Hello! I can’t believe it is October already! I have your monthly roundup of where I’ve been moved and inspired by.
WORD:
Fragile
September was ALOT. There were some really good times of celebration, but overall I’ve been feeling really papery - if that’s even a word. Especially since the Kavanaugh hearing. The feeling is less angry (which is has been more or less my go to this year) and more fragile. A lot of people have been vulnerable to me this month and many people have written about their own sexual assault online that I’ve been reading - and it all feels really heavy. As a enneagram 4, I’m feeling a lot for women around me and its kicking up things for me too. So yes this month feels papery and vulnerable, and I think it’s good. It’s good to to grieve and mourn with one another.
VISUAL:
Article:
I think reading opinion pieces keeps things human - so here are two. And a bonus third one about the concept of virginity.
make my sexual assault count
MUSIC:
ALOT of Frank Ocean has been played this month.
PODCASTs:
My favorite murder
I haven’t been feeling like diving into deep podcasts, and this podcast has been on a lot this month. Every time I do the dishes or commute, this podcast is on. It’s great if you love hearing unfortunate stories and also laugh (in an appropriate kind of way since the topic is murder).
Movies:
MAniac
This Netflix series was incredibly enjoyable in a weird way! I highly recommend it!
aoki
Did you know that I’m the Creative Director of an arts non profit called AOKI? I've been with the founder and director of AOKI, Aiyana Taylor, developing and growing it for little more than the past 2 years. We had our first event/fundraiser on September 30th, and it was INCREDIBLE. I was so inspired by the artists involved and the collaborations and friendships that have grown out of putting on this event. I also had the opportunity to do an art installation that involved the collaborative work of everyone who came to the event! Please check out AOKI and support by donating to this new nonprofit!
MEMORY MONDAYS:
Today is week 39 of #TWmemorymondays!
Most of you probably already know this, but I'm going to cover basic background for those who are new. My parents grew up in Hong Kong, and immigrated to California in their 20's. I was born in the Bay Area, and lived there until college.
When my parents moved here, they joined Chinese community church where they became very involved and found a new home in. Most of the people who attended this church also immigrated and mostly spoke Cantonese (which my parents did also). I was basically born into the community along with many of my childhood friends who were also second generation. (Swipe to see a photo of my mom and me in front of the church.) I have so many fun memories of playing with my friends after church during my parent's choir practices or meetings. SO MANY MEETINGS - but that just meant I went to my friends' houses and hung out multiple times a week.
A memory that sticks out to me is the smell of Chinese (the real kind) food filling the halls of church after the service has ended. After the church service and before my parents' choir practice, everyone who was part of the choir and their families had lunch together. Every Sunday, it was the routine to have lunch together for basically all of my childhood. The whole hall was filled a mix of chinese and english - because most of the adults spoke chinese and most of the kids spoke english. Just the combination of the smell, the anticipation of food, the sound of moving chairs, and announcement that people can get their lunch - it brings back such a feeling of comfort.
My family was part of that church until I entered high school, and then we moved to a church that was predominantly white. As you can guess, it was a huge life and culture change. I was of course part of many other contexts where I was a minority, but when it came to core community - I was usually around people who looked like me. The part that was most obvious to me was (white) people's nice cautiousness to approaching my family - like the cultural divide was a bit too much...kind of inconvenient. This was such a huge contrast where we were seen and really known in the Chinese community. In the white culture, that complexity seemed to be flattened out to one dimension - which is OTHER.
At the new church, my parents also sang in the choir, and there was dinner served there before rehearsal. Dinner was chicken alfredo with garlic bread, or chicken parmesan, and that sort of traditional "American" food. Nothing is wrong with that of course, but it does not ring true to my family's comfort/heart food - and talk about contrasting experiences!
Now I want to point out something that I've noticed in my life: when it comes to race and particularly socializing with POC, there seems to sometimes be this paralysis that white people get. It's caused by not wanting the POC to feel "other," and feeling scared they will say the wrong thing - or not say something they should say. As a POC, it's the worst feeling, because under the niceness there's a deep division and caricature-ing of me.
What SHOULD happen (in my opinion - can't talk for all POC), an internal acknowledgment that the person has a brown/black ethnicity and internally celebrating that, then proceed to be authentically curious about their life without bringing up the fact that they are a POC. THEN, when the relationship has been built, be verbally curious about their ethnic background/experience. And do all of this without the agenda of proving something to them or others or wanting to offer some information about how much you know about their culture.
Easy right?? It's not easy, because our white supremest society doesn't set up POC to be seen as equal of dignity and worth. I want you to see color and to celebrate/embrace it - this act is powerful, takes a lot of work, and VERY inconvenient. But that's the thing about breaking evil systems - it takes sweat, tears, discomfort, and many inconvenient interactions.
......
#TWmemorymondays: A painting inspired by a memory every Monday of 2018. Connecting abstract art to real life. Week 39/53. 'Church' / 8x8 in / mixed media on paper
New mural
I painted my second indoor mural or a better term for it might be hand painted wallpaper. It was really fun, and I loved how it turned out!
I can’t say it enough: THANK YOU. Thank you for cheering me on!