On April 7, 2025, I went to a live music event at the Filipino restaurant Noypitz in Rancho Cucamonga. My dad’s band were one of the performers. I decided to go because I had designed some of the song covers and a t-shirt design for the band, and I thought that would be a good conversation starter to tell people about my art practice as a whole. My dad also had a few friends at the event, which I figured was easier than talking to straight-up strangers.
Overall, the event was not bad! It was a little last minute so I didn’t have any business cards to hand out or anything. However, I did get one person to pull up my portfolio website! Their name was Jeremy or Jerry; unfortunately, I don’t remember exactly and I didn’t exchange any contact info. We’ll get ’em next time! But, they have their own small band and liked the shirt I designed for my dad, which led to me bringing up my portfolio of my recent work. They liked the “cartoon-y” style, and then we parted ways.
In hindsight, it might not have been the best place to network because I want to lean away from commercial work. It was also not exactly the demographic I should be reaching out to: there were a lot of older businessmen who didn’t seem very interested in gallery work. I was definitely the youngest one there and it felt like a lot of people were patronizing me. But, I still count this as a win. It was the first time I had shown a stranger my portfolio, and I feel a little bit more comfortable about approaching people. Next time, I’ll definitely try a gallery exhibition though.
Asher Perez 