Summertime musings

Happy July and Eclipse season,

The first half of 2018 is over. I hope you're enjoying your summer. As I parse through old journal entries from earlier this year, I reflect on the following things:

• What themes and learnings continue to arise since the start of the year?
• What seeds am I ready to plant?
• What old narratives must I let go?
• How am I continuing to honor my voice and speak my truth?

Updates

• I turned 30 in June and celebrated this special milestone in Kauai with my best friends. Called The Garden Isle, Kauai is the perfect getaway, serene and lush. More pictures on my IG. I don’t take my youthfulness for granted, but I’m always happy to clear up confusion about how old I actually am and have no shame in sharing my age. I'm a mature, grown woman, thank you very much.
• This year is already turning out to be a year where major shifts are occurring–more exploration of shadows, more growth illuminated, more meditation, prayer, pausing, breathing. Check out my mental health resources I've written about.

• I’m hosting my first music showcase on August 9. I’ll be bringing out April + VISTA for their first headlining show in LA, along with Philly’s Ivy Sole and Brookyln band Bathe at Forecast Recordings in Arts District, DTLA. Tickets are available at https://hiddensoundsaprilvista.splashthat.com/. If you're in the LA area, please come through and support these amazing independent artists.

Great reads

• My talented friend and writer Tasbeeh Herwees' The Fader cover story of rapper Rico Nasty. Rico is an incredible force from the DMV, and I can't stop listening to her music. "G-g-g-goodness gracious, I might give a fuck on a rare occasion..."

• The Creative Independent is a "growing resource of emotional and practical guidance for creative people." Lots of learnings and nuggets of wisdom shared through excellent interviews with all kinds of creative people across the board. This resource is also available in Japanese, French, German, Japanese, Portuguese and Spanish translations.

Jane Shin's favorites in rotation

Here are my favorite, recent tunes in rotation as of late. I'll be continuing to update this playlist on the regular:

Mental Health Awareness month

May is mental health awareness month. I'm passionate about raising awareness of mental health through my writing and building community in music. The stigma around anxiety, depression, and other mental health-related illnesses needs to be removed.

This past week was an important reminder of how far a little bit of self-care practice can go towards easing my mind and reminding me to live in the present. Here are some things that have helped me recently and some things I'm looking forward to:

Insight Timer: Meditation app

I’ve previously recommended apps like Calm and Headspace, but I recently came across Insight Timer, the biggest meditation community in the world. Thousands of meditation teachers upload guided meditations across a variety of needs–anxiety, stress, sleep, emergency, etc. I’ve been using Insight Timer every day and night, whether I’m meditating for a few minutes before going into work, or getting ready to fall asleep.

Notes from the Universe

This is one of my favorite things to receive in my inbox: Notes from the Universe.  Every morning "The Universe" sends you a note, personalized with your name. These notes are "designed to remind you that you have, indeed, been given dominion over all things." I tend to receive these brilliant, uplifting reminders at the right time. Sign up for them here. 

Breath work

I took a breath work class for the first time last week. Breath work involves controlled, rhythmic breathing to help release pent-up emotions as you focus on the here and now. It was an intense experience–first-timers often experience their hands cramping up like lobster claws. As the music started to get louder and my breathing aligned with the sounds bouncing off the walls in the room, tears started to pour uncontrollably. I left the class with a set of mantras and gratitude for all that I'm experiencing and working on. 

Sound baths

People getting ready for the Liminial sound bath at Marciano Art Foundation.

Sound baths are a great way to relax, release emotional trauma, and gain new insights and perspectives. I had the privilege of experiencing an incredible sound bath at the Marciano Art Foundation last week. It took place in a 13,000 square foot space that currently houses Olafur Eliasson’s Reality Project, an immersive light and sound installation. Jónsi of Sigur Rós, frequent collaborator Alex Somers, and composer Paul Corley performed Sigur Rós's newest mixtape Liminal live. On the project's site, they write, “Liminal views Sigur Rós as an eco-system. It identifies the connections and blurs the boundaries between work done and work to come; between brand new music and ideas barely yet nascent; between songs written 20 years ago and collaborations to be made tomorrow.”

I love that description so much. I felt and visualized those themes throughout the experience. I often dipped into the past, imagined the future. Breathing through it and immersing myself in the music allowed me to return to home, to the present. I also reflected on how much I’ve grown since my days in high school and college listening to and seeing Sigur Rós and Jónsi live. Here I was, more than a decade later, listening to their latest project in an unforgettable sound bath experience.

WE RISE LA: May 19-28

Organized by the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health, WE RISE is a 10-day pop-up festival of art and community building in Downtown LA from May 19-28. There will be talks, meditations, workshops and more to raise awareness and action around mental health as a civil right for all. I look forward to checking out some of the events this upcoming week. All events are free with RSVP. More info here.

Previous mental health related posts I've written

• Notes on Guilt and resentment / anger and patience from meditation class
• Self-care tips
• Notes on Essentialism

International Women’s Day 2018: Women in Music & Film Panel recap

One of my goals in 2018 has been to create events in the community for people, especially women, to come together to connect, speak, and share space.

