#OurStoriesInVividColor

Creativity Prevails

I have been an artistic person most of my life – from performing arts and bullet journaling to graphic design and illustration; I always find myself engaging in creative projects that fuel me. Yet, growing up in an Asian family, I was never encouraged a creative career. My parents are business owners, and my uncle works in tech – so, the idea of becoming an artist never once crossed my mind. It wasn’t until I moved away from home and exposed myself to a new environment that I started to consider the possibility and allowed myself to explore my skillsets.

I started at Austin College as a Psychology-major. However, after two and a half years, I realized that Psychology was not something I want to pursue in the next ten years, even though the human mind and behaviors have always been fascinating to me. It was not enough. Then, the COVID-19 pandemic occurred and that was when I began to take my creative career seriously and completely fell in love with the idea of being an artist/designer.

One good thing about quarantining was the free time at hand that allowed me to work on more art projects. I started posting one illustration a day, every day, at the beginning of 2020 on my Instagram page @PB.Journal. Fast forward a year later, I am now a freelance illustrator, small-business owner, and creative intern, working remotely at a creative agency in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Allies Promise

Allies Promise by Caela Collins 

I may not say all the right things.

I won’t always be the first to know or understand. 

I will never feel the true weight of your burdens or carry your individualistic fears. 

But I will not abide by any pride that human nature has allowed to reside within me. 

I won’t use loving words of any faith and disfigure it with incorrect citations of hate. 

I will hear what you say when you speak because listening isn’t quite the same sentiment.

My heart will grab a hold of you as my eternal sibling.

There will always be a teachable moment for me but my intentions shall remain pure.

When you defy the current format of “equality,” I will always be by your side. 

I will challenge any bias that surfaces on the journey of my own evolution. 

I will educate those who need it the most even if we’re bound by blood. 

I will honor you because you breathe the same air as me. 

I will respect you because you put one foot in-front of the other like me. 

I love you simply because you’re human.

I Promise.

Self-Care Advice from a Case Manager

Take care of yourselves! Self care has become kind of a cliche term, but it is so vital in this field. In my role, I work directly with people experiencing homelessness. They often have traumatic backgrounds and few people that they trust. Once they build trust with me, they share all of that trauma with me. I feel thankful that I can be that person for someone, but I also get emotionally drained. I have to keep reminding myself it’s alright to take days off, it’s alright if I need to take a few minutes to myself after a tough conversation.

Connection to Earth

I wanted my piece to show the magnitude of the issue. It is not one place or people being affected by this climate crisis. This is a world issue that is often hardest on poorer or black, indigenous, and brown communities. I love goddesses and their stories of divinity, so Gaia, mother of Earth was who I thought of instantly. But much like when we were children our parents can only help us so much, there is a time when we have to learn to do things on our own and succeed or fail, it’s on us. I’ve been thinking more about ancestral responsibility and knowledge and there is something to this ancestral knowledge that lives in the Earth. There have always been sustainable ways of existing, but we haven’t always valued that knowledge. A symbol of divinity felt like it spoke to the ancestral part of that knowledge, a symbol of ancestry and our responsibility to this planet that has allowed us to be here for so long. 

I want people to see this piece and know that we have so much work to do, but our planet is rooting for us. Earth is doing everything it can for us and we should match that same dedication. We can all do something, and that something depends on our strengths and our means, but this climate crisis is about whether life on Earth will include humans. This is a human issue. If we’re thinking of the environment separately from human issues like racism, capitalism, classism, etc. then I don’t think we’re doing it right. Much like the goddess, I think the issues we face collectively as humans are woven together and not separate from each other. If we care about the environment we should care also about access to food, community resources, education, funding, etc. The access to these resources are not the same for each community, working to make resources more available to whoever needs those resources is part of environmental justice, it has to be. 

Through this process I had such a hard time letting go of this idea that my art piece had to be perfect, without flaws; but the flaws are part of what makes my style unique. It’s part of what makes my style mine. I could work on any piece forever and it would never be perfect, but perfection is not what I want to strive for. I want people to feel something when they see my art or understand that I had something to say and perfection won’t help me with those things. 

Nia Asemota

“The Black woman is art; a perfect expression of pain, struggle, strength and beauty. With this piece I wanted to highlight the epitome of joy and highlight the essence and immense beauty of black women,” says Nia, “The mission behind the By & For project really resonated with me and I’m so grateful to have had the opportunity to be involved! Contributing to this amazing project has definitely helped me grow my portfolio. I’ve been trying to push myself and draw more dynamic group pieces and this was the perfect opportunity for me to do so.”

A queer, Puerto Rican, POC drag artist, known on stage as Ubi Aaron. Offstage, they’re a student and activist, dedicated to visibility for marginalized communities. They care about breaking down stereotypes and promoting self-love.

Diana Castro is a young, queer, artist, actor, and performer of color living in Los Angeles, California. Diana uses art to explore their identity as a double-immigrant, and connect with their family’s heritage and culture. 

Ishika

Ishika Muchhal is an award-winning, Indian-American actor, singer, dancer, storyteller, activist, and theatre-maker from the LA area. She is currently pursuing her Bachelor in Fine Arts (BFA) in Acting at the esteemed California Institute of the Arts in Valencia, a Lillian Disney Scholarship recipient (Class of 2023).