When I set out to create my business, I knew I wanted its name to carry a deep, personal significance. Something that would not only reflect the heart and soul of my work but also honor my roots and identity. After much thought, I decided to incorporate my last name as a sole focus and landed on "Balingit Studios".
For as long as I can remember, my last name has been a part of my story that often comes with mispronunciations, hesitations, and corrections. For many of us with unique or culturally significant names, this experience might sound familiar. Over the years, I’ve corrected countless variations of my name (you'd be surprised how many people would say "bah-ling-JEET"), and I've had many people misspell my name (crowd favorite: "Balangit").
Even at my high school graduation, the admin person who announced my last name (and who I actually knew) as "bull-nut". Yup. In front of everyone, she called me Mia Bull Nut. I wanted to give her grace and told myself she was probably just rushing herself to get through all the names, but looking back at it, that sh*t was unacceptable. That was my moment, and now every time I think about graduation, I think of the infamous remix she put on my last name.
Now as a working adult, I still get the occasional mispronunciation of my last name. So, I wanted to create an opportunity to address and prevent this issue. This decision felt especially important as I reflected on the art and products I create. Each piece is a reflection of my identity, my experiences, and my love for storytelling.
Balingit isn't just a last name; it's a source of power that carries the weight of my family’s history, culture, and resilience. By placing it front and center, I’m not just introducing my work to the world—I’m also inviting people to know me, to say my name correctly, and to appreciate the story behind it.
Balingit Studios is a statement. It’s a way of saying: “This is who I am. This is my story. This is my voice.”
I hope that as Balingit Studios grows, it becomes synonymous with creativity, authenticity, and connection. I hope it encourages others to take pride in their own names, stories, and identities. And I hope it inspires you, as a supporter of my work, to lean into the beauty of understanding and respecting the diverse names and stories around you.
So, thank you for being here, for reading this, and for learning how to say my name. It’s buh-LING-it. Simple, strong, and full of meaning—just like the art I hope to share with you.