My name is Tia Christensen, AKA T-Chan. I am a 23-year-old student based in WA and I am currently pursuing design and fine arts as my major. I am enrolled in Pacific Lutheran University's BFA program with a concentration in graphic design.

 

    During the mid-2000s, I was visiting my family in Japan every summer. The heat was overbearing, and I was surrounded by a language I could not understand. Being one of the only members of my mother’s side to not be a native-born Japanese, it was an alienating experience. 

​

    However, I was enamoured by the way they interpreted technology and aesthetics compared to American media. Hello Kitty, Tamagotchi, magical girls, arcade machines, and bold fashion movements had exposed me to a whole new thought process when it came to design and art. Design could be colorful, bizarre, childish, optimistic, ugly, or campy and still be appealing to many people.

 

    I want my art to serve as a pocket of colorful nostalgia in a small but exciting way like these things did to me. But most importantly, I want people to feel happy and energized when they look at my designs.