Not Invisible

My heart still hurts that Donald Trump, someone who has vocally promoted racism, sexism, homophobia, xenophobia and Islamophobia, won this country over.

As I watched the election results with my parents, their story of immigrating to the US from Korea to make a life for our family weighed on me. My dad made it to LA in 1979, and my mom followed in 1981. I’ve heard their stories of shame and guilt around discrimination they experienced and the challenges they faced assimilating in the US. 

One of my favorite photos of my parents. I mean, look at 'em.

Identity is something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately. Who the hell am I? I’m a first generation Korean-American. I carry my Korean heritage and culture proudly. At the same time, I was born here in the US and have been blessed to have incredible friends from all walks of life and be part of diverse communities. I have been afforded amazing opportunities and experiences here that have shaped my life differently from my parents’. 

Now more than ever, it's time for those of us in marginalized communities to use our voices to fight back and rise up. We belong here and deserve to be heard. We also need to stand together and support those especially in need. Here's a list of organizations in particular that need support.

I harbored these thoughts in Vancouver a few weeks ago as well when I was invited to speak at the 20th Vancouver Asian Film Festival (VAFF).

It was the first year they had a music panel to address the challenges and wins that Asians have experienced in this field of entertainment. I was there alongside major music producers and talented singer-songwriters, the owner of a music publishing company and a soprano who had been invited to perform in North Korea. I also met William Yu, the creator of the social campaign #StarringJohnCho that went viral. He Photoshopped John Cho’s face in place of white male lead actors' faces on movie posters in an effort to spread awareness of the lack of diverse lead roles in film.

All the participants of the festival come from different backgrounds and experiences, but we all came together in support of the fact that representation matters.

VAFF’s founder Barbara Lee had stumbled upon my reflection on five years dedicated to supporting SoundCloud's creator and artist community. Putting out that post in the first place was nerve-wracking but ultimately I'm grateful that I did. It gave me more confidence to know that my voice, my experience and my contributions in this world matter.

I never expected the kind of supportive responses the reflection post received–I’ve had strangers reach out and tell me I'm brave; I've received emails from young women trying to enter the music industry asking for advice; and I’ve had the honor to be invited to come up to Vancouver to share my experience at VAFF. 

After having my identity steeped in a brand for so long, to be able to speak from my own voice in front of an audience of aspiring creators and fellow peers in the Asian, Asian-American and Asian-Canadian communities gave me even more courage to fully embrace who I am, celebrate my accomplishments openly and share my stories more boldly.

Assimilating to make others feel more comfortable and trying to fit in has been a challenge I’ve dealt with since I was a child. I can trace back to my first memories when someone made me feel like an “other.” I experienced these feelings intensely over the past few years, particularly working at a place where I’d look around and hardly see anyone who looked like me. With any negative sexist, racist experiences I faced over the years, I felt that I froze and hid more than actually confront them. The silence grew into resentment. Over time, I learned to find my strength and courage to confront those who hurt me and say “That’s not okay.” 

I also acknowledge the privileges I have and will speak up even more in solidarity for those who are hurting and oppressed. Black Lives Matter, Muslim Lives Matter, Indigenous Lives Matter, Immigrant Lives Matter, LGBTQ Lives Matter. We are not invisible.

It's our time to shine and speak up for our communities, because you never know who you’ll empower if you share your voice for others to mobilize and feel like “Hey, I can do that too.”

Let’s continue to share our stories and create art to protect and provide inclusive spaces for our marginalized communities.

Produced By: D. Sanders

On a separate but related note on the topic of finding my voice, I’m excited to be working on a couple things, one of which is a series called Produced By.

It’s a simple name and an important, friendly reminder for artists to acknowledge and list who your producer is in your titles or credits. It’s not something that happens enough.

The aim of Produced By is to share the stories of hip hop producers and spark gratitude and inspiration among creators. There are a lot of great existing features on producers on a variety of music blogs and publications.

I’d like to do my part in contributing and sharing in my own way. The artist’s narrative is important and practicing gratitude is something that means a lot to me. My hope is that this resonates with other people too. 

Yesterday I published a feature on Jackson, TN-raised and LA-based producer, engineer and DJ D. Sanders who has produced for artists Isaiah Rashad, Tut, Michael da Vinci, Ye Ali and more. 

D. Sanders whose real name is Desmond Sanders and often goes by "Des" is easily one of my favorite producers and has produced some of my favorite Isaiah Rashad tracks. He’s talented, smart and hard-working, so look forward to more heat from him. 

For now I’ve posted Des's story on Medium.  If you enjoyed it, please share it or give it a recommendation if you're on Medium.

I've also edited and compiled a set of interview clips on a range of topics Des spoke about, like the process of working on Isaiah Rashad's latest album The Sun's Tirade, his thoughts on whether producers receive enough visibility, what he's grateful for and more.

