There are so many factors that affect how our lives turn out, but one of the most interesting is how our backgrounds give us unique strengths and perspectives that affect who we are as adults. We asked rising stars from the community to tell us about their background and upbringing and how they feel it’s impacted who they are today.

Zhanjiang Liu | Graphic designer & illustrator

I was born in the sparsely populated Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in northern China. When I was a little boy, my parents were quite busy, so I was sent to an artist’s studio to draw and paint, not for professional training but for companionship. This decision had an impact on my life, forming my artistic perspective and enabling me to express myself creatively. When I reached school age, I was sent to a boarding school. I therefore spent very little time with my parents and lived with a variety of people from elementary school until I graduated from art college. This influenced my personality and the subject matter of my artwork. In my life, the majority of reunions with my parents have occurred during celebratory moments. Therefore, it was always natural for me to orient my artwork towards people and families. Read more>>

Jupiter Jones | Artistic Jack of all Trades, Creator and Much More

I’m originally from the East Coast, and have lived around the country and world. I think it has impacted not only my life but art as well. I grew up in a pretty diverse environment and It has greatly shaped my prospective on how I look at things around me. Growing up all over the place, with different cultures and vastly different backgrounds has made me a very resilient and adaptable person overall. Read more>>

Anne Nguyen | Art Director & Designer

Born and raised in San Jose, at the heart of Silicon Valley, I have been deeply influenced by a culture of innovation and an unwavering work ethic. As the child of Vietnamese immigrants working in the tech industry, I was raised with the belief that genuine success is the result of unwavering dedication and hard work. This upbringing instilled in me a determination to overcome challenges with resilience and unwavering commitment to excellence. Embracing my love for literature, I’ve always been a dedicated bookworm, spending my summers, nose-in-a-book, finding inspiration in genres ranging from horror to sci-fi and fantasy, which has fueled my vivid imagination. Read more>>

Carlos Manuel Casimiro | Director, Cinematographer & Video Editor

I was born in Lisbon, Portugal. An inspiring city, sunny almost all the year, full of life and history, bathed by the Tagus river. My parents had Pastry Shops where I spent a big amount of time, so, since very little I was always surrounded by lot’s of people, diferent people, from the rich to the poor, from the most modern to the most conservative minds, communicating. Portugal is a small country and I was blessed because since my early days I voyaged a lot trough out the country, and Spain, acknowledging different cultures, landscapes and ways of being and doing things. I think all of this made me look forward, being curious and always search for more information in films, magazines, museums, art gallerys and mostly books because at the time there was no internet. Learning English and French languages was also made necesssary. Read more>>

Anna Buksowicz | Film Director & Production Designer

I was born and raised in the suburbs of Warsaw, Poland. I grew up surrounded by very ambitious, intelligent, and kind people who taught me how to hustle and fight for my dreams. If i didn’t see the hard work my friends and family put into their goals, I don’t think I’d be where I am today. Having a dream is one thing, but you have to make it happen, and I gained that mindset early on. Growing up in Eastern Europe has definitely shaped my artistic voice – and my thesis film, “Butterfly Boy” highlights that; honest depictions of reality, exploring mixed feelings, wanting to cherish your heritage while moving towards modernity. Read more>>

Jackie Carnesi | Executive Chef at Nura

I was born and raised in South Texas, on the border of Mexico, and on the Gulf Coast. The city I’m from, Brownsville, is predominately Latino, so between the demographic and the geography, I learned a lot about Mexican cuisine and seafood growing up. My mom, Wilma, a beautiful woman from rural Tennessee, was a phenomenal cook that frequently involved me in the cooking process. She frequently made biscuits and muffins before I went to school in the morning. Not sure where she found the energy to cook like that on top of working a full time job and being a mom, but I guess that’s where I get my work ethic from.
So I exist somewhere between the crossroads of Mexican, Tex-Mex and Southern cuisines, which is really, a quite lovely place to be. Read more>>

Chaboi aka Gabe Madera | DJ / Producer / Curator / Artist Relations

I was born in Mexico City and grew up between between different cities in the U.S. during the 90s, mainly Los Angeles. I was a young immigrant Spanish speaker that spent his adolescence in a new country trying to learn to adapt to a new culture while striving to maintaining his native one. From early on, music was a big point of curiosity, focus and passion, whether it was going to backyard indie shows or starting metal bands in garages with friends or going to record stores just to listen to CDs, I was always looking to find the newest and most exciting bands, genres, venues, scenes, magazines, or anything cool that had to do with music culture. Read more>>