From his small studio in Point Loma, local artist and graphic designer Humberto Cruz has collaborated with some of the most important musicians and major fashion brands in the world today.
The binational region of San Diego and Tijuana is one of the only places where you can feel Latin influences and contributions in most areas of society.
Cruz's story is an example of that.
"I started drawing when I was very young. These are my memories of spending hours always drawing characters," Cruz said.
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This is how Cruz describes his childhood: Design, drawing and art were always a passion, an inspiration that led him to earn a living.
Born in Salinas, California, and raised in Tijuana, Cruz has been living in San Diego for more than two decades, where he studied and developed a talent that has already reached five continents, however that road was not easy at all.
“After finishing the degree it was very difficult for me to find a job, I didn't know what I wanted to do, I wanted something related to art was what called me, then social networks began to grow and I posted my work every day and that was how people began to discover my work," Cruz said.
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On Instagram, where he has almost 200,000 followers, his work increasingly became more recognized. He did it with cheerful, colorful art, inspired by pop culture and also, he says, by the San Diego and Tijuana region.
Now his art has caught the attention of established fashion brands like Chanel and Zara. One day, an Instagram message changed his life forever. It was from Colombian singer and songwriter Karol G.
“I remember I was in Tijuana at my grandmother’s house and I saw the call, and it was Karol G and her sister and that was when they asked me and when I accepted,” Cruz said.
What he accepted was a collaboration that would change his life forever, designing not only the cover of her album “Mañana Será Bonito,” but also countless merchandising items and graphic designs for her concerts. Cruz had taken his art to a global level.
“I feel that my work had not reached Mexico nor Latin America, it had reached other places, but when Karol G’s collaboration arrived, it did reach the places I had always dreamed of. This collaboration happened through Instagram. Karol G met me that way, her sister contacted me and we had an interview where she personally asked me if I wanted to work on her cover. And I knew a little about her but I didn't listen to her music that much.
"I had to be inspired by reggaeton and the culture of Colombia and that's how it was born, I thought at first it was just going to be on the cover but they also used it in concerts, it was an incredible experience," Cruz said.
Beyond his collaboration with big brands or artists, Cruz has also used his art as a loudspeaker for societal change, getting involved in campaigns to make mental health visible or and promote the rights of the LGBTQ+ community.
"It's important to have a voice, not just showing my work, to have that message that can make you think and feel better. Years ago I had a lot of anxiety and a lot of stress, I wasn't going through a good time and when I started to be inspired by my mental health I feel that everything changed, it helped me feel better and my followers can feel for that. I think that in Latin culture we are not so open to talk about that," Cruz said.
From his intimate and inspiring studio in Point Loma, Cruz will continue to design, creating art that makes people happy, art that inspires or art that serves as therapy. In short, his art is committed to social issues and seeks to create a better society, from its Latin origin and pride.
