Looking at a piece by Humberto Cruz is like embarking on a treasure hunt. You might see characters you recognize; Britney Spears, Marsha P. Johnson, Kate Moss, cartoons, as well as symbols and logos of our modern world. With collaborations abounding, Chanel and Apple Music tapped Humberto to develop covers for their celebrity playlist series, and MTV commissioned portraits of Amanda Gorman, Dolly Parton, and more for their Women History Now series. Influenced by 80s and 90s cartoons and pop culture, his style reflects his internal dialogue communicating with the external cultural atmosphere.

We loved working with Humberto on the launch of our Love Yourself T-shirt series to benefit The Ally Coalition — an organization dedicated to providing critical support to LGBTQIA+ youth, available for pre-order here as well as at our October Show.

COLOR STORIES: We’re inspired by the way Humberto approaches a blank canvas.

NAME: Humberto Cruz

CITY: San Diego

PRONOUNS: He/him

YOU OFTEN INCLUDE POP CULTURE ICONS IN YOUR WORK. HOW HAS POP CULTURE INFLUENCED YOUR ART? Pop culture has always inspired me. I learned about pop culture watching MTV and looking at fashion magazines at a young age. It's fun and there's always something new about it. It doesn't get boring.

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO COMMUNICATE THROUGH YOUR WORK? Hopefully my work puts a smile on someone's face. I think that's my main goal. After all these years, I've learned that I shouldn't take life too seriously, and that it's okay to make mistakes and learn from them. There's a lot of bad things going on in the world and we don't want more of that, It's stressful! That's why I do what I do, create my own world and share it with others.

WHAT’S YOUR DREAM COLLABORATION? I love collaborating with brands. One of my dreams is to work on a fashion campaign.

HOW DOES IDENTITY INFLUENCE YOUR ART? I think it's essential to be honest with who you are. It's all about what makes us happy and not about pleasing others. That way we can show transparency on what we do best. It took me many years of self discovery and I'm still evolving, I don't know where I'm going. But it's been a lot of fun.

YOUR WORK TAKES ON A SENSE OF PLAY AND ADVENTURE — WITH A MIX OF SYMBOLS, CHARACTERS, AND MESSAGES MAKING UP THE LARGER PIECE. HOW DOES IT ALL COME TOGETHER FOR YOU? I like to have fun with it. Sometimes I feel like I'm an open diary of emotions and colors. I don't like planning on what I'm going to draw, it's whatever I'm feeling at the moment.

THE COLOR YOU CAN’T MAKE ART WITHOUT: I have to use them ALL!