Why TIKA — A Name, A Creative House, A Return

When I started dreaming about this next chapter of my creative life, I didn’t go looking for a new name — I returned to one that had always been mine.

TIKA was my childhood nickname. Spoken by loved ones. Passed down in the casual tenderness of Haitian culture. A shortening of my full name, yes — but more than that, it was a way of being known. Unfiltered. Familiar. Whole.

For a while, I kept it separate from my creative identity. But as I grew — as an artist, as a person — I found myself circling back to it. To the part of me that created for joy. For play. For connection. Not performance.

That’s what TIKA stands for.

What is TIKA?

TIKA is a creative house — a studio space for the full range of my work. Photography is a big part of it. But so is sound. So is movement. So is curiosity. TIKA is where editorial storytelling meets presence. Where the image isn’t just aesthetic — it’s a feeling.

It’s where I create work rooted in:

• Intention — because I’m not here to churn out content

• Emotion — because we remember what made us feel

• Collaboration — because the best work doesn’t happen in isolation

TIKA is not just what I do. It’s who I am — and who I’ve returned to.

Why the Name Matters

When someone lands on my work, I want them to feel it. Not just “see” it — but recognize the presence behind it. TIKA isn’t a brand I chose because it sounded good. It’s the name that fit when nothing else did. It’s personal, ancestral, and instinctual.

So when people say the name — they’re not just calling my studio. They’re calling me.

TIKA Studios is a San Diego-based creative house led by multidisciplinary artist TIKA (Jessica Ballerstein), offering editorial photography, portrait sessions, and concept-driven collaborations. Rooted in intuition, presence, and story, TIKA exists to create art that feels — across image, sound, and space.
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