Asian-American Artists Discuss How Art Has Changed Their Lives

What kind of art do you do?

"Filmmaker."

What inspired you to start creating art?

"When I first started, it was about expressing myself as a marginalized person — a queer Southeast Asian woman of color from a refugee immigrant family. It was about representing stories that weren’t often told in mainstream channels. Nowadays, I think that has shifted because I am focusing more of my energy on making films for my communities rather than trying to tell others about who we are. I think there’s so much power in valuing ourselves not only as the presenters of stories, but as the audiences, too. Most people tend to think about it the other way around, but I think there is a lot of power in listening. Like, we’re not just showing something that already exists, you know? We are active on both sides of the conversation about the futures of the spaces we exist in!"

How has art changed your life for the better?

"Filmmaking has made me a more critically intentional in cultivating healthy interdependency with other people. I think it’s different than most other forms of art in this way: It’s hard to make a film by yourself, so inherently there is trust placed in a communal process and an understanding that other people are integral to my own creative energy. I think it has made me a more trusting person."

How has your art affected those around you / your community?

"Art is as much about the artist as it is about the communities the artist creates for and with. A few years ago, when I made my first deeply personal film, it was out of sheer loneliness that I knew no other queer Vietnamese people. And through the process of creating and screening the films, I’ve had the chance to connect to so many more people, some of whom even do the same kind of work! And now we know about each other and can help each other grow. It’s cool to know not only that films have a place in representing a community that already exists, but that it also contributes to cultivating and strengthening communities, too."

You can check out Quyên's art here.

What kind of art do you do?

"I mainly do watercolor covers for comics."

What inspired you to start creating art?

"I’ve been drawing ever since I can remember. I was very fortunate to have parents that fostered my drawing interests all the way through college (a rarity in AA families). I remember drawing fairies and The Little Mermaid when I was very young, and these days it’s fashion and character design that inspire me."

How has art changed your life for the better?

"I often have to pinch myself and remind myself how lucky I am to be doing what I love for a career. It’s not something everyone gets to do, so I try to stay motivated and not take any second for granted. Art has given me a very clear sense of purpose from a very early age. I don’t know what I would be doing if not illustration."

How has your art affected those around you / your community?

"I would be lying if I said I was super connected to the art scene around me, but I live in San Francisco and for a few years there’s been a culture war between quirky, artsy, weird SF and the new industry of tech. The conversations and heat around this topic have waned, but I think art has helped to keep San Francisco’s vibrant identity alive."

You can check out Kevin Wada's art on Tumblr, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and here.

What kind of art do you do?

"I write and sing songs."

What inspired you to start creating art?

"After college, I was working at a consulting firm. I was probably 95% happy — I loved living in San Francisco, I loved my friends and coworkers, and the job was interesting. But there was this 5% curiosity for something different that kept popping its head up. One evening after work, I wanted to try to write a song. I had grown up learning violin, piano, and flute classically, but I’d never been creative with these instruments. In writing that first song, I fell in love with music again in a different, more personal way."

How has art changed your life for the better?

"I used to be extremely passive about things. I didn’t raise my hand in class or speak up much in conversations. And from little things like small talk to bigger things like career choices, I would let others speak and decide for me because I figured whatever I had to say or think, other people knew better than I did."

When I started writing songs, it was a very gradual process, but I started to realize, song by song, that I did have opinions and things to express, even if just to myself. Music woke me up. I started actually participating in my own life for the first time. It started with expressing myself in songs, but spread to other parts of my life too. I’m very grateful to have found songwriting for this reason."

How has your art affected those around you / your community?

"Growing up, I saw very few Asian-American artists. I think we can only become what we can see, so movies, ads, and TV shows play a huge role in shaping what we think is possible for ourselves. I think this is very slowly starting to change as more Asian-Americans choose to go into the arts and as the media start to show Asian-Americans in less stereotypical ways, but there is still a long way to go. I know I am only one person, but I hope that in a small way, my pursuing something that breaks stereotypes will contribute to this change."

You can check out Sonia's art here and her new album Meet Them at the Door on Spotify.