Divine timing. This commission request came to me at such a particular time in my life. I was going through a painful breakup and also mourning the loss of my mom. The abject pain from the compounded grief was paralyzing. As if going through the pandemic wasn’t enough, these events had to occur one after … Read more
I used to think that I had to say yes to every project, especially as an artist that’s just starting out. This mindset definitely comes from my upbringing where my Asian immigrant parents would share stories of how they had nothing coming here to the US and that you should be grateful for any and … Read more
Instagram and Facebook went down for almost a full day at the beginning of October. If you have a business or want to start a business, this is the clearest sign that we should not be putting all our eggs in the social media basket. And that we should seriously develop our own website! Even … Read more
Take a good minute to focus on the artwork. Look from top to bottom and side to side. Try to look at the artwork as is and suspend any judgment. Move your eyes along the ink strokes and observe the artwork as is. The best way to look at Chinese calligraphy–or any art–is to ask … Read more
Congratulations! You get to sell your artwork as a vendor at a market and/or fair! Okay, now what? This is an exciting opportunity to put your products out there and here are some tips to help you create a successful event. From my experiences of selling at local indoor markets to outdoor out-of-state fairs, here’s … 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
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