Piñatas & The Writers Bench

I woke up today with clarity about my next card design: piñatas. Not just any piñata, but a traditional seven-spike piñata that I grew up seeing at birthday parties. Prior to this morning, I envisioned the comical “burrito” piñata you see on Cinco de Mayo, but it didn’t sit right. My designs have to stem from my own experiences, and I never saw a “burrito” piñata at parties growing up—it was always that big round ball with spikes on it.

So, without hesitation, I searched for reference photos. None of them tickled my fancy, but then I thought, “Why not go to a place that sells piñatas and ask if I can draw them?” That’s how I ended up visiting Dulceria Mi Carnaval. The owners, Cynthia and Jose, were kind enough to let me browse and draw. Cynthia and I chatted for close to an hour, and it turns out her family is from the same Mexican hometown as my mom’s! Out of all places to look for a piñata, I came to the place with similar roots to mine.

After drawing and giving them my thanks, I stopped by at Writers Bench, a new art supply store in San Jose. I met a friend of the owner’s, Carr, and we talked about our creative journey and the need to take a chance on our creative businesses. I walked away encouraged and with a Writers Bench sticker reminiscent of Sister Corita Kent.

When I got to my car, I got a notification that one of my greeting cards, “Like You” sold at Sueños, where I’m currently doing consignment. It was another win for the day.