I think it’s safe to say everyone with a social media account has developed a connection with at least one influencer or content creator that they follow. Mine happens to be Sand One, a female Latina artist from East LA known for drawing dolls with big eyes and long lashes. Each Sand Doll has a unique name and story, but the thing they all have in common is heartbreak.
I came across one of her videos on Instagram almost two years ago, she was ranting about an ex boyfriend who never paid for anything yet treated her like shit. Her personality is so raw and blunt that I was stuck on her page for at least an hour. I’ll admit I hit the follow button not because of her dolls, but because of her endless rants that have empowered thousands of women to hold their own and not depend on any man. She’s also vegan which makes her the dopest artist in my opinion.
Sand was tired of chasing love and being broke while her immigrant mother made $5 an hour cooking in a food truck. Now she’s a cold hearted hustler who only cares for her mom, brother and sister, and of course her art collectors who she refers to as bosses and gangsters.
Here are just a few important lessons Sand One has taught me:
“Put your feelings in a box, stop being so emotional”
If you follow Sand, you know this is the motto she lives by. Putting your feelings in a box means waking up in the morning and staying focused on your vision and goals for that day. It doesn’t matter if you’re lonely or heartbroken, put them in a box and go. Sand didn’t have time to be emotional when she was still waking up in a twin bed, painting signs for free and driving a “bucket” around the city of LA.
“I’m daddy now”
Now that Sand is financially stable enough to provide for her family, she is the father figure she never had. She bought her mom a house, pays for her brothers college tuition and has her younger sister driving a new car. Sand is the sole provider for her family, earning her the glorified title of “daddy”. She proves to women that they can be bosses without help from a man.
“Your parents did not come to this country for you to be laying in bed all day”
Sands mom used to wake up at 5 a.m. for work to get underpaid because she was an immigrant. Her boss and coworkers would treat her like shit, and she’d come home from the food truck with burns all over her hands. Now she doesn’t have to work anymore, and it’s what I admire the most about Sand. Coming from the bottom couldn’t stop her from taking her mom out of her misery.
“Hurry the fuck up, you’re getting old”
Sand is very transparent with her followers. She lets us know about all the times she was rejected, painting dolls and signs for less than she was worth. Working in a male dominated industry, she is a leading example to women to not be intimidated by men who don’t believe in their ideas. If a man told her no, it was on to the next because she was getting old and there was no time to waste.
Check out Sand One’s Instagram for a look into her life as an artist at @Sandoner