I was hospitalized in May 2024 after I suddenly began experiencing difficulty breathing and strange visual disturbances—glowing, grainy patterns that never went away. That was when I was diagnosed with Visual Snow Syndrome. Around the same time, I also developed Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, which drastically affected my energy levels and daily life.
For a long time, I was mostly housebound—often bedridden for nearly a year and a half. Before all of this, I lived a very active lifestyle. I loved kitesurfing, surfing, lifting weights, and spending as much time outdoors as I could. Overnight, everything changed. Even now in 2026, I still experience symptoms and continue to undergo physical therapy. My life looks very different, but that shift forced me to rethink how I work and what truly matters.
Because I couldn’t show up in the same ways I used to, I started leaning into social media and content creation as a way to stay connected to the design world. I began sharing my process, behind-the-scenes work, and portfolio projects online. What started as a necessity slowly became something more—it became a way to build trust with clients, almost like a digital calling card where people could see how I think and approach my work.
Before my illness, I approached visibility in a very unintentional way. Afterward, I became much more deliberate about how I shared my work and built my business. Content creation became a tool—not just for exposure, but for connection and opportunity.
That was something I carried with me when I was invited to speak at Graphika Manila. It felt surreal. I had grown up attending the conference almost every year, sitting in the audience and listening to creatives I admired. This time, I was on stage.
Graphika Manila took place on March 7–8 at the SMX Convention Center in the Mall of Asia Complex in the Philippines. It’s one of Asia’s premier creativity conferences, bringing together designers, artists, and creatives from around the world. This year marked its 21st year, and for the first time, it included a roundtable panel discussion organized by the Communication Design Association of the Philippines (CDAP).
The panel I joined was titled “Design in the Age of Content Creation.” Alongside Paolo Salgado, and Kevin Paul Santos, we talked about what it means to be a designer today—working within an attention economy where platforms reward constant output and visibility often competes with craft. We discussed how to protect creative integrity in a viral culture, how designers build audiences through content, and what we gain—and sometimes lose—by participating in these platforms.
There were over 3,000 people in attendance, which made the experience even more overwhelming in the best way.
But more than anything, I wanted to share my story—to show that even when life throws something unexpected your way, there are still ways to adapt and continue building a creative life.
Speaking at Graphika Manila became one of the most meaningful moments of my career. The panel reached thousands of people and was later featured in several news outlets and creative publications. But what stayed with me the most were the conversations afterward.
People came up to me and shared their own struggles—whether with health, burnout, or navigating the pressures of being a creative today. Some told me that hearing my experience made them feel less alone.
And to me, that was the most important outcome of all.
