1. There is no linear career path. A majority of the artists featured here have had untraditional paths. Poet Victoria Chang did corporate business work for years before becoming a poet full-time. Writer Kyunghee Kim taught elementary school for nearly 20 years before switching to writing. Chef Duc Tang went to seminary before he discovered his love for food. The list goes on. What this should teach you is that there is no perfect journey. There's only yours. Don't be afraid to try new things and explore.

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2. Don't be afraid to put yourself out there. Filmmaker Samina Saifee put it best: "Channel that straight white male confidence." Again and again, what was repeated in these interviews is to believe in yourself. While it might sound cliche, it's essential in an industry where rejection is the norm. As writer Curtis Chin said, "People of color and women do this a lot more than straight white guys: If we see a job that we want, we ask: "Are we qualified for it?" We have to learn to give ourselves permission to say, 'I might not be qualified on paper, but I’ll at least put myself up for it.'"

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3. You have to do it because you love it. What's kept all these artists going — even the ones that have achieved the fame and awards — is they love what they do. Grammy-winning opera singer Nicholas Phan said: "The thing that keeps you going has to be the work itself. My passion for music is what’s kept me going. If you’re going for accolades and outside attention, that’s a black void that won’t fill you."

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4. It's okay to start small. The idea of pursuing a creative career can be daunting. How do I even start? Many artists didn't immediately make their art practice their full-time living. Years before she opened her own bakery, baker Rachel Liu Martindale started baking on weekends and evenings while still working her corporate engineering job. Poet Victoria Chang only quit her business job when she received the Guggenheim (you don't have to wait until you get a Guggenheim, but it's okay to side hustle!) 

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5. You're not alone. Choosing to not follow the "Asian parent-approved career path" can feel isolating. But what doing these interviews has shown me is we're not alone in how our upbringing shapes our artistic paths. Many Asian-American artists grew up with parents who raised them to love art (playing the piano, art classes, or Chinese calligraphy) but only as a college application booster, not as a career. Many Asian-American artists were met with resistance from their family when they first decided to pursue art. Many artists struggled at first to put themselves out there.  At the same time, Asian-American artists are not a monolith. Each of our stories and life experiences are unique and exist on a spectrum.

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6. Community is essential. What's sustained many of these artists is continuously being in creative community. Some have even started their own arts organizations to make way for more Asian-American artists. Painter Madhurima Ganguly said: "You need a balance where sometimes it’s just you but at other times you need a good community where you can exchange ideas and be inspired." One of the most pleasant surprises in doing this project was finding out that many of the artists I interviewed actually already knew each other!

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7. You can have a creative career in the Midwest. While the East and West coasts are often seen as "the place to be" if you're an artist, these artists show it's very possible to build a creative career in Michigan. Poet Carlina Duan said: "The Midwest is often overlooked, yet there’s so much generosity and warmth in the community you find there." 

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