H.I.J. was born and raised in Dallas, TX, and is very proud of it. He identifies as Mexican-American but embraces the philosophy of no nation. He dropped out of college the first time around to pursue his dreams in streetwear fashion. He left that world after it began to compromise his ethics but discovered himself in the world of printmaking. Print has since become a gateway into education but in the last decade he has worked as a yardero, farmer, Catholic worker, and ESL teacher. Art has always been at the center of his life, but it is in Chicago where he gifted himself these past two years of uninhibited creativity.