Who are you?
I am an American-born Chinese. I am creative. I am an aspiring designer. I am a scientist. I am a creative critical thinker. I am breaking free of stereotypical expectations that have been placed on me for decades. I am trying to find happiness which has led me here.
What is it that you want to do?
I want to show people who might have a similar experience as me, that it is okay to not know what you want to do. It’s okay if you have familial expectations and to not necessarily pursue what you love, but also know that it is okay to not follow those expectations as well (if you are in the position to). I want to show people that it’s never too late to change your mind, it’s okay to make “mistakes” and it’s okay to take up space.
Why?
At the end of the day, I want to not only share my creative journey and art with the world, but to also embrace still what I have learned in the past to bridge the gap between art and science as they are very much interconnected. I share a very similar upbringing and journey as Christiana Wu—being pushed towards a path that we did not necessarily want to pursue, working in a world where we were taught to say “yes” but learning to break free from generations of being told what to do. After listening to her talk, it has inspired me to be unapologetically me and to share experiences as well even if that helps just one other person.
Where do you want to go?
My ultimate goal is to live life instead of simply existing… (sorry this is getting a bit deep…). I realized that I was just existing when I was working my old full-time job at the hospital. As much as I loved my coworkers—I was not fulfilled because I wanted to do something more and that something more was to stimulate my creative soul. I know I won’t necessarily enjoy what I do every day but making that conscious decision and knowing that I am not stuck. I want to continually learn more till I grow old and be able to reflect on all that I have created and experienced.
What would you want to say?
Don’t be sorry and be you. At the end of the day only you know your own authentic self (you might have to look deep internally). There might be some generational trauma to unpack but keep looking until you find that spark. It’s also okay to not be okay. In our society, it has been engrained in us to have the hustle and bustle life, but it’s okay to take a break (actually it’s very important). It’s okay to not know what future awaits us. And once again, it’s okay to take up space. Don’t be a sheeple, but if you consciously decide to be a sheeple that’s okay too! Just be critical about your decisions and think about how you want to spend your valuable life, as time is limited (and our most precious resource, as Christiana once said).