The ALIA
Volume I. Issue XIV. Nov. 3, 2020.
Dear Readers,
Welcome to the fourteenth issue of The ALIA, a weekly newsletter dedicated to the lives of Asian women in America, and beyond, where we bring you the latest news and insightful conversations with industry professionals. In this volume, we feature women in fashion, media and arts. Find us on Instagram. Subscribe for free here.
Letter from the editor:
Hello! It’s so good to see you again, and a warm welcome to our new subscribers. Take a break from election coverage and set aside time for yourself. At a time of uncertainty in the country, we must remember to take care of our mental health. Be easy on yourself and know that you’re doing better than you think. Talk to loved ones and lean on each other for support.
In this issue, I spoke with author and illustrator Mimi Chao, founder of creative studio Mimochai. Her dreamy storybook escapes and wondrous characters create a world that transcends your imaginations. Having collaborated with companies like Disney, Adobe and Samsung, Mimi generates creativity from her passion for art and storytelling.
She chats about her former career as an attorney, feeling pressure from her family and planning to take that leap of faith, which changed her life trajectory. We always love to hear from you. Let us know what you thought of this issue.
I hope you enjoy!
Sincerely,
Annie Lin
Founder of The ALIA
If you could like to learn more about this project, please contact us at contact@alia.news
Asian Creatives
Clockwise from top left: @itscamilleco, @stephlameng, @joanday, @weylie
Community News
Powerful art • Artist Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya’s “I Believe in Our City” series transformed a Brooklyn subway station with beautiful vibrant portraits of Black, Asian and Pacific Islanders with slogans like “I did not make you sick,” and “This is our home too.” Her art is a response to the COVID-19 related racial discrimination against Asians. Read: The New York Times
Reflections • One new American citizen reflects on her citizenship as fulfilling her immigrant parent’s goals. However, feeling conflicted about the supposed accomplishment left her fearful during the pandemic, yet hopeful about making this country live up to its ideals. Read: The Atlantic
Uniting efforts • The National Committee of Asian American Republicans that previously endorsed President Donald Trump in 2016 has now officially endorsed Joe Biden. In a press release, the group said, “We wanted an outsider to rattle the system. But he is destroying the whole building.” Read: NBC News
Swing states • Asian Americans make up 4% of eligible voters and are the fastest-growing electorate. The Atlantic traveled to Pennsylvania, a key swing state, to profile 12 Asian American voters about their thought process this election. Read: The Atlantic
In Conversation with Mimi Chao
This week, we’re joined by Mimi Chao, 35, illustrator and founder of her own independent storybook studio, Mimochai. Having been a corporate lawyer in a former life, Chao finds a revived sense of creativity from her childhood love for art and reading. She explores her inspiration, family expectations, Asian American identity and more.
This interview has been edited for clarity and conciseness.
What made you decide to leave corporate law to be a freelance illustrator?
I've always enjoyed drawing and making up stories growing up. I was a bookworm. Some of my favorites were "Calvin and Hobbes," "The Chronicles of Narnia," "Harry Potter," and "The Baby-Sitters Club." I loved art and reading but was never encouraged in either. I never had art classes, but I explored my creativity in high school by making flyers and posters. I went to college at the University of California, San Diego, and I was very discouraged from pursuing the creative path. Both by my family and because UCSD was science, medicine and engineering-driven. I wanted to do something creative but had no idea how. This was before the time of social media. No one in my family or friends were in the creative field. In my mind, either you worked at Disney, or you didn't do art. I thought, I'm not good enough to work at Disney.
I ended up studying law, and even that felt like going against the grain. I really liked the theory and philosophy of law. You see the way everything is connected in society and community. The way law school is set up, people are funneled into big law firms. That's the route I took, and I started working at a firm called Lathan & Watkins. It seemed like the prestigious thing to do. I think many Asian Americans go down the route of getting top grades, going to the best school, then the best place to work – I followed that trajectory more or less.
Within the first year, I felt like something was missing. When you tell people what you do, they think you're successful and smart. I was supposed to feel successful. I had a six-figure job, my own office and a secretary. But I was really unfulfilled. I was really unhappy. I realized that all the things people cared about and drove their life choices were things that didn't matter to me. I cared more about loving what I do and wanting to go to work every day.
I didn't talk to my parents about it because I knew to them, it was like, why do you have to do something that makes you happy? Why don't you do that in your free time as a hobby? The first seed that was planted in me was seeing some college friends move to LA to explore creative careers. It was powerful and important for me to see another young Asian person doing what you thought wasn't allowed.
