post - in the heart stories

Founder & Editor-in-Chief of Hella Pinay, Stephanie Gancayco believes in the power of sisterhood, exploring the complex lives of Filipina womxn, and connecting Pinays in the Philippines and through the diaspora. Stephanie noticed a lack of Filipina representation in mainstream media and created Hella Pinay as a platform for our stories. Through themes of culture, music, fashion, and identity Hella Pinay connects it all with an emphasis on decolonization, spirituality, and celebration of Pinays doing amazing things. One series, the “Pinay Zodiac”, connected Stephanie with talents from the Philippines as they collaborated on and produced a collection of photographs, summaries and horoscopes that bridges Filipino mythology and Western Astrology. The re-envisioning of ancient Filipina goddesses for the modern day as a way to encourage us to research and learn more. Stephanie’s work as a creative director, designer, and event curator includes producing inclusive events, bridge building, love and connection. And Stephanie has more coming for Hella Pinay.

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@hella_pinay

When did you start Hella Pinay? And what is the mission behind it?
Phew. It's kind of a long story with hella factors that converged at once but I'll try to simplify it as much as possible. I started Hella Pinay back in 2016 as I was getting treatment for cancer. I had been working in the fashion industry in New York for many years and the stress and the environment were really taking a toll on me physically, emotionally. I had just come back from my first trip to the Philippines, where I was blessed to connect with indigenous artisans who I collaborated with on a fashion line, and also just forming hella relationships with Filipinx artists, musicians, healers, people underground.

In the year or so prior to that, I had been really feeling a disconnect with my heritage and spirituality, and was seeking to connect with traditions rooted in our culture that weren't based in Catholicism. So I was doing a lot of research around that both here and in the Philippines and wanted to learn from and share with others who were doing the same. I was also having a lot of conversations around decolonization and a lot of heavy issues with Filipina women but also women from other cultures while I was living in NY, and seeing how although we all had such different lived experiences, many of our core issues were incredibly similar. I was encouraged by many of these women to create a platform, since there isn't a lot of Filipina representation in the mainstream media that doesn't feed directly into stereotypes.

Also at the same time I was dealing with a major illness. Being faced with my own mortality woke me up to the truth that our time is limited in this incarnation and that I needed to stop letting fear hold me back from putting the work into the world that I wanted to create and see.

With Hella Pinay, I wanted to create a strong support network because I see from firsthand experience how much it heals the soul and by extension, the community - to know that you're not alone and there's so many other people out there who really feel you. Also I just really wanted to highlight all the dope people out there doing dope shit!

Our mission has shifted a bit, or maybe more like broadened/expanded, but it always stays rooted in bridge-building and healing through connection. Originally it was about creating community for Filipinas, but I'm interested in building more bridges between the Philippines and the diaspora and also with other POC communities, sharing Filipinx culture with a larger audience. And not just being on some blind nationalistic pride shit. I feel like people have all these idealizations of "the motherland" as being some stagnant place stuck in time, like it's all malls and Manila and jeepneys and lumpia and I think those are stereotypes shown through media and also reinforced by members of our own community, because a lot of us just don't have access to like, the music and culture and art coming out of there, as well as a real connection to real people who exist now and who aren't some kind of anonymous anthropological photograph or caricature. I really wanna help build those bridges and facilitate those conversations. I believe that the core of all my work is about bridging and trying to create an entry point for people to dig deeper.

How did you gather the squad of Hella Pinay?
Honestly it's all been super organic. I really believe in divine timing and that if you're moving in your purpose with genuine intentions, the right people and situations will align at the right time. I'm also really blessed to have super down talented homies whose missions align with what I'm trying to do with Hella Pinay who've jumped on board, and so many supporters in the community who believe in the vision and want to help. I'm always very grateful.

How does it feel to create/come together as a group of Pinays and empower one another?
Being surrounded by other Pinays and WOC and gassing each other all day is what I live for, period. It's such a blessing to find my soul family wherever I go. Also seeing a lot of new Pinay movements that have popped up since Hella Pinay started makes me really excited, to see us out there being proud of who we are and what we bring to the world.

What is some of your favorite content to create? Some of your favorite projects and events?
I love doing creative direction or styling for editorials and am definitely moving Hella Pinay more in that direction, just more original content. I love creating an environment, a beautiful image - but one with depth beyond surface aesthetics. Even for our events, like turn tf up but I always want to make sure it's a space where people (especially POC and queer people) feel safe to get free and connect.

Please describe your biggest driving force.
There's so many different things I want to accomplish, and so much that motivates me, and so many people I'm doing it for, but I think that overall everything I do in my life is really fueled by love and connection. Connecting to god, maybe, channeling.

What is the inspiration behind the Pinay Zodiac series? (it's my favorite series!)
Thank you!!! It's my favorite toooooo! It was a dream project really, a second collaboration with Jodinand Aguillon who's this unreal Manila-based art director. We collaborated on the "9 Muses" series for Hella Pinay back in 2017 (like literally met IRL the day of the first shoot and it was magic, it was perfect). The idea for “Pinay Zodiac” came about back in 2018 because we wanted to collaborate on some new content and Jodee suggested a zodiac series. We're both Scorpios and have so many similar interests - mysticism, tarot, astrology, mythology, mixing the ancient with the futuristic to create something new. Deep thots lol. I thought about connecting a zodiac series to Filipino mythology, because it's a subject I'm super interested in and there’s still not a lot of readily-available information on it. I felt that by drawing people in through beautiful imagery, and pairing Filipino mythology with something they’re likely a lot more familiar with (western astrology), it would maybe help the subject matter resonate more easily and encourage them to learn more. I did the research and goddess/astrology pairings and reached out to astrologer Chase Chualong in New York (now in LA) to write the horoscopes. We shot the series in Jodee's vintage shop, Glorious Dias, in Manila in 2019. Working with Jodee is incredible, his aesthetic is insane. He brought in all these gorgeous vintage terno and photographer Dar San Agustin created these beautifully-lit portraits that feel like Renaissance paintings, then graphic designer Anissa Aguila did the cute-ass illustrations on top. Every month Jodee would send me the latest piece and had me literally gagging every single time.

What do you love about the work you do?
I love creating. I love putting people on and connecting people. All the beautiful genuine relationships I've made. Throwing parties I would actually want to go to: black and brown and queer people hella dancing, fucking sick WOC and QTPOC DJs, creeps getting thrown out. Having people tell me they come to my events because they feel safe to be themselves.

Do you have any upcoming events, projects, articles coming up that you are excited about?
Honestly I'd taken a huge step back from HP all of 2019 - I was dealing with some pretty hectic depression and grief, had poured my energy into other projects that ended up not working out, etc etc. But now I'm feeling hella rejuvenated and insanely excited and focused about where Hella Pinay is heading. Huge changes, things I've wanted to do for a very long time. Stay tuned!!!

Photos courtesy of Stephanie Gancayo

Stephanie Gancayco - Founder & Editor-in-Chief of Hella Pinay