Tix Makes
Is there a particular childhood memory that helps explain why nostalgia became such a central theme in your work?
More than a particular memory it is the feeling of remembering those core childhood memories, it’s that warmth and kind feeling of having fun with total liberty. I was pretty lucky to have had a childhood where those playful and free moments happened, either on the beach with my cousins, Saturdays at my grandmother’s house or at school with friends. Every time I remember those memories, they bring back this genuine feeling of happiness, warmth, and lightheartedness. I think that’s what nostalgia means to me: not just looking back at the past, but being able to reconnect with the way those moments made you feel. Through my work, I want to capture that feeling and share it with others, creating something that reminds them of their own childhood, their own memories, and that playful part of themselves that never really goes away.
Tix Makes | 360 Bloom
How did Blix first come into being, and at what point did you realize this character could become the foundation of an entire universe?
Blix came from a feeling I was searching for myself: comfort. I started thinking about the things that make me happy and bring me back to that lighter, more playful state of mind. My childhood and my inner child always brings out that feeling and when I think about childhood, balloons were one of the first images that came to mind. They’re simple objects, but they carry so much meaning: celebration, freedom, and carefree moments. I wanted to turn that feeling into a character, something that could hold that sense of comfort and joy.
The ‘X’ eye became an important part of Blix, too. For me, it represents the idea that nothing is perfect, and it’s important to see beauty in those imperfections rather than trying to hide them. There’s also a more personal connection to it: I tend to blink a lot when I’m nervous or when I find myself in unfamiliar social situations. So, in a way, that little detail carries a piece of me, too.
Gradually he became more than a character. As I started exploring different shapes and ways to give him life, I realized it could evolve into something much bigger, a universe where each creation could tell its own story while sharing the same spirit. That’s how Blix World began to take shape; as a way to reconnect with our inner child and remind ourselves not to take life too seriously.
Tix Makes | Animaney N Insaney
Balloons bring joy, but they can also burst, deflate, or float away. How does this fragility influence the emotional stories you tell through Blix World?
I believe that’s just part of life. Balloons burst, deflate, or float away, just as moments and experiences eventually come to an end, but their memories aand emotional charge don’t have to. I try to see the beauty in that fragility, and I wish for people to see it that way too, even though sometimes it is hard, I myself struggle with it at times, but I try to always keep it present. This idea connects back to the small detail of the ‘X’ eye in my characters and the idea that imperfections are not something to hide, but something that can help us appreciate the good things in ourselves and in our experiences.
I want Blix World to be a reminder that, despite life’s ups and downs, we can still find joy and hold on to that playful inner child spirit we still carry within.
When you reinterpret familiar childhood characters and symbols, how do you decide what to preserve and what to transform into your own visual language?
As I’ve done more iterations and variations inside Blix World, I have slowly started to develop my own way of approaching these transformations. It’s been a process of experimentation, especially when bringing them to life on my 3D printer, that gives certain limitations to think about when going from 2D sketch to a 3D model. Then there is learning what are the elements that make a character recognizable and what I can reinterpret through my own visual language. I want to preserve that sense of familiarity and nostalgia, but transform it into something that feels distinctly mine through color, shape, and the playful, balloon inspired aesthetic that defines my work.
Tix Makes | Blix World
Your use of vibrant color suggests an immediate sense of playfulness. What quieter or more complicated emotions do you hope viewers discover beyond that first impression?
I want to believe there’s a certain comfort in playfulness, and that’s something I want people to experience through my work. Beyond that initial sense of joy, given by my choice of using bright colours, I hope there’s also a feeling of tenderness and reflection. My work comes from a desire to reconnect with childhood and find comfort in those memories. I want people to not only feel happy when they see my work, but also remember something of their own, or reconnect with a part of themselves they might have lost touch with and celebrate it.
Are there aspects of Blix World that feel distinctly connected to Peru, even when you are working with widely recognizable childhood imagery?
Definitely, as much as I want Blix World to be a universal language that anyone can connect with, as an individual I also want parts of it to be a reflection of my own upbringing and experiences. In some ways in order for people not only to know me and where I come from but to get to know the richness of Peruvian culture. Luki, my Andean llama-inspired character, is one example of this; created to bring that connection into my work. It’s an iconic animal deeply connected to Peru reimagined through the playful, balloon-inspired language of my Blix World. I really like the idea that I can share something personal to my roots while creating something that people from different places and backgrounds can connect with through the tenderness and joy that the use of shapes and colours can also communicate, even if at first instance the reference is not familiar to them.
Tix Makes | Zany Duck
Has a viewer ever associated your work with a memory or emotion you had not anticipated? How did that response affect your understanding of the piece?
I recently was part of the Art Toy con here in Lima, Peru and someone told me my Blix Head figure reminded him of a character in a video game character he used to play as a kid. I was not familiar with said character, hence I found it super interesting because that wasn’t a reference at all in my mind when creating the aesthetic of the character, yet something about its shape or overall look brought him back to a memory and a specific time in his own life.
That made me think that one of the most beautiful things about any type of art is that everyone brings their own experiences to it. Even when I create something from a very personal feeling or memory, or a unique place in my mind, someone else might see it through a completely different lens. That is a reminder for me that a piece of art doesn’t have to mean just one thing. I might be sharing a part of my own childhood, but someone else might find a connection to theirs in a completely different way. In that sense, the work becomes something shared, and that’s one of the things I love most about creating from a place of wanting people to feel or remember a feeling rather than to identify a specific person/ character/ thing.