I started sketching loosely at night. It was the first time I had drawn in 10 years. I was literally drawing donuts and silly things, but it was a good way to relax. I kept hearing from my parents that your creative side will go away, or you'll get over it. I bought into that. I had no time to draw either because you're constantly working all the time in law. When I was at the firm, we would go to conferences and meet the field's leaders. I always feel like you should desire to reach the top of your career. But I remember thinking, this is not where I want to be in 40 years. It was a wake-up call for me.
By the second year of law, I started planning to move toward something creative. It took me two years to plan it out. I'm a planner and risk-averse. I made a lot of financial goals and mental milestones I wanted to reach before I left the firm. By the fourth year, I started to look into other jobs I could do. Originally, I thought I'd be a lawyer at a creative company, but I would still be a lawyer, which I didn't want. By chance, I started seeing jobs for project managers at design agencies. I didn't even know what an agency was, and I was intrigued by it. I don't know how much of a difference it made, but I started writing a blog about museum exhibits and design, I also took an online class from UCLA on design project management, and I had project managed clients at my law firm. Those three things combined helped me transition into a design agency job. I worked on the strategic business side. It wasn't very creative. But it was good exposure to the different types of artists, creatives and designers you could be. There were graphic designers, illustrators, back-end and front-end coders – all these jobs I didn't know existed. I was 26 when I realized you could be a freelance illustrator.
I started an Instagram in 2014 when there weren't many artists on it, and my drawings were something different. I felt like it was an avenue for me to get my art out there and for people to hire me to do commissions. I remember the first time someone hired me to draw something. I was like, really? It was only $50, but it was a milestone for me. After working at the agency for a year and a half, I felt the need to make a decision. I had saved enough money at the time, and I gave myself six months to pursue art. Six months turned into a year. A year turned into two years, and then I was like, I could do this forever. So that's where I am now. My studio name, Mimochai, was my Instagram handle. It's my name with the last two letters switched around. I had set up a little print store doing lettering, the print store turned into more and it grew into a studio. As a kid, I naturally gravitated toward making secret clubs for my friends. I think that played a part in creating it.
Where do you find inspiration?
I'm inspired by Studio Ghibli and modern picture book illustrators like Jon Klassen and Rebecca Green as well as, classics like "Where the Wild Things Are" by Maurice Bernard Sendak, "Calvin and Hobbes" by Bill Watterson, "The Little Prince" by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. Going further back, I really like Rembrandt and Caravaggio. It's not only art that inspires me. I like architecture and branding aesthetics too. Knowing yourself is essential and be open to the things that could inspire you. I didn't go to art school, so I had no idea what I should or shouldn't do. That helped me find my voice. It was a weakness that turned out to be a good thing for me. Knowing many people who went to art school, they're influenced by their teachers and classmates. I've always wondered how other illustrators find their style. Once it clicked and finally happened, I was like, I guess I've found it. Being true to yourself and embracing what's unique to you, without copying someone else, is how you eventually find your style.
Have your goals as an artist changed?
Fundamentally, they haven't changed. My plan was always to bring meaningful stories to people of all ages. I strongly believe that picture books are not just for kids. I'm very inspired by things I loved growing up, that's never changed. The vessels and format are what evolves. My dream was to make a picture book, then that happened within the first year or two. You realize that your dream keeps evolving and growing. The biggest change for me in the past few years was my mindset. From an Asian, achievement-oriented personality to the competitiveness from being in law, I carried that over into being an illustrator. After my first book, I was like, what's next? I worked with dream clients like Disney, but what's after that? Always living in the future and striving for the next accolade to be validated was an unhealthy approach. Being present and focused on what's meaningful to me, regardless of what other people think or how many awards you get, has helped me develop a healthier approach to my illustration goals.
How did your parents feel about your career switch? Were they supportive?
Unfortunately, I didn't have that conversation. My parents are separated. My mom was more hands-off, but she wasn't encouraging either. My dad was adamant that you need to be a doctor but accepted me being a lawyer. I didn't feel like I had enough of a say in what I wanted to do until I became independent. Applying to art school wasn't even an option. I can't go back into school debt because I had just paid off all my law school loans. When I switched to art, I was financially independent, which was very important for me. I wasn't relying on anyone to pay for anything. I paid for my grad school, so my parents couldn't say they paid for me, and now I'm throwing it away. I was in charge. I didn't tell my dad when I changed jobs. I only said I'm going to work for a company on the business side.
