Big Mike and Aimee Baca

Ever since I can remember, I have had a love affair for the arts, every kind of art you can imagine, I love it all. But I think my favorite is collecting creations from painters and sculptors. For more than 40 years, I have collected and become friends with so many creative individuals. I do what I possibly can to help support them by buying a piece and promoting them to other art lovers. So, over the years, I have gathered an eclectic collection of amazing and beautiful works of art. Since I cannot afford expensive pieces, I learned years ago to always try to support local artists, usually they are much more affordable and trying to make a name for themselves. Many have done especially well for themselves, not just by selling their art but by becoming more involved with charities and donating their work to help raise money. I do have many friends who have done just that and acquired new clients and friendships. One such artist is my beautiful and talented friend Aimee Baca.

Born and raised right here in paradise, in a hilly neighborhood of southeastern San Diego, Aimee loves living here because it has always brought her confidence, acceptance, and courage to become the strong woman she is now.

I met Aimee when she was 22 years old and had just opened her first business, Creative Crossroads Gallery on Fifth Avenue. Because I loved art so much, it was exciting just to go check out this great place where Aimee was showcasing so many local artists. She was so sweet and welcoming that day that we just hit it off and became great friends. That is one door I am so glad I walked through. Aimee’s trademark is how big her heart is, and why she always stylizes the word “heART” as her calling card.

Aimee told me that she remembers feeling exceedingly small back then. “I had just graduated college with a bachelor’s degree in both Fine Arts and in The History of Art and Visual Culture from University of California, Santa Cruz. Being a young (closeted LGBT) Asian woman who just opened a business, I was experiencing fear and insecurity about my career. I felt judged and discriminated upon by many individuals — particularly by those who think I did not fit the bill as a ‘business owner.’ This was a common thing for me. I knew that my ability to succeed, strength to persevere, and intelligence to evolve/excel was often undermined, perhaps due to my quiet and naive disposition. And in some cases, their assumptions of me were correct. I had to fail, be taken advantage of, and experience the test of time, to realize that I was not meant to sit quiet and be small. And I say this in all honesty, from the bottom of my heART: Owning a business in Hillcrest KICKED MY ASS. But I would not have it any other way because I became a stronger person. Through this turmoil, I learned how to raise my voice, to speak with intention, to convey the truth in my heART. And most importantly, through this experience…I met you, Big Mike.” Well, I got to meet Aimee as well. “I became confident in who I was as an LGBT Woman Business Owner of Color. I was able to see power in my life experience as a minority.”

As all of us learn and experience hardship in our lives, we sometimes just think, “Why me?” It was hard, at first, having to walk away from Creative Crossroads; it was one of the most difficult transitions in her life. Aimee felt lost, heARTbroken. She felt like her business, which she loved so much, was taken from her. Certain individuals saw that she was struggling with her health, ability to care for her mom, as well as her ability to catch up with the rising costs and rent of the storefront. They saw this as a weakness, and took advantage of her need for help. They conspired to ostracize Aimee from her community of artists, which she had worked so hard to bring together. She was disappointed in their intention, which was revealed to her after she had to sign it over. It broke her heART to see her dream gone. This only made her stronger and determined to rise from the ashes. Recovering and finding her truth again was possible through The Urban Art Shop. Clyde Dugosh, and the team at The Urban Art Shop (powered by Inscriptu), uplifted her heART! They gave her a sense of purpose, and empowered her though learning. They helped her maintain a sense that she was helping uplift local artists, and they gave Aimee the skills to expand her ability to create farther than ever before. They gave her a safe space as an artist; this was priceless in helping Aimee find her creative voice, once again. Loving and creating more art than before. As Aimee said to me: “I became confident in who I was as an LGBTQ+ Women Owner of Color, nothing or no one is going to ever take advantage of me again.”

Aimee refers to the type of art she creates as “Continuous HeART.” She is a printmaker by trade. Her art speaks from her heART. It continues in her collaboration with the guys from The Urban Arts Shop — Clyde, Michael and Anoki — who she works with every day creating resources for artists and expanding their ideas of how to bring their art to the table. They are her mentors and heroes. She credits them for giving her new and rewarding opportunities she thought she had lost; she would’ve still been lost if it were not for them.

I asked Aimee to say in her own words what she wanted people to know about her and this was her reply: “It was people who spoke through the heART, which helped me understand that life should be meaningful. It should empower. It should be lived in a way that expands our creative expression…and inspires all those around us to be our greatest self. No, I no longer feel small, I feel as big as my heART! I am weaving a dreamcatcher, as well as catching my own dreams. It is priceless.”

If you would like to commission work or see more of her art:

Instagram: @aimeebaca

Website: ContinuousheART.com