After 11 careers, Anina Rubio found herself as a visual artist and muralist, but it was a long journey before she settled on her passion.

Rubio graduated from the Electronics and Communication Engineering program at De La Salle University, but in her final year, she decided to work part-time as a barista to help her parents financially.

She had a fair share of technical, corporate, e-commerce, and operations in the 11 careers; like some people, her career journey wasn’t strictly related to her electronics.

Operations management is where she slowly began to transition into a painter’s life. Opening a calligraphy workshop, she soon realized how much opportunity there was in the arts.

“Dun ko na-realize ang saya palang magturo. Iba yung feeling ng fulfillment,” Anina recalls. Art is what I’m going to do for the rest of my life,” she said in a previous interview.

While she enjoys floral and botanical designs, she became notable as well for her Darna mural painted on one of the Maginhawa Condos, which was commissioned by ABS-CBN as part of their promotion of the Darna 2022 series.

Her Darna Mural resonated with her advocacy for empowering women, as she also works with strong and encouraging women by her side.

Recently, she painted a purpose-driven project in the Starbucks community store at Abad Santos, Tondo, Manila, naming her mural “Brewing Knowledge, Blossoming Communities.”

Another recent project, but this time on an international level and in the field of digital art, Rubio illustrated for National Geographic’s #OceansTomorrow, featuring Hong Kong’s coastal plants and animals.

Rubio proves that your profession does not lie with what degree you graduated from; instead, it is how much you can progress with your skills and talents.

It was her adaptability to the different careers in her lifetime that improved her flexibility in creating more artwork with advocacy.

Photo Credit:
https://www.facebook.com/anina.rubio