THE FULL STORY
Who is Foliage Filipino?
Foliage Filipino is more commonly known as Maycko Macapugas. He was born in the Philippines, in the heart of the squatters district along the River Pasig. A series of lucky events brought his dad to Canada, and eventually the rest of the immediate family. That included Maycko's mother, two brothers, two sisters, and a surprise to be: niece.
They ended up in a small rural town called Mission about an hour away from the city of Vancouver in British Columbia Canada. His father worked in Mission for years as a landscaper. Needless to say: Maycko has been around plants his whole life.
Growing up, Maycko was a pariah. Small town. Primarily caucasian. Early 90s. You get the picture. It wasn't the most pleasant experience. All this to say: shame was the common modality for how Maycko grew up.
Ashamed of his heritage, ashamed of his skin colour, ashamed of who he was and what he represented: a second class citizen.
This carried on into high school. Weight gain. This continued further into post-secondary. Jumped around between institutions, degrees, purposes. Lost. Unanchored. Unrooted. Upheaved.
Finishing his degree, he still had no idea. No idea of his purpose. Of what to do. Of where to go. He had found himself in a high stress job surrounded by incredible individuals building businesses and then parting ways and moving onto new things.
People always came and go in his life. He had always been a supporter. He had always been someone to provide space for people to grow, learn, connect, and eventually leave.
What Started Foliage Filipino?
The love for plants had always been there. Since day one. Maycko's dad had been sponsored as a groundskeeper/landscaper and was brought over from the Philippines. The rest of the family, including Maycko, followed eventually.
How @FoliageFilipino actually started was because of the pandemic of Covid-19. What started out as a mental health practice evolved into something so much more.
As Maycko brought more plants into his home, he also discovered more and more pieces of his heritage. Pieces that he never knew existed and could fill an emptiness he had been feeling his entire life.
Maycko thought FoliageFilipino was a fun play and alliteration. He had no idea, no clue, it would come to mean so much more.
Where Are We Now?
Maycko finds him in a really unique position to be able to share his story while continuing to journey forward into discovering more pieces of his heritage. He's found that there's an intricate connection between plants, mental health, and houseplants.
Maycko is now set on continue the journey while finding ways to continue merging the three threads and have it provide value for everyone.
The evolution now extends past heritage - that's a personal story for Maycko, now.
Foliage Filipino has transformed into a platform for wellness and mental health with plants and plant care as a vehicle.
Where Are We Going?
We are diving deep into research.
Maycko is digging into the voice of the community to better understand the three way relationship between people, plants, and mental health.
While Maycko is still focused on his personal discoveries, it's undeniable that now there is a call to action for him to build a helpful solution towards a better state of mental health and wellness.
Be it in the form of an app, a journal, or some other innovative solution. If you have ideas or have comments about your relationship with plants, mental health, and yourself, please send Maycko an email at maycko.at.foliagefilipino.com