Erika Bautista
483E | Graphic and Interactive Design | CSUF
About Me
I was born in Torrance, California, and have lived in Carson my entire life. My parents were both born in various parts of the Philippines, so my sister and I are first-generation Americans. Apart from celebrating debuts (a traditional Filipino coming-of-age celebration), attending parties with traditional games, and enjoying Filipino cuisine, we didn't engage much in other traditional customs or holidays. I currently have no intentions of relocating except for travel. I find California incredibly convenient, and I'm content with my current situation. As I continue to learn more about myself, I find a greater interest in exploring and understanding other cultures and religions. My graphic work often reflects this curiosity, focusing on other cultures such as Polynesian, Czech Republic, Irish, Japanese, Korean, and Chinese cultures. I’m interested in researching different religions like Buddhism, Wicca, Catholicism, Christianity, etc., but I only want to adopt portions of these religions that align with my personal views.
I am an independent small business owner, a highly opinionated individual, and have high standards for others and even higher standards for myself. I am quiet and introverted, but I like to try to sympathize and insert myself in another's place. I see myself as a versatile individual. While I may not excel in any single area, I take pride in my ability to adapt and explore various aspects of art. I deeply understand and connect with people's emotions through my strong sense of empathy. I am observant of people's preferences and aversions. This helps me connect with others more deeply and understand them better in our interactions, as well as having a clearer look into their personality. I take pride in being able to craft data in a creative way. Over the past three years, I’ve been leaning into my crystal and gemstone jewelry making hobby, as well as researching and reiterating the information I have learned. Although I don’t plan to be an educator, I am happy knowing that I can exert some influence on others and spread knowledge on subjects that I am well versed in.
Although I don’t personally involve my own culture and heritage, my work is dedicated to spreading awareness, information, and memories through my designs. I work well with being able to accurately represent people, ideas, values, and personality in my designs. I began learning about other cultures through a previous job where I did graphic design work for memorial services and celebrations, particularly with the local Samoan and Polynesian communities. I’d like to think that the graphic design work I did for these funerals and memorials is me doing my part in helping the families seek closure for the chaos and loss that they were experiencing. A lot of the design work involved being bold, loud and sometimes even loaded/cluttered, which was the complete opposite of my own personality, so it was able to bring me out of my comfort zone. I hope that the families can properly grieve one day and the art I’ve created for their loved ones accurately represented them and their personalities. My interest in other religions sparked when I started making jewelry with crystals as a hobby and learning about metaphysics. I find it fulfilling that my line of work involves real small businesses operated by genuine individuals. It is gratifying to develop both my graphic design skills and foster connections within these communities at the same time. My aim is to engage with the crystal and spiritual communities through informative infographics. As a hobbyist working with gemstones and minerals, I've encountered many eager learners interested in understanding various crystals. I feel confident in my ability to create visuals that explain the scientific, historical, and metaphysical properties of minerals. I aim to gain recognition from individuals involved in the crystal selling industry to demonstrate my deep knowledge of the subject, distinguishing myself from those who simply resell or create jewelry.
Web 3.0 will surely be the future of all things digital, especially in the creative field. While I’m not well versed in some things like NFTs and cryptocurrencies, I can see that AI tools will be used by many designers and agencies to speed up production times and may also be used to create inspiration for new ideas. While Web 3.0 in general has had many hiccups and negative public response, it does show great potential in its use as a powerful creative tool. Graphic designers might use it for layout ideas, creating color palettes, generating NFT artwork to work off, and even for creating templates. I plan to embrace these changes by using what Web 3.0 and AI has to offer in tools and ideas to enhance my workflow, but I won’t use it as a means to an end to create a product or design. As many people in the creative field say, art from real people will still be important and I intend to support this belief.
