Aloha from Maui! There's nothing like light stringed palm trees, swimming in the ocean at sunset and eating non stop rice plates to ring in the new year.
It's been a crazy year and I'm thankful for all the opportunities for growth which ultimately pushed me in ways I couldn't imagine. The end of the year (and throughout the year for that matter) is always a time to reflect and appreciate all the happenings from the past few months, whether they be joyous moments or hard learnings. Here are the things that come to mind in no particular order.
First Home Purchase
I think this one was a big learning for my husband and I. After coming off our whirlwind wedding celebration in 2014, we decided to be real adults and buy a home serendipitously in Mountain View - close to our work. I was still fantasizing about buying a fixer upper (maybe it was after binging on HGTV episodes like Fixer Upper) but T was convinced we should get something move in ready as much as possible. The experience did not come without its challenges but we were equipped with an amazing team of family, friends and an awesome real estate agent and lending officer to get us though. There's still a ton of work to be done but we couldn't be happier since it's close to my brother's house (couple blocks down) and close to everything possible (woot Target and Ramen!). We paid a premium but the cost for 'Peace of Mind' is priceless in my opinion.
What truly made it our home was the loving care from our parents who provided warmth to make it cozy. T's parents came to visit us for a few weeks from Paris and we spent days building my new art studio in our garden and sewing/hanging drapes all throughout our home. I was also happy to put up French and Chinese inspired relics given to us by our families to remind us of our heritage.
Artist
This was a pretty epic year for me as an artist and it was a good time to remember why I create in the first place. Beauty and contribution was a common theme this year - not to mention stretching myself to be 'uncomfortable'. This quote keeps sticking in my head:
Through discipline comes freedom.” (Aristotle)
- Design Sponge - A collaboration with T's parents with my design direction show cased on one of my favorite design blogs 'Before and After' segments. Happy to have a space of my own to create and make a mess!
- Dreams incarnated - A lovely collaboration with Google Cardboard and the p:ear non profit in Portland benefiting homeless youth
- Cannes Lion Google Cardboard Exhibit in France for the International Creativity Festival
- Google Mobile First Exhibit - By far my toughest challenge this year creatively. I challenged myself to paint on wood, challenged my husband to help me build my wooden canvases by hand (Yay!) and hang 8 original pieces at the center of Google. It was such a refreshing experience and a process of imagination.
- 50 day Fashion Week challenge - I'm really bad at regular posting on any social media but I decided to follow NY, Milan and Paris fashion weeks to push myself to post 1-2 times a day fashion inspired sketches. It was rewarding to engage with people who appreciated my work and also to see that I could stay focused.
- Illustrated Maps Book - Finally moving on to my travels, I was super happy to find out that my painted map of Maui was included in the compendium of maps of the nation now sold on Amazon. I was always bad at keeping journals during my travels but always wanted to share my rich experiences somehow. So for a while, I started painting maps of the places I've traveled to on 'They Draw and Travel'
Step Mom
Being a parent is probably one of the hardest jobs. I now appreciate how much my parents did for my brother and I. This was the year of exceptional change (still is) and compassion. Patience seems to be the most difficult lesson as I try to navigate living in a blended family culturally (French, Chinese, American) while also balancing being a step mom to a spirited tween (not easy). That said, it's amazing how much you learn about yourself, learning and caring for others. Flexibility seems to be the key and finding joy in your passions.
Baby!
On top of enjoying a blended family, I'm so happy to share my love of a new baby soon (Yay!). I'm not going to lie, I'm pretty anxious how everything will work out but all I know is that I'm excited to share something special with my child and hopefully they will in turn be able to share their talents with the world (e.g. will they be an artist? Athlete? Cook? Technologist?) So exciting!
In the meantime, new year brings the year of the monkey (That's me and the baby woot) and many more exciting moments. I've grown tremendously this year and I only hope to continue to grow focusing more on my gratitude.
