Being an artist is awesome. I know that I am incredibly and ridiculously lucky to have an outlet for my creative and emotional expression. There are days, however, where I fall into the common trap of focusing on what I don’t have as an artist. For example, I can go down a rabbit hole focusing … Read more
This is Cabbage the Tiger! Cabbage was the first name that came up and I love it so much. Here is some interesting facts about tigers in Asian culture. Did you know that the stripes on the tiger’s head resemble the 王 character in Chinese? Obviously they don’t have an exact 王 on their foreheads … Read more
This all started with lessons I learned from completing the 100-day project a few years ago. I wanted to get myself into the practice of drawing more so I thought that committing myself to drawing for 100 consecutive days would be a great kick-in-the-butt. And that’s exactly what I did. I created 100 art pieces. … Read more
The pandemic is still ongoing and I just really miss home. I wish I can travel to my family restaurant in Chicago but I’m not sure when we’re safely able to do so. The thought of flying gives me anxiety, too. In the meantime, I have these frozen dumplings that I was able to get … Read more
I had a lot of fun drawing peony flowers on my wall. This was my first time drawing something of this scale but I loved the challenge! I was getting bored of seeing my blank white wall through the virtual meeting lens and wanted to change it up. The pandemic is still ongoing and I’m … Read more
2020 has been a numbing year for us all. If you’re old enough to be aware of your surroundings, you just know. My mom also passed away this year. Finding out about the cancer diagnosis to the time of her transition (Alicia Keys used this term to describe someone passing away and I loved it) … Read more
I have gotten a handful of questions from people asking where I got my business cards done—thank you so much by the way! I made them through Next Day Flyers. I was made familiar by this brand through a friend because I loved how his business cards turned out. I was surprised when he told … Read more
I quit my corporate job over a year ago and here are some things that I have learned along the way. I have made plenty of mistakes on this journey but they were indispensable to my growth—and absolutely necessary. Learning is beautiful benefit of this adventure and overall, it has been so fun embracing every … Read more
As a kid, I would go to a local Morning Glory store in Chicago to check out cute stickers, stationery, and planners. I don’t know why I needed a planner as a kid but I sure loved filling each page with notes, doodles, friends’ birthdays, and addresses. Fast-forward to 30 something year old adult, I’m … Read more
Aside from creating art, composting has been another source of calm for me. It’s been helping with my anxiety from this ongoing pandemic. I’m sure everyone is feeling a sense of heightened anxiety right? Anyway, each little food scrap that I compost feels like a Super Mario jump for coins [cue jump sound effect here]. … Read more
Learning how to write Traditional Chinese characters can be really tedious and not fun. I always have to preface my students with a disclaimer that learning the art of Traditional Chinese calligraphy requires a lot of patience and discipline. They instantly get it once they start practicing; and they easily understand why people dedicate their … Read more
This microscopic, non-discriminatory virus has—ironically—reminded me of what discrimination feels like. Asians across the globe are experiencing higher levels of hate and judgment due to the coronavirus being Chinese origin. I have never been so hyper aware of my racial exterior in my entire life. Not bad for the other 30+ years of my existence, … Read more