Meet Monique “Momo” Arao Garcia

Today we’d like to introduce you to Monique Arao Garcia.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Monique. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I started when I transferred to Bonita Vista High School in my sophomore year after spending my freshman year at Lincoln High School. I was really set in taking AP World History, but since I was coming in six weeks into the school year, the only elective I could take was a graphic design class. I was definitely out of my element; at that time, I didn’t think I was artistically inclined.

I lived in a comparative reality every time I would be in class or doing homework, I thought everyone was better than me. It felt like I was the only one who didn’t know how to draw. The assignments were super frustrating because I was missing the foundational knowledge to do well, to begin with.

I’m really glad it was a productive struggle because it was proven useful to me in my last two years of high school. I was part of (too) many clubs and no one else knows how to do graphic design but me, so I was the one who designed the flyers, handouts, and graphics for the majority of the time.

This carried on throughout my time at Southwestern College, when I was part of student leadership and started to become more involved in the Filipinx-American community. In 2015, I was the in-house Graphic Designer for the Associated Student Organization (ASO) for two years, and I did a lot of the flyers for the clubs that I dedicated a lot of my free time to. At some point, I was hired to do flyers for other clubs on campus and that’s when I started gaining confidence.

One thing led to another, and I found myself as the graphic design intern for the college district at large in the Office of Communications, Community, and Government Relations (CCGR) through the good word that was put in by someone who worked in the office, Ernesto Rivera. I was both the in-house Graphic Designer for the ASO and the graphic design intern for the CCGR office and at one point, someone joked and said to me that I created a monopoly on the campus.

By the end of my time in both departments on campus, I saw my projects everywhere I went, the Resources for Students poster that pointed out important sources of help that benefit the student body, the outreach material in the drawstring bags of campus tours for potential students, Southwestern College’s Day of Giving poster.

At the end of my graphic design class in high school, I told myself that because I liked it so much that I’m going to make a small business out of being a graphic designer by the time I turn 50. Speaking transparently, I chose an arbitrary number like 50 to give myself time to reconsider. Maybe I’ll get my PhD by then, maybe change my mind, maybe become a chief executive of a cybersecurity company. I did change my mind; I wanted to become a small business by the time I turn 22. Nothing was stopping me from doing it sooner, so why would I stop myself?

With the help of my friends, I did! I was given my website domain and hosting as a birthday gift from a friend. I learned how to become a business in the federal, state, and local levels. It was perfect timing too. Ernesto wrote a news article about me for the SWC news website, and that was the push I needed to gain traction. I created my first sticker design out of a phrase that means a lot to the Filipinx-American community, “Isang Bagsak!” It was the phrase that said after the end of every day on the picket line when the Filipinx and Mexican farmers were striking for better conditions in the late 1960s. Because of that article, I sold out of my Isang Bagsak! stickers in nine days, all 500 of them were gone.

My confidence grew exponentially. By the end of 2018, I had four stickers total. To this day, I know how five sticker designs, one shirt, an enamel pin, and an iron-on patch. Whenever I move to another medium, I always start off with the Isang Bagsak! design, the phrase I heard that propelled me into the Filipinx-American community that I call home. All of my designs that I sell as products have been and will always be centered around the Filipinx-American community.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It’s been smooth for the most part, but my self-confidence was my biggest obstacle. Self-doubt had me doing double-takes with every move I make because I lacked a lot of knowledge for me to even consider myself as a graphic designer. Since I only took one class in high school, a lot of what I know now is self-taught, so there was so much room to doubt myself and my abilities.

I really think that I could’ve become a small business as a graphic designer before I turned 22. My friends were completely encouraging with me becoming a small business sooner, but they also helped me understand that because I could and can, doesn’t mean I should right then and there. I think I would’ve crashed and burned in one year if I didn’t take that many double-takes with my foundational knowledge and my support system.

We’d love to hear more about your work.
Monique Arao Garcia Graphic Design is an unapologetically Filipina-American owned small business that aims to offer affordable graphic design services since 2018. I specialize in creating print material that aligns with the given branding identity. Don’t have a branding identity? We’ll work together to make one for you and your passion.

What I’m most proud of as a business is that I always reassure my clients that nothing that they ask is too much. I usually work with clients who are a lone wolf with their project; while projects can seem like a handful, there’s more than one hand involved between me and my client. I don’t work for my client, I work with my client. Every step of the process is meant to be collaborative.

What were you like growing up?
Growing up, I couldn’t keep still or quiet. I felt like I always had to prove myself to be the best in some form that I did. I won all but one every spelling bee that I participated in when I was in elementary school and I won all but one Student of the Year awards. I made up, arguably, the wittiest name for my middle school science project (The title was “Wait… What?” and it was about short-term memory).

I was in the International Baccalaureate program in high school so I can graduate in white and sit in the first row of graduation. I just had to be in a position where I stand out and I stopped at nothing to get there. Now, I just want to be the funniest person in the room so I can impress myself with how quickly I can be witty and crack the first joke.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.moniquearaogarcia.com
• Email: monique.arao.garcia@outlook.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/graphics.momo

Image Credit:
Kevin Raquidan, Matthew Bigornia, Sharnae Leones

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