Today we’d like to introduce you to Bianca Austria.
Bianca, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I’ve been drawing for as long as I can remember. One of my earliest memories was my mother buying me these huge buckets of Crayola crayons and to me, it felt like receiving a pot of gold. I would spend hours in my room drawing. In my early years, I was a curious albeit shy kid. I always preferred the company of myself and my crayons. Even though my mom dressed me up in pink dresses and tiaras, I grew up a tomboy because I had two brothers and the absence of a constant sister figure in my life. I had a couple of Barbie dolls growing up, but even then, I always ended up discarding them to go play with a Gameboy instead. My childhood was spent hours flipping through comic books, watching cartoons, and playing videogames. I was deeply fascinated by all the imagery and visual storytelling. It was no surprise to see these images make its way into my sketchbook. Before I even realized it, I was already setting my future in stone. I wanted to do art for the rest of my life. Art was such an innate part of me that I swore to myself I’d be drawing until the grave. It was draw or die, baby!
By the time I reached high school, I was no longer the quiet kid who stared at people. I was loud and I laughed a lot. I loved to smile and I was a bit of a social butterfly. One thing about me stayed the same though. I never stopped drawing and I loved telling stories. During my teenage years, I had a bit of a rebellious streak in me. In an effort to see the world unsupervised past my gated life, I would go out and see my friends, lie to my parents, stay out past my curfew, and make ends meet just to see whoever boy I had a crush on back then. Maybe it was because I went to the same private all-girls Catholic school for more than ten years, maybe it was my affluent upbringing that led to it, maybe it’s both, who knows? All I know is I never lost that stubbornness in me. And to my mother’s frustration, I still carry that rebellious streak with me today. It’s no secret that most Filipino families would want to see their kids flourish as nurses, doctors, or accountants. To choose a degree in Fine Arts was not common. But then again, I was stubborn and driven. I knew what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I will always be grateful for my parents’ unconditional support for my passion, even though a small part of me will always feel guilty for walking down a path that strayed furthest from the family business.
I moved to Los Angeles in 2016 to pursue my dream of becoming an artist. Honestly, I was tired of my cloistered life. I was a kid who hungered to see the world and thirsted for every experience possible. I wanted to experience life at its finest, including all the not-so-fine things about it. Choosing California was the best and biggest decision of my life. I have always been mesmerized by the richness of art and culture in Los Angeles and I have always wanted to be a part of that. I wanted to throw my own cultural narrative into that mix; I wanted to give Filipinos a voice through my work. I wanted to share the beauty of my Motherland. I wanted to show how golden our skin was, how much we adored food, how much we laughed, how strong we were at times of calamity, and how much we loved family.
Leaving my country was risky to say the least, but Los Angeles embraced me with open arms and within her embrace, I thrived. The bustling and yet glittering coastal charm of Los Angeles appealed to me and I found myself easily being drawn to it like a moth to a flame. It was a complete 180-degree shift from my old life. I am a working student and I currently work as a graphic designer for California State University Long Beach under the ASI Communications department while doing freelance work and running my own small (and still growing!) Etsy shop.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
No. Definitely not. I’ve butted heads with my parents about certain beliefs. I still do! Although my background was deeply rooted in Catholicism, I never considered myself religious. No matter how many prayers they had me memorize back in Catholic school, I never felt like a religious person. I do, however, consider myself spiritual but religious? Not quite. I have my own set of personal beliefs and I follow values that are not solely unique to one religious institution but are more universal to humanity as a whole. I felt more comfortable trusting my own soul and inner grit to overcome any hurdle in my life than depending on a higher being to lead the way. I do think my life is part of something bigger and I strive to build that feeling of interconnectedness and liveliness with the world around me through my own work. I just want to do good and share that goodness with everyone.
Aside from that, I also struggled with being the only daughter in the family. I grew up sandwiched between two brothers so I was a big tomboy growing up. I could roughhouse with my brothers and pick up a game controller just as well as they could but at the end of the day, I was more sheltered than they could ever be. There were double standards while growing up which frustrated me to no end. I think it is safe to say that my rebellious streak was a bi-product of my frustration. To my mother’s horror, I got my first tattoo within the first two years of being an Angeleno. To this day, she hates looking at it. Still, I love my parents with all my heart and I would not be where I am today if it weren’t for their hard work. I’m grateful for them.
In LA, people embrace the idea of individualism and they make it so easy to be themselves. I’ve benefited from that because nobody has judged me for my choices so far. Everybody I’ve met here has been so supportive of my work. Back home, people were more conservative and often criticized my choices. “How will you make money as an artist?” “What job can you even apply for?” “Who will take over the family business?” I’ve had relatives back home who did not know how to appreciate the arts. Their understanding of art and what constitutes art was only a surface-level understanding which I found very discouraging. As much as I love the Philippines, I always felt like there was a certain identity I had to mold myself into in order for me to become successful. I always felt like something was holding me back and it was an awful feeling knowing what I wanted to do but not being able to do just that.
Please tell us more about your art.
I’m an artist! Specifically, I’m a painter, illustrator, and designer. I love working both traditionally and digitally. When I work traditionally, I love working in graphite pencils for drawings and oil paints for painting! My favorite subjects involve my Filipino heritage and my endless fascination with the West which is not surprising considering I find myself caught in between two worlds separated by vast waters. Los Angeles and Manila are my two homes and I draw inspiration from both.
I’m proud of the work I do and how much progress I’ve made since moving here. I knew it was not going to be easy leaving family and friends back in Manila to start anew in Los Angeles, but here I am! I’m proud knowing that planting my feet here in LA was a decision I made for myself. Every day, my parents become more aware of my work and it brings me so much joy to see them impressed with what I do. It’s always been a dream of mine to study art and do what I love all while running a small online shop where I can share my art with everyone.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
For me, success is defined by the influence of your own work. My criteria for success is if the work you are doing for yourself brings you joy and you are able to share that kind of joy with other people, then I’d say that’s pretty darn successful, bub! I like to think success tastes sweeter when shared with somebody else.
Contact Info:
- Address: 6527 W 87th St. Los Angeles, CA 90045
- Website: biancaaustria.com
- Phone: 8182812998
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: biancaaustria
- Other: Etsy Shop: BiancaAustriaArt
Image Credit:
Joy Watanabe
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