Latinxs born in the US have always faced a battle with their identity. Always belonging, but not really, they’ve tried their best to create their own identity taken from both their roots. That is the case of Monica Marie, a Mexican-American artisan, who, through her craft, has found a way to express her identity.
Marie discovered her passion for art at a very young age, but it was only a couple of years ago, when she finally saw it as a way to earn a living. She had started by displaying her creative ornaments and artworks on social media just for fun, and got a lot of attention from the Latinx community, who could relate to her creations.
Soon later, she opened her own shop, called Artsy Chica Boutique, in San Juan Bautista, California, where her work sells incredibly well, especially the Serape Flag, which combines her American identity and her Mexican roots. The three-by-five flag, first launched back in 2017, has the emblematic 50 stars of the American flag sewn onto a traditional Mexican Serape pattern, and it sells for around 65 dollars plus shipping.
As Marie explains, she “had a vision to combine my two cultures, and it became the 50-star Serape Flag.” But besides her famous flag, she has many other beautiful products that perfectly syncretize American pop culture with Mexican traditions and art.
At the end of the day, the flag, and basically all of Marie’s craft, end up comprising a sentiment that the Latinx community has had through history, a wish to express and embrace an identity unique to them.
Images from @artsychicaporvida
