Meet Sha Santos

We were lucky to catch up with Sha Santos recently and have shared our conversation below.

Sha, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?

I would say I get my resilience from both my parents. They immigrated from the Philippines so I could have a better life in North America. I then became the first person in my family to pursue Fine Arts as a career after studying at York U. The ‘immigrant mindset’ of making sure my career reflects the hard work my parents put in keeps me from falling apart. As my mom had once said, “if you’re going to be an artist instead of a nurse— you better be the best there is”. The road to success is one also marked with loss, pain and disappointment. I am very lucky to have my parents pave the way for me by making that leap of faith and coming to North America.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

Hi there! I’m Sha. I go by Don’t Yuck My Yum Studio (@dontyuckmyyum.studio). I really like frogs, pottery, the colour green and lychee soju! I joke that I’m actually three frogs stacked in a trench coat.

My mission:

Since struggling with depression, I have found that the way to make my day at least 1% better is by beautifying the space around me. And so, I had started creating functional ceramic wares with little illustrations and affirmations to encourage me when I eat breakfast in the morning or make a cup of coffee. I believe in beautifying our ‘mundane’ and making space for whimsy to exist wherever it can.

You can find me at local markets within Toronto (either teaching or selling)! I love the Toronto community and their love for art.

How it all came to be:

I initially came up with Don’t Yuck My Yum Studio during my hospitalization back in 2023. While I was in bed, I had decided to take drawing requests. I then began to give out little doodles of frogs to other patients and as many memes from memory. My blank walls started slowly filling up with drawings until I had decided that once I got better I would pursue this full time. I made a promise to myself back in 2023 and it has certainly come to fruition since.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

1. Work at your own pace. Everyone else can wait.

I have definitely spread myself thin last year. I had accepted almost every market I got into and began working at a production level. Unfortunately, I am not Amazon. I can’t guarantee a product within days, or even weeks. Some items take up to a month to make! I’ve become more comfortable with being more transparent about how long things take.

2. Make sure you get to enjoy your own art too.

I think you should be your biggest fan/ collector. At one point I caught myself selling all my stock (including a mug I promised I’d keep for myself). My initial mission statement was to beautify space during mundane moments in life— and I did that for everyone else except for me. Before anyone else— your art should be for you.

3. Set boundaries with yourself.

Similar to the point above— sometimes we’re prone to burning out serving others that we forget to serve ourselves! I had to ask myself— “if I knew this product was made by someone crying and on their fourth red bull because they were trying to meet an unrealistic deadline— would I be rushing them further to make more?” Most likely not. When you become your own boss— you also become your worst critic, the best employee and the worst employee all in one. As much as I vouch for pushing my limits of creativity, I’ve had to create a list of indicators to tell me to stop working. That way I have time to make without burnout and guilt.

What is the number one obstacle or challenge you are currently facing and what are you doing to try to resolve or overcome this challenge?

Definitely imposter syndrome. I’m always battling the idea that I’m not making enough, or fast enough. Additionally, being the only person in my family who pursued art full time does have its moments of isolation.

Surrounding yourself with an artistic community is so essential. Seek mentorship. Seek community.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @dontyuckmyyum.studio