for fashion (to put it in the most corny way) was completely invigorated. I took sewing classes with young kids, grown women, and everyone in between. I learned leather working and crochet from my grandma, and through her and the spare time during the pandemic in 2020, I was able to start my crochet business, Amar_y_Crochet. Just like when we were kids dressed in ties, I used my twin brother and my family as my models and the foundation of my mission in my business. God put it on my heart to not only crochet this personal line of crochet wear for myself, but also for the benefit of other people de cualquiera cultura, hogar o historia, to find joy in adding some flare to their everyday life. My family reminds me of this joy and flare. Crochet is sensitive just like you, and it won’t hurt you. I built up my writing, Photoshop, and Canva skills in building my crochet Instagram and learning how to market for myself as an entrepreneur.
I not only realized how important copywriting was to me in advertising my line of clothing, but also how it was the tool for me to express every emotion I have felt in my life, whether it was during the stress and sadness of my family’s health and dealings with cancer, or with the striking response to the BLM movement in 2020 and presently. I have an entire notes packet dedicated to “Thoughts”, and one section I wrote in it was,
“It was this consistent bereavement and silencing that truly allowed “the thought to be patriots” to walk all over us, cut us off and set roadblocks to different paths of our futures, and sit in the seats holding the most power in the world when they truly don’t even represent the whole population in ideals nor race. It seemed that the space that was carved out for black people was the one of entertainment where maybe you could be seen and not heard through dance, or be the butt end of jokes, or show up as the maid or a slave in a remake of a famous book “referencing the good old days”, now to finally allowing black quarterbacks in in the NFL in the 70s, basketball players and calling them derogatory words like “dunkers” further sinking our futures into an institutionally prejudiced plan.
This series of events from my design interlaced with my activist path has shown me how I want to show up with my writing, my design, and in my company: with compassion, truth, a historic viewpoint, and perseverance to “lift while we climb”.
