1. Bio

Mexican-American writer and multimedia artist. Her project Journey of a braid investigates the themes of identity, interconnectivity and roots. Her performances focus on the value of ritual and community participation. A marketing graduate, she now studies art at Dallas College. She has a prolific series of collaborations under her belt, with many newspapers, universities, fashion and design education institutes and she has been a speaker and moderator for important national and international events. She is co-founder of The Bazaar for Good, a philanthropic enterprise that raises funds for projects with social impact through fashion, with a particular focus on children in Latin America.

2. The power of dream

I don’t believe in utopias, I know that everything is a balance between light and shadow, that’s why I believe that a dream becomes powerful when we align it with everyday, concrete actions. That way we make it come true, one day at a time. Braiding strangers’ hair is a concrete gesture that allows me to experience closeness. Braiding hair is letting go of emotions, realising that the past is the past and there is nothing you can do about it; braiding hair is taking hold of the present, choosing a ribbon that symbolises a precise goal for the future. The strength of a dream lies here, in the courage to give a precise name to each desire and in the strength to pay attention to the small choices that, with constancy, make it come true.

3. My journey into real beauty

True beauty is certainly not about appearance, but visual impact has an incredibly strong power. When you put some effort into getting ready, you see yourself differently and allow yourself to feel different. There is enormous value in using beauty and the daily routine as a spark for something bigger, as a reminder of our inner strength and a symbol of our ability to change and transform ourselves. Stepping out of the box, being who we really are, expressing the deep purpose of our existence and not what others expect of us, this is the journey to true beauty. And ribbons, accessories, can be the objectification of the steps we take every day to achieve it.

4. What I’ve learned and won’t let go

Having a purpose makes us strong, and finding something every day to remind us of this, allows us not to lose the perception of who we really are, in the frantic race for roles this society has always tried to frame us in. If we must have a role, we might as well design it for ourselves so that we can express who we really are. My greatest wish for us women is that we learn to put purpose beyond ego, if we can do this we can take over the world. Setting aside ego as an end in itself would make us freer and stronger, as well as extraordinarily united, close, and powerful.