Shout out to Jayme Catsouphes who gave me some pointers on audio editing and storytelling. We worked together on a couple of audio projects when we both used to work at SoundCloud, like this one three years ago.  

Anyway, I'd love to know what you think, and I’m open to any feedback. Thank you for all your support.

Much love and hugs,
Jane

Notes on Essentialism

Hey! How’s everything on your end? Happy November to you.

I recently finished a book called Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown.  

Essentialism is about "making the wisest possible investment of your time and energy in order to operate at your highest point of contribution by doing only what is essential."

In other words, it’s not about how to get more things done or doing less for the sake of doing less. It’s about meeting your highest level of contribution, aka the right thing the right way at the right time.

Since reading the book, I’ve tried to make greater efforts to honor my true feelings and decisions, to be more comfortable with starting small, to celebrate progression, to learn about my deal breakers and set boundaries. That’s what I often struggle with–I pride myself on being a resourceful, helpful person, but sometimes I stretch myself too thin that leaves me feeling like my own time has been snatched from me.

We each have a set amount of energy and time to dedicate towards making the highest level of contribution to our work and craft, whatever that is for you. 

It might be helpful to ask yourself:

• What do I feel deeply inspired by?
• What am I particularly talented at?
• If I could be truly excellent at one thing, what would it be?

Once you’ve defined what it is, you can’t compromise on your ability to make it happen for yourself. That means making tradeoffs and saying no more often than not to increase the chances of achieving the outcome you want. 

I thought it would be helpful to share some key notes because I’ve been having conversations with old and new friends that fall on some of the concepts presented in Essentialism.

• We have the right to choose. If we forfeit that right, someone else will choose for us. Don’t let go of your ability to choose for yourself. “I choose to…, not I have to…”
   
• If it’s not a clear yes, it’s a clear no.
   
• If you don’t prioritize your life, someone else will.
   
• Many problems and challenges will accumulate when you try to take on every task, request and opportunity that comes your way. Ask yourself, "Which problem do I want? What do I want to go big on?"
   
• Don’t fall for the status quo bias which is the tendency to continue doing something simply because it’s always been done.
   
• Space and creating space for yourself is important to figuring out what really matters to you. 
   
• Stop making casual commitments. Pause for five seconds before you agree to something. Remind yourself that the more you think about what you’re giving up when you say yes to someone, the easier it is to say no.
   
• Have a clear understanding of what you give up when you say yes to things that may or may not ultimately matter to you.
   
• Boundaries are empowering. They protect your time and energy to avoid letting other demands or distractions get in the way of your needs and priorities.
   
• Make a list of your deal breakers–types of requests and activities you refuse to say yes to unless they align with your priorities.
   
• Every use of your time, energy or resources has to justify itself anew. If something no longer fits with your current agenda, get rid of it.
   
• Create your own clear overarching intent that enables you to always be in tune with yourself. Regularly compare activities or behaviors to your personal intent, and if they don’t match or are incorrect, edit them or let them go.

Did you find these helpful? Have you read or heard of the book? 

Wherever you’re at in life, grinding away, pursuing your passion, taking a leap, plotting your next moves: keep going and don’t forget to take care of yourself.

In other news, I'm headed to Vancouver tomorrow for a few days. I'll be speaking on the music panel at the 20th Vancouver Asian Film Festival. The founder Barbara Lee read my post on leaving SoundCloud and invited me to be part of the panel. I'm grateful that the post has reached people I never imagined I would connect with at this point. It will be my first legit speaking opportunity, so wish me luck.

Much love,
Jane

Takeaways from ATL

Howdy. I write to you from the Bay after having spent an energizing last week in Atlanta for A3C. 

I am fortunate to have been able to visit for the first time and connect with all sorts of creative, hard-working people within the music community. 

Shoutout to sound engineer and rapper JRich who was the plug for this first trip to Atlanta for me.

Earlier in the year, he randomly stopped by the SoundCloud NYC office. I happened to be visiting NYC for a team offsite when I was informed that “Lil Yachty’s engineer” was in the building. 

We had never had any prior communication, but I count that as a fateful day. He opened the doors for me to learn more about the current music scene in Atlanta. He introduced me to many talented up-and-coming Atlanta-based artists, and I subsequently helped them make the most of SoundCloud. He also introduced me to the A3C organizers which led to my opportunity to participate in this year's EPK Mentor Session.

Overall, my first visit to Atlanta was fun and inspiring to say the least. It was great to meet artists I had been in touch with through email like Digital Nas; build new friendships with artists like Brian Brown and his crew (shoutout DJ GB, Kimu, Lucas); meet and hear the stories of producers like Jowin, Park Ave., Dolan Beatz and Ducko McFli; catch a bunch of live shows from emerging artists like Brown, Kelechi, Tre Capital and Hefna Gwap to legends like Cam’ron, Mystikal and Too Short; meet photographers and videographers like Quincy Brooks; and learn even more about the rich history of hip hop in Atlanta and the South. I’m missing more details, but you’ll hear more things that bubbled up from my time in Atlanta down the road.