It wasn't until I was financially secure as a freelancer that I told him what I had done. Asian parents say a lot of hurtful things when they mean it out of love. He told me, "You're going to lower your value, people aren't going to respect you as much, and you're not going to be able to get as good of a partner." My mom was supportive by that time, she would share my drawings with her friends, and I thought that was very sweet. Most recently, my dad has come around. He was like, "Why didn't you go to art school, to begin with?" I was like, "What do you mean why? Because of you! Other things too, but by large because of you." They come from a background of insecurities. Looking back, I'm more empathetic now, but that mentality holds many Asian Americans back from pursuing what they want.
What advice would you give to people who are looking to pursue a creative route?
Wherever I am, if I can help someone who is a few steps behind, I try my best to do that. When I first started, I remember reading artists' blogs, which helped me a lot. My mentality is to pay it forward and share things that are helpful for someone in my position or a few steps back. It's extremely rewarding to hear from people that my story has inspired a change or inspired someone to take that leap.
I think having the desire to do something means you should do it. Knowing what you want to do is already a great sign. So many people don't know what it is they want. Even if you're unsure, you can experiment with it. As cheesy as it sounds, life changes completely when you do something you care about. I think there is a difference between doing something you love for work and finding passion in what you do. Starting with the right purpose and motivation is important, and being realistic that it won't be easy.
Social media has created a misconception that artists are naturally talented, that it just came to them. I see people being discouraged because their first attempts at drawing were bad. Of course, no one is perfect right from the start. Every single person has practiced extremely hard to get where they're at. Knowing that it's difficult is healthy. I think it's an honorable thing when you're pursuing something you care about.
My other advice is to make a plan. I'm a planner, so I'm biased. I'm sure people have achieved great things without any plans. Realistically, you're going to have to make sacrifices. I made a lot of financial and social sacrifices. I had a budget. I worked all the time, which is not sustainable. There's a period of time where you'll need to put that effort in. Then it'll balance out after the intense period. I highly recommend doing mindful meditation because that helps center and balance all of these aspects I'm talking about.
As an Asian American female in the creative space, how do you feel connected to your Asian identity?
I can't speak for all Asian American females, but I do feel like I identify with many of them. We suffer collectively from a sense of perfectionism and holding ourselves back because of it. I think it's cultural. It has to do with gender and societal expectations. A lot of it is constructed in our minds as we reach adulthood. Recently, I've joined some video calls centered around Black Lives Matter. We should be getting more involved. During the BLM protests, I went out of my way to find groups to discuss this with. Even though my group of friends from high school are all Asian Americans, we didn't talk about these issues. Listening to podcasts, like Christine Chen and Regina Fang's Perfectly Imperfect, is a great example of exploring these topics.
Mindfulness and meditation helped me tremendously, it's a huge spiritual aspect, which is non-religious. Part of it is self-therapy because you end up thinking about why you believe the things you believe and what made you this way, then resetting those beliefs. You should instill self-confidence and self-love inside of you. A lot of Asians are raised with the idea of only receiving love if you achieve things. I think many people, especially marginalized groups, grew up with that mentality. We would benefit so much from the fundamental spiritual belief that we all have self-confidence from within that's not dependent on other people.
I realized many girls are very empathetic people, but we suffer from self-doubt. If we don't do it exactly right the first time or every time, we think we shouldn't do it at all. I've seen this in every single workplace I've been in. I've been fortunate that they've all had a significant number of Asian American females. At the law firm, Asian American females were always the go-to associates because they work hard and don't complain. But once you get to the higher ranks, you don't see them as much because they don't speak up for themselves. I've noticed that Asian females have so much to offer. They're talented, good-hearted, but they fall into the typical female tropes of second-guessing themselves. I want to encourage a shift in that going forward. I see it happening with Gen Zs, they're outspoken, and I appreciate that. I want to encourage that for more women in other generations too. While I recognize that my story seems unusual. I want to posit that I'm just another person.
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Weekly Thoughts
Last week: What is in your everyday bag?
Your responses:
“I always carry sunscreen and lip tint in my bag. Sunscreen is essential. These small steps will help me maintain a youthful look in the future. I use the Biore UV Perfect Spray SPF50+ sunscreen. For lips, I interchange between the Dior Addict Lipstick in coral and Benefit’s Benetint in rose. Lip tints are a major game-changer. The application of it without any other makeup instantly makes me look more alive and polished. Minimal effort but effective as hell.” — Jocelyn Koh, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
This week: What are your thoughts and feelings post-election?
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