Hello friend! I’m Yang Pulongbarit-Cuevo, and if you’re from Chicago and you like indie music, you might know me as DJ Yang of 107.1FM as well. My hobbies revolve around art, literature, and independent music. I love coffee, donuts, old games (like POGs and jackstones), Audrey Hepburn, Annie Hall, and inverted smileys. (:
I am a cut-paper artist and illustrator, mainly inspired by nature, music, folklores, and human anatomy. I started as a political cartoonist for The Manila Collegian in 2003-2007. I did not pick up paper-cutting until 2013. What I may lack in having an art degree, was lovingly substituted by the unwavering belief of Oma, a German family friend who helped my parents raise me and collected all my artworks in her old storage chest. She was my first “art patron,” and I get games and french bread in return. (: I also believe that my academic and professional backgrounds gave me a unique approach in realizing my dream of creating art for a living. Studying and working in the field of communication has been complementary because creating art is in itself a beautiful form of communicating. Its flexibility and capacity for abstraction allow messages to be imparted in imaginative, symbolic, and meaningful ways.
After 8 years of corporate jobs and finishing my master’s degree, I permanently moved to Chicago to spend the rest of my life with my one great love – le husband. 😀 I still have a long way to go with my creative quest, but moving to a new city gave me a blank slate to start with, and enabled me to go for pursuits that I have conceded pursuing during my corporate career. This is my online home for that ongoing journey. (:
I am currently selling my works through my little art business Paperhugger Studio. Paperhugger products are currently available on Etsy and GoImagine marketplaces. My work have appeared in several online and offline publications including Preview Magazine and a cover and spread for The Chicago Reader. To see more of Paperhugger in the media, please visit this page.
If you see a specific artwork of mine that resonates with you and you’d wish to purchase it, please visit my shop and I’d be happy to assist you. If my overall body of work sparks your interest and you would like to commission me or collaborate, let’s get in touch and I’d love to discuss your requirements!
I started my little corner of the Internet by writing about the things that creatively inspire me: my muses. And I hope to pay the inspiration forward to my audience today.
Muses
(art) Aya Kato, Florence Manlik, Audrey Kawasaki, Jackson Pollock, and Adam Feibelman.
(music) I appreciate most genres, in varying levels. But tune in on 107.1FM Chicago or CHIRPRadio.org for what I believe is good music. I am on air every Saturday, 9PM Central Time.
(writing) Banana Yoshimoto, Margaret Atwood, and Sylvia Plath.
Disclaimer
On my art: You can learn more about my Etsy shop and my creative process here. You may not use, share, and/or copy my work without my permission.
On featured music: They’re overviews, not reviews. I just want to share them to people who haven’t heard of them yet OR share about what I love about them if you do know about an artist/album/event that I feature. It’s more fun, trust me.
On featured books: I don’t want to spoil things for you. Instead of “reviews,” I give you meaningful reasons why you should read them BY establishing a thoughtful connection between the characters and us hooooomans.
On people, places, & experiences: You are who (and what) you surround yourself with. The people and places featured here are special because they moved me to create.
More Notes
(1) I do not get compensated on anything that I feature in my blog posts, unless clearly, openly, and glaringly stated in the post.
(2) Photos in this website have links to their sources, unless unknown or they are mine. If I missed any sources please don’t go beast-mode on me and contact me right away so I can fix it. (:
y. pulongbarit-cuevo 