“It took me a very long time to embrace my culture, my ethnicity. ”
“As a child and even in my teens, I faced so many adversities because of my ethnicity, my appearance, and my own damn last name. I was made fun of, constantly was asked if I was Chinese and then individuals would proceed to the do weird dumb thing where they pull their eyes to make them smaller, I would get bullied, pushed around because I was very timid and quiet.”
“I honestly thought this treatment was normal and it left me questioning my identity. The day I broke away from those experiences I felt like giving every single person that messed with me a middle finger and a punch in the face, but my grandfather taught me better.I forgave them and moved on and welcomed my new perspective of my culture.”
“In high school, I started to ask more questions about my family, their journey, what they did before the Khmer Rouge. Afterwards, I came to appreciate Lao culture so much. I love how strong we are as a collective and so loving to others.”
“That’s what I attach myself to when I think about my culture: STRENGTH
AND UNCONDITIONAL LOVE.”
“The most amazing thing about Lao culture is how we break bread with anyone!!!! Food and good company are our love languages. It make sense as to why eating is such a sacred thing for me, it’s not just for functional purposes, it’s for social and connection purposes. Food brings us together in happy times and sad times. Many of my friends have expressed to me how open and nurturing my family is and I simply respond, ‘that’s in our blood, baby.’”
“I embrace Lao culture with my friends by sharing stories of my family, traditions and all the weird and crazy superstitions we were taught as children…like sitting on pillows is a big hell no otherwise you’re gonna get bad luck!”
“Other than sharing stories, we embrace my culture with…yes…food! “
“I am so honored to be the first generation Lao American from the Sawai family. As I get older I find myself appreciating my family’s story of coming to America every time I tell it. My family escaped Khmer Rouge in the mid 70s, walked almost a 100 miles barefoot, in the dark (to avoid getting killed in the daytime from communist soldiers) to get to the Thailand border where they would stay in refugee camp for a couple of years. My grandma told me how they had lost family members on the way to the border (accident or murdered) and I couldn’t imagine that sense of grieve along with fear and panic. After being in refugee camp for a couple of years, my family was finally sponsored by a Thai family to get to America and they landed in Long Beach, California.”
“It’s so wild to think how my family got separated during the Khmer Rouge, but after being sponsored by kind-hearted families, they were all reunited when they arrived in America.”
“Fast forward to now, I continue to carry a lot of my family’s strength with me. I honor their journey and hold it close to my heart.”
“2018 was the end of my academic journey for me. I had just recently graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Liberal Studies (Bachelor of the Arts) and planned to go to grad school so that I can pursue my goal of becoming a teacher. I’ve always worked with kids, I’m the oldest sibling, super nurturing yet assertive. I fit the role of a teacher.”
“But, something about the expression of myself through art kept creeping up and I always found myself drawing, painting, or creating collages. It was a stress reliever initially, but my gut, my inner voice, my spiritual guides and my grandfather kept telling me to share my art. These moments really helped me realize that I wanted to be an artist, to share my creativity and to also represent my culture as a Laotian creative in the art world.“
“My mentor has always been my grandfather who is no longer with us. He was my best friend when he was here. Yet, I can still hear his voice in my head. He’s my guide. When he passed, I felt like my world crashed, but as I get older I realize he never left because he lives in my heart.”
“My other mentors have always been my past students that I had the opportunities to teach. From ages 4-13 years old these kids always kept me on my toes and they ended up being my teachers and I was just their student. I learned so many crazy and profound things from them and that’s when it hit me. I said to myself, “I’m going to fully pursue my art career because this is what I love and am passionate about. There are no boundaries, no rules, no one telling me what to do. I am the creator.” The moment I told my past students that I wasn’t going to be teacher and be a full time artist, they cheered me on. Thank you youngins! Ms. Sawai misses you!”
“The most difficult decision I had to make to pursue my goals was to leave my conventional, traditional plan of becoming a teacher. My decision to leave was also made during the height of the pandemic therefore, I was so torn. My heart broke. Even though I had already started my art career, I was hanging onto the teaching career for the kids.”
“But, I had a gut feeling to just let it go because I honestly felt that I had already been through enough hoops to try and pursue my teaching career. I was in it for the kids, but when I learned the political side of the education system in Southern California I knew it was my time to bounce because it did not serve me.”
“What is exciting though is that I know I can bring another set of tools to my art career without having to deal with the politics of education and still create connections with children. It’s 2021, no need to have a black or white perspective!”
“My drive is a favorite personal quality of mine for several reasons. ”
“The most prominent reason is being taught the power of action which makes every single idea come alive. At a young age I was always autonomous, although timid, I always knew what I wanted. I give most credit to my grandfather for building that solid foundation for me and leading by example. I’m a go-getter and very determined, if I say I’m going to do something, I’m going to do it. But, I also know when it’s time to take a break and take care of myself because without rest, I cannot proceed or even give my best. This is a practice for me each day.”
“Ever since we were hit with the pandemic, I’ve learned and continue to learn so many priceless lessons. The number one lesson is to always be present and to enjoy life in the moment because we can’t go back to yesterday and we don’t know what tomorrow will look like either. And, stressing about the past and the future only hold us back from living and takes away our mindfulness.”
“For many of us, we started off 2020 working, healthy, going to school and then when COVID hit, many of us lost that. Well, that was the case for me. So knowing how fast things can change really reminds me to be intentional everyday and to always have grace which leads me to my next lesson: be gentle with yourself. I was so conditioned to overwork myself, fill my schedule up to keep myself busy, and stress myself out.”
“Last year really reminded me to slow down and take care of myself because stress can make me very sick. It’s crazy how stress can and will manifest physically if we don’t take care of ourselves. When we are doing our best, it’s not healthy to be so hard on ourselves during rough circumstances.”
“The advice I would give my young self about starting a project or venture is to not be afraid of what others will think of me and to know that I have already made myself proud. Fear is just an illusion and all I have is love inside of me. If it makes me happy, that’s all that matters. Don’t complicate it!”
“Many of my future plans have changed drastically within the past 5-6 months. I’m still in the process of creating a new vision for myself, my brand and my lifestyle. I feel as though it changes everyday, but my main focus has been on working on my physical and mental health. “
Follow Olivia on Instagram by clicking below
“It takes a lot of courage for people to speak up and share their story and I’m right in the middle of a healing journey. I will share that my vision for my health is to get my body in a healthy space and for me to continue to heal and work on my mental health. During this time, I hope to inspire others who may be going through a rough time with my artwork and to let them know they are not alone.”
“Otherwise, I plan to make art my full time career. I am envisioning more murals in the near future, and building my brand, Sawai, as I grow. Considering that this wasn’t my initial plan when I was in college, I am proud to put both feet forward and put myself in a career that is doubted from a conventional perspective. From this point on, my vision for my career entails to continue my art of expression and build a community for those who are on a mental health healing journey.”
Click button to shop through Olivia’s art
Shop around
