Some of you have asked what the Chinese tagline in my bio means. Yes, it’s there because I have a lot of interests that I pursue simultaneously. No, it’s not a commentary on how I think people should be. Yes, it’s self disparaging.
For those who don’t speak or read Chinese:
樣樣通 (yàng yàng tōng) - Everything passes through, so
樣樣鬆 (yàng yàng sōng) - everything is loose.
You could loosely translate it to the English idiom “a jack of all trades is the master of none.” Interestingly, this English idiom was used to insult William Shakespeare, who was an actor-turned-playwright, when he wrote his first play. It’s the first published mention of Shakespeare, and it’s kind of rude. (A full couplet, with the opposite meaning, that’s been sometimes attributed to Shakespeare: “A jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one.”)
In kung fu, I just started learning spear. And there’s a saying that while staff takes 100 days to master, spear takes like 1000 days to master, or something. That’s like 2.7 years, and that’s only if you practice it every single day, like it’s your job to practice this one thing.
I think that’s probably true. It’s certainly true for drawing. Drawing, like every other skill, is a very learnable and practicable skill, and the more that you study drawing, the better you will get. My peers spend their free time studying and developing their craft, and I admire their books and illustrations. I struggle. I draw a lot, but I know I have a long way to go, and my attention is distracted by many, many things like: community work, martial arts, public art, teaching, lion dance, gardens, food, books etc etc etc.
I wonder how much of my time I spend chasing an illusory and unattainable state of “good” and angsting (not a word?) over not being there. Someone told me that my drawings just needed to be “good enough.” I was aghast. Good enough? Good enough for what?
“Well, to tell your story,” they said.
Oh.
Okay. 🍓
some 🍓 that i appreciate
My agent Wendi and other great people are participating in Books for Maui to raise funds for indigenous residents impacted by the fires. The auction is live from Aug 21 to Aug 25.
Vivian and I had a blast at the Boston Kids Comics Fest, making little zines with kids, meeting other artists, and selling some books! Precious moment: when kung fu school kiddos came to visit us.
We updated one of the Chinese Progressive Association’s window mural to reflect the theme of “green justice” in Chinatown.
On a related note (only because of window murals in Chinatown), check out Experience Chinatown this fall, featuring some friends’ awesome window murals AND some friends performing!
Vivian and I helped with merch for our favorite Quincy HK cafe’s birthday. Happy birthday, Rubato! We worked with Laurence and Rary to make: youtiao and congee bucket hats; bolo and milk tea hats; a cat t-shirt; a Contempo sign shirt, and a fried chicken bolo shirt. You can snag your own (of whatever is left — I hear most of the hats are gone for now!) in person at their cafe.
I competed in Baltimore with my kung fu school team this summer! I got a medal for 4th place competing in my spear form (clearly, not a master hahaha).
some things to look forward to
Come to Chinatown HOPE’s Fall Fun in Phillips Square on Sept 9, 11am - 1pm. I’ll be there, talking about the Tied Together by a Thousand Threads mural.
Speaking of Chinatown — I’ll be back *working in person* there this fall! I’m very excited to be making art with young folks again.
I’ll be peddling my self-published wares at MICE this fall, Sept 30 - Oct 1 (Sat: 11am - 6pm and Sun: 11am - 5pm)! There will be STICKERS. See you thereeeee
some things i’m enjoying & want you to enjoy
The Artist’s Way: I joined a little group, and we’re making our way through the book together! I find a lot of connections in this book with tai chi practice and Daoism.
I’m obsessed with these cute GL manga:
She Loves to Cook, She Loves to Eat (Sakaomi Yuzaki): Two neighbors develop a sweet romance, based on one woman feeding another. The title is actually pretty self explanatory. (Ty Sunny for the rec!)
and The Guy She was Interested in Wasn’t a Guy At All (Arai Sumiko): Also a very self-explanatory title — a fashionable school girl who secretly listens to American rock music crushes on the guy at a local record store. (Spoiler: the guy …isn’t a guy at all.)
Free (?!) comic resources, created by other comic artists: I can’t be more grateful to Halftone Hospital. I’ve inked my entire book with Victoria Douglas’ brush sets, so, there you go. Also, here are even more brushes (including some truly sick screentones made with traditional ink wash), created by Wendy Xu. Both of these are pay what you want.
ok thanks bye!