Tag: illustration

Mixed on Campus #16 – Alice Conner

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Name: Alice Conner
Mix: Japanese & White-American
Major & Year: Industrial Engineering; Junior

Q: How has being mixed affected your campus experience?

A: My racial identity and the racial/ethnic identities of other mixed people are often scrutinized by others. People choose to accept or not accept my racial identity based on when it is convenient for them. Constant scrutiny on my appearance and the validity of my experiences is alienating, exhausting, and psychologically distressing. How you look is not a choice. Before joining the student organization Mixed@Michigan, I did not have the vocabulary to defend myself and other mixed people. People did not listen to me until I educated myself, even if all I learned were the “proper” words to explain what I already knew was true. Mixed people should be heard even without statistics and well-spoken words.

Q: What do you wish more people knew about the mixed experience?

A: I believe a lot of the prejudice towards mixed people is a result of ignorance, which is why it’s so important for mixed people to be able to speak about their own struggles and experiences. I want people to understand that the mixed experience is a real lived experience and not just an interesting debate topic. I’m tired of hearing arguments on whether or not a mixed person is allowed to identify with or represent a specific racial identity based on the percentages of their racial makeup and opinions on what the person looks like. How a mixed person is perceived by others will depend on the mixed person, the person perceiving them, AND on the context of the situation. In the end, monoracial people do not have authority on how a mixed person chooses to identify.

+1: Mixed people are not buffers between different racial categories. People should not be measured and judged based on their perceived proximity to whiteness. Oppression is often discussed in binary terms (a person either experiences it or they don’t), but reality is not so easily categorized. Mixed people are used to this idea– they are good at tolerating contradiction and ambiguity.

Q: What is your proudest moment?

A: I’m very proud of this project. What I wanted to do with Mixed on Campus was provide other mixed people with the opportunity to speak up about things they might not have been able to before. I’m very grateful for all the responses I’ve received and the opportunity to use my platform to provide a voice to the mixed community at this university. Mixed@Michigan is a club in which we are bonded not through a specific racial or ethnic identity but because we have all experienced what it means to not fit into the monoracial paradigm of racial purity that society expects. We are able to support each other and provide a safe space free of judgement and questioning. There is so much diversity in experