Today we’d like to introduce you to Oni Gallegos.
Oni, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Hello! And welcome to The Oniverse. I have always found my heart has been drawn to creativity in any means. I have always loved being on stage, whether in front of five people or hundreds. I am continually finding that the more beautiful events and weddings I coordinate, the more I want to envision and produce. All the while, I am aspiring to pursue my passion for creating odd and thought to provoke pieces of art to share with the universe.
I grew up in a military household, meaning four different states in seven different houses… Which means a whole lot of moving box forts! I am the youngest of four and the child of two impeccable parents. I have been fortunate to grow up in a household where “follow your dreams” was the consistent statement of my momma. These grand possibilities she spoke of came with hard work, of course. My dad was in the military for twenty-three years, and even from across the world, he told his kids that a diligent mindset and dedication towards results are what make these dreams come true.
I love to socialize and plan parties, so that’s where my passion for hospitality comes into play! I went to high school at Poway High, and I was the Vice President of my class all four years! I lived for speaking in front of my whole school and I fell in love with planning our events! I have since then expanded my knowledge of event coordination. I have had the opportunity to work with Doris Goodson, owner of San Diego Events Company, the past two years, as well as assisted Veronica Carr, owner of Type A Soiree, in numerous events. These two lovely ladies have shown me the ropes in the event planning industry, as well as how to be a successful business woman. I have been lucky enough to work with big clientele, such as the Young Presidents Organization, a large social networking group in which Doris Goodson is the event coordinator. I have also found a true adoration for weddings. I understand that quick thinking and a creative brain is necessary for running any occasion with a strict timeline. I am further gaining more responsibilities, running events by myself, and am striving to one day start my very own independent event planning business!
I am currently attending Palomar community college, where I just received my business associates. I will be transferring to California State University San Marcos next year, where I will full fill the Arts, Media, and Design program to get a major focused in Visual Arts. My art aura is called The Oniverse. This brand name represents the limitless ideas I have and want to produce in not only art but everything I aim to accomplish creatively. I just know that expressing my happiness and sharing my creations to the world through my innovative passions is my Oniversal calling!
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I think everyone’s challenges are scaled very differently from one another, and I think what may seem hard for someone could quite possibly be way easier for others! I don’t regret any problems I have had to face or troubles I have had to overcome. I have learned that there are bad times to appreciate good ones, and there are trials we go through to learn the necessary lessons.
With overcoming any obstacles, my biggest challenges for me personally have been within myself. I am a perfectionist, and I definitely have had countless times where I would beat myself up rather than appreciate what I’ve accomplished. It’s hard to see how far you’ve come when you know you could be or have done better.
I have come to understand that I also can’t juggle everything at once. Having been a full time college student, part time employee at a gym, interning for an event planning business, working out, trying to squeeze in my own imaginative projects, and try to keep time available, for a not only family but my boyfriend and friends… Well, one can have a hard time breathing and get quite upset, because I can’t seem to put my fullest efforts in everything at the same time.
But since then I have grown in a lot of ways, and I am continually learning to give my heart and body a break. I have to be patient in the short term to grasp the timeframe it takes to see the long term. My aspiration for art as an example. I am striving to become a well-known artist for my expansion of philanthropical ideals of the boundless human mind through creative matters. I have big plans to full fill projects, and it’s hard to have days where I can’t stop creating, then have days where I don’t create at all. You get frustrated in not understanding why something you live to do can sometimes be so hard to focus on. I have ideas after ideas, but the hardest part for me at times is not only starting, but trying to finish. The world needs more artists who finish work, and I have to be okay that my work is time consuming and detailed, but that’s the beauty in my work alone.
Please tell us about your work.
At the moment, being in college full time, my main focus is my art. I have been pushing my name as an independent artist through commissions for friends and family, doing local artworks and art showcases, as well as using Instagram as a way to get my work out there. My actual name is Oni Gallegos, but my art world is called The Oniverse, and then you can call me Miss Verse!
I term of materials and mediums, I am not stuck to a single one. I work very well with acrylic, I have fallen in love with watercolor, and pencil sketching is my most time consuming medium. I recently have been in two 3-dimensional classes, sculpture and a 3D form and design, at Palomar Community College. Transforming ideas I might normally conjure up for 2-dimensional finalization into 3-dimensional pieces of work has been eye opening! When completing a flat piece of work, you can create depth and many focal points. With a sculpture, there can sometimes be more than one vantage point and the perspective is a lot larger when you can actually move around a piece of artwork and choose where to view it from. I am excited to say I think I may start creating structured ideas into dimensional pieces alongside my paintings and much more often now!
Recently this year I have been experiencing larger scale commissions. Although every accomplishment may vary in scale to being a milestone of my journey, I am proud of every single step I have taken. While I am currently working on an in-home mural commission, I had the honor of doing a live painting at the MOXY Hotel in downtown San Diego, in the Gaslamp, for their investor party earlier this year! My mural is on the second floor, and it is the largest “canvas” I have ever done! It was a little nerve wrecking because of it too me longer than expected, but I am proud to say it is mine and it’s somewhere in my home county where it’s thriving with so many artistic accents.
While not using a designated medium, I also am not currently restricting myself from specific studies either. I have found that I love to imagine ideas from all sorts of concepts, and I believe my ability and thought process of making them all work together somehow is where I like to set myself apart. That’s why I created The Oniverse. It’s a feeling, and idea, and a purpose all in one. I don’t want to restrict myself to one broad idea when I can have fun pouring my heart into many options. I do a lot of crafting, my MOM and I have created so many music festival/rave bras, but I also create creatures and monsters. I love the endless path for me that I am on right now, and I have a strong feeling my wild imagination can bring more to the creativity of this universe, through the Oniverse!
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
My favorite memory from childhood would probably be this big fort our dad built us when we lived in North Carolina. Our home was located right in front of this dense forest, and the trees seemed so tall when I was younger. The trees also had vines on them, the kind you could swing from! This tree house was about five feet off the ground, and there was a zip line attached from across the yard that you would use to get to it! Sometimes if you didn’t slow down, you would hit the tree at a decent speed, ha! The fort also had hammocks, and swings that could swing out super far from the ledge. Our fort was also the main hangout spot for all the kids. I remember this the most because we would ask our dad via email, letters, and Skype ALL THE TIME about having him make it for us when he was back home from deployment… And he did NOT let us down!
Pricing:
- Custom Art Commissions – $ Prices Vary (please email details for inquires)
- Prints – $ Price ranges from a variety of different images/stationary cards between $5-$30 (please email for specific inquires)
- Murals – Start at $15 per square foot (final price varies depending on how much detail work there is wanted)
- Rave Bras – $ Prices range from $150-$250 per bra
Contact Info:
- Phone: 858-213-5344
- Email: onimgallegos@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theoniverse/
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/onimgallegos/
Image Credit:
Personal Photo & other MOXY mural photo: Red Trolley Studio
Raw Artist Showcase Booth photo: Nick Llerenas
Raw Artist Showcase Headshots: Joseph Mustin
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