I was born and raised in San Diego, California by Mexican-Korean parents. It wasn’t an easy ride, we moved houses every 12-18 months, and until today neither my parents are homeowners; they continue working to pay next month’s rent. Nevertheless, I am eternally grateful for their enormous effort in providing us the opportunity of a lifetime.

At age 14, a mentor of mine had me believe that I could learn any craft, and do it just as professionally as my adult counterparts. That sense of belief catalyzed 4 intense years self-taught learning; first came 18 months focused on altruistic causes and protest, which then evolved into “commercial arts” in search of funding my own projects. Refusing to take a part-time job, I spent my days brewing beer, developing websites, commercial photoshoots, screen printing, a bit of marketing and a ton of branding, amongst other not-so-fun crafts.

As soon as I turned 18, my attention turned south of the border. I saw a land of opportunity, where a year’s work would show 10x results. Mexico isn’t perfect, but it sure is a great canvas for a young artist with a single mission: to fund, design, build and operate a successful homestead + hotel for my family and I to always have a fall-back. Therefore, I decided to study architecture at Escuela Libre de Arquitectura, a private hands-on institution less than a mile south of the physical USA-MEX border. In parallel, my father and I founded Natal Company.

With his expertise in land development and my passion for nature, we approached a 3,600-acre master plan opportunity and won the bid. Contrary to exploiting the land, our mission is to create an integral community that is able to financially and operationally sustain the conservation of sensitive biodiverse ecosystems, whilst still developing the fundamental needs such as housing, commerce, infrastructure, entertainment & more.

Today, 7 years after starting Natal, I am proud of our team’s progress and am finally letting go little by little. The remaining work will take centuries, as thousands of families move and grow into these new communities that I’ve designed from the ground up. Today, I am at ease knowing that my family will always have a place to stay.