Successfully putting an event together in honor of International Women’s Day last Thursday was powerful and reminded me that courage can invite so many great things into my own life and into the lives of others. 

Photos taken by Génesis Ahtty

At the end of 2017, Jean Edelstein, an extraordinary writer and former colleague, tipped me to the “Women@Spotify” group, an employee-run group at Spotify for those who self-identify as a woman. The group’s mission is to celebrate, support and elevate members through initiatives and events. I thank Jean for planting the seed for me to explore resources to plan events in LA on behalf of and for women in music.

Months later, I’m proud that I launched the first official Women@Spotify LA event on International Women’s Day this year: Women in Music & Film: Panel and Networking Mixer.

In thinking about the themes of the event, I wanted to specifically invite Women of Color to speak. Intersectionality, a theory on race and gender, coined by Kimberlé Crenshaw, is important to raise awareness of and talk about–black women and other Women of Color have different experiences and challenges compared to white women.

I was also inspired to invite women filmmakers in music and film because as I’ve entered into the field of video through writing video content for RapCaviar, I wanted to connect with more women in these spaces.

Video by Génesis Ahtty

I invited Evita Castine and Jaimie Sanchez to join me as featured panelists. These two incredible women have interesting backgrounds that have led them on their paths where music and film collide:

Jaimie Sanchez is a Dominican-American documentary producer and director hailing from Brooklyn, NY. She has helped produce films for the ESPN 30 FOR 30 series and was most recently a senior producer at VICE. She currently directs video content for Spotify. She has worked with brands like NIKE, CASIO, Pyer Moss and GoPro to showcase documentary filmmaking as a valuable medium.

Evita M. Castine is a writer, director, editor, cinematographer and photographer. She is Warner Brothers Emerging Director Finalist, Emmy winner and took home the audience award at the Diversity in Cannes Showcase in Cannes, France for her film “Only Light.” She is heavily influenced by black anthropologists and writers like James Weldon Johnson and Zora Neale Hurston who inspired her to look at the soul’s expression through the simple acts of everyday life using sound and images. She has directed videos and photographed artists Cody ChesnuTT, SZA, Dej Loaf, Raphael Saadiq, A Tribe Called Quest, Lalah Hathaway, Common and more.

It was an affirming, healing and inspiring evening of conversation and connection. Listen to the full conversation and Q&A below about the strides and learnings in Evita and Jaimie's careers and the importance of recognizing and owning your power as a woman and more.

Key moments throughout the conversation and Q&A: 

• 5 min: The moment Evita realized she was committing herself to filmmaking when she started making films with friends which is what filmmaking is at its core

• 5:40 min: Jaimie on being the first out of her siblings to go to college, graduating with a biology degree but realizing that something creative was calling her and taking a chance on herself

• 7:30 min: Catalyzing things for a man that Jaimie didn’t quite understand herself at first but realizing her power that she could things for herself: "This would not have happened if I weren’t in the equation...I could do this for myself instead of just empowering someone"

• 8:34 min-~14:00 min how Evita’s identity as a black woman and Jaimie’s identity as a Dominican-American woman influence their work and the way they work with people behind the scenes

• 14:38 min: Evita on the most important thing you can do for yourself is hold space for yourself. The only way you know it is because you know it.

• 16 min: we all live on the internet, there are no boundaries or conventions of anything. It’s about the work at the end of the day.

• 20 min: All you need to say is "I am a director, I am XYZ," avoid saying "I'm an aspiring XYZ"

• 21 min: Building confidence through persistence

• 22 min: Putting yourself in the position with the right people and being selective about your opportunities to build resources, even if you have to pay your dues sometimes

• 23 min: Biggest lessons throughout Evita and Jaimie's careers that stick with them

• 26 min: Trusting your gut and being resourceful on your own

• 27 min: Investing in your personal life, don’t isolate into one narrow path

• 29 min: Proudest moments and highlights in Evita and Jaimie's careers so far

• 33 min: Importance of empowering women, putting other women on and spreading positivity because it will come back to you

• 38 min: Q&A: How do you deal with men in the industry who only want to help you after you date them?

• 40 min: Importance of boundaries

• 42:16 min: Evita on "Your intellectual property is important, especially for Women of Color"

• 43:26 min: Act and walk around with the confidence of a man

• 45 min: Awareness of pay and challenges women face with negotiating pay

• 48 min: Q&A: How do Evita and Jaimie collaborate with music composers as filmmakers?

• 52 min: Q&A: Where do you find the line to pause and use better judgment from difficult situations where you feel immediate emotional responses like anger or crying?

• 58 min: Q&A: How to deal with competition among fellow women?

• 1:00 hr: Love yourself no matter what and everyone has their own "bucket of magic"

• 1:02 hr: Your peace of mind is all you have

• 1:03 hr: Insecurities and vulnerabilities

• 1:04:38 hr: Q&A: How do you establish your identity when you're getting feedback from people on how to be?

• 1:12:20 hr: Q&A: What advice do you have for me to expand beyond just being a producer-singer-songwriter to share my music in film?

Additional links and resources that came up from the talk:

• One of the pieces that Jaimie was especially proud to lead in creating and producing was The Rise of Demon Exorcism in Mexico.