For now, here are my main takeaways from the trip: 

1. Trusting the process and taking time to create quality music or work is important. 
   
   A recurring theme from discussions with different people was how important it was not to fall for "flash in the pan" success. I admire all those whom I met who are working hard to develop their own craft, not rush the creative journey and practice patience daily.
    
2. Truly understand who you are and what you’re about.
   
   The Internet has enabled people to create and release music easily which in turn makes the pool saturated with a lot of artists. Don’t try to copy a sound or fit into something because it’s trending temporarily. Take the time to understand what you care about and what you need to nurture or let go of to continue progressing forward. Know your worth. I feel this is an important thing to keep in mind for any aspect of life in general for anyone. It hits on a lot of the points made in Essentialism. If it’s not a clear yes to you, it’s a clear no. I plan to share more notes from this book in my next post.
    
3.  Relationships are the cornerstone of everything.
   
   As shared in the introduction of this post, existing relationships brought me to Atlanta. Fostering great relationships leads to more new, great relationships with others to emerge. Achieving success takes more than individual strength; it also takes support from others. 

Learned a lot at A3C and grateful to have participated this year.

Brian Brown in "church" aka Nolan's studio.

Cam'ron in the flesh.

Waffle House fix.

First thing I saw in the bathroom stall at Music Room on first night of A3C.

Without a doubt, I’ll be back in Atlanta.

More soon,
Jane

Fall Feels Full

"Levitated Mass" at LACMA.

Happy Saturday. Can you believe it’s already nearing October? It’s officially fall, yet the sun’s been still beating down here in LA. I’m not complaining; I finally get to bust out my sandals. 

My aunt (one of my mom’s six sisters) and uncle from Korea have been visiting so I’ve been busy gallivanting around town with them. The whole family went to Disneyland last weekend. My parents hadn’t been to the park in over 20 years. It was fun to be a kid with them again and nosh on churros and Dole whip. 

Beyond spending lots of time with family, I recently got a chance to meet up with Seattle-based rapper Sol in Downtown LA. I found a cafe called GiorgiPorgi which is an absolute gem. It’s a clean, minimal shop with a moss-covered ceiling and slate grey concrete throughout.

The owner, Giorgi who’s originally from Milan, opened up the cafe about seven months ago. You know when you meet someone for the first time and you instantly click? She’s stellar. She introduced me to the other cafe patrons who all seemed to be regulars and allowed me to be the cafe DJ for a bit. I threw on tunes from Chattanooga-based producer KEEM THE CIPHER. If you find yourself in Downtown LA, go to this cafe, not only for the ambience, but for the drinks too. They use the highest quality beans and teas sourced from Flying Goat Coffee in Healdsburg (Bay Areaaa!).

Anyway, it was the perfect place to meet Sol in-person and catch up. Sol and I first connected through SoundCloud. He’s traveled all over the world and has been creating nonstop for the past few years. We talked about progression, Morning Pages and how Berlin’s nightlife is a trip. 

I also met Giorgi’s neighbor Lionel and his crew who stopped by for a drink. They run a venue space next door to host music events. Lionel introduced me to DC-based singer Opal D, and we exchanged contact info in hopes to collaborate in the future. I appreciate how LA can be serendipitous like that. 

Atlanta + A3C

The next few weeks are looking stacked. I’m headed to Atlanta to attend A3C for the first time. A3C is the largest hip hop conference and festival in the US that aims to empower, inspire and educate those that shape hip hop culture. 

I’m looking forward to being part of the EPK audit mentor session to help aspiring artists ensure their digital profiles and press kits are looking up to par. 

If you know any folks in music who’ll also be attending A3C or live in Atlanta, please let me know. I'll be there for a week from Oct 3-10, and I’d love to connect with them.

Speaking of Atlanta, have you been watching the show on FX? I love this NPR story about Donald Glover's motivation to make people feel a certain kind of way when watching the show.

“We always kind of just talk about the surreal nature of just the human experience. And it’s a really strange thing,” Glover says about conversations he had in planning the show. “Most things lie in the gray area. But I think because of the Internet, and like, social media — things get cut into zeroes and ones really quickly. So we were like, ‘Let’s just play around in the gray areas.”

— Donald Glover

I've been listening to Isaiah Rashad’s The Sun’s Tirade non-stop since its release on September 2. It's a testament to how far he's come and how far he'll go since his last release Cilvia Demo more than two years ago. He also has his crew of talented producers like D.Sanders he's started with since day one on the project. The writing, rapping and production all make for an excellent package worth listening to from start to finish. I can't wait to bump this at full volume once I finally get my first car (next on my to-do list). 

Enjoy your weekend. You deserve it.

More soon,
Jane