• Evita’s experience has ranged from documentary filmmaking and more. Watch her directing reel.

• Jaimie recommended the movie Everything is Copy, a look into the life of writer and filmmaker Nora Ephron, embodying the trials and tribulations that women go through in their personal and professional lives

• I recommended the book Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less when the topic of boundaries came up. I’ve written about this book before. Read my takeaways on Essentialism.

• Meditation came up often. If you’re new to it, apps like Calm and Headspace are great resources to start your practice.

Personal key takeaways:

• My voice as Jane Shin matters. I am not defined by where I work. I’m Jane Shin in the end. My dreams have no bounds, my identity has no bounds.  

• Evita mentioned, “I’d rather be scared and free-falling and be free instead of wondering what if?” I had moments where I questioned how things would go with the event, but in the end, it all worked out. Taking that step, no matter how things turn out, can open doors and spark more ideas and connections.

• Challenges are inevitable on this journey. When things don’t go my way, stepping back to remember that my peace of mind is what’s crucial to protect and uphold will help me learn and grow.

• I am grateful for all the amazing women in my life who came out to support me or shared their support for me from afar. Thank you everyone who took the time out of their evenings to make it all the way out to Century City. I felt so honored, loved, and heard. I also want to share a special thank you to Génesis Ahtty. The last large-scale event I planned was the SoundCloud Artist Forum back in 2015. Génesis was my first intern at the time and was a massive part of the planning and execution of the event. She came in clutch again, on her birthday no less, to be the official photographer and videographer for the International Women's Day event. Look to uplift and support those around you.

Korean music favorites

The 2018 Winter Olympics held in Pyeongchang concluded last night, marking the first time South Korea hosted the Winter Olympics. As a proud Korean-American, I've been inspired to dive into what sounds have been coming out of the Motherland (and the U.S.) and revisit the classics I grew up on. I'm also headed to Korea for the third time for my cousin's wedding in March, so I'm excited for the adventures and reflections that will surface this time around; the first time I visited was in 2000 and the second time was in 2014.

Frankly, I've missed out on a lot of good Korean music over the years. My own journey in music has taken different paths, but there was definitely a hallmark Korean music moment for me in elementary school.

I gathered some favorite songs of mine, old and new, into a playlist. There's a mixture of hip hop, atmospheric indie, electronic and heartbreaking love ballads:

Eagle Five - Gwedo (1998)

궤도, a song by Eagle Five on Spotify

Eagle Five was a hip hop group in the 90s who had the best dance moves. My brother and I would always crack up hearing one of the group members Eric licking his lips before he starts rapping in the intro of this track, Gwedo. I love this song for its minor key change in the chorus that makes it a slightly melancholy hip hop song.

Happy Doghouse - Don't Give Me Grapes (2016)

Don't Give Me Grapes, a song by Happy Doghouse on Spotify

I first discovered Happy Doghouse last year or so when her music surfaced on Ryan Hemsworth's Secret Songs. "Don't Give Me Grapes" is a dreamy number, and she tagged her genre as "Puppy Punk" on SoundCloud. Enough said.

Yaeji - raingurl (2017)

raingurl, a song by yaeji on Spotify

Yaeji, born Kathy Yaeji Lee, has had a breakout year last year, and she only continues to rise. The NYC-based singer, songwriter, rapper, producer and DJ does it all, blending house music with hip hop to voice relevant topics regarding her identity as a Korean-American. I love that she sings in both Korean and English. "raingurl" is my jam from EP2 which she says is about introspection in the club.

Turbo - December (1997)

December, a song by 터보 on Spotify

Turbo was one of the best duos out there in the 90s and 2000s. "December" brings back so many memories for me. I especially love the sound of the bells in the intro.

Jane Jang - velvet (2017)

velvet, a song by Jane Jang on Spotify

I want to listen to this song when I fall in love. "velvet" is a perfect warm piano, acoustic guitar song. Jane Jang is an indie folk artist who would busk in the streets of the Hongdae neighborhood of Seoul. She gained fame after appearing on the Korean music audition show Superstar K2. 

Neon Bunny - Romance in Seoul (2016)

Romance in Seoul, a song by Neon Bunny on Spotify

Neon Bunny whose real name is Yoojin Im is an independent singer-songwriter and producer from Seoul. "Romance in Seoul" captures Neon Bunny's airy vocals with melodic, ambient beats. It feels exactly like what you think a romance in Seoul would feel like.

Jonghyun ft. Taeyeon - Lonely (2017)

Lonely, a song by JONGHYUN, TAEYEON on Spotify

Jonghyun was the lead vocalist of the group Shinee. While he has different styles in the pop realm, I particularly dig the heartbreakingly sweet ballads like "Lonely."

Sadly, I didn't discover Jonghyun's music until after the news of his suicide. South Korea has the second-highest suicide rate in the world with mental health and seeking help being taboo. I feel the connection is related to the cultural concept we have called "han." It's hard to explain, but it's like a feeling of morose and melancholy that permeates through our lives as Koreans, a lot of it having to do with the invasions the peninsula has experienced over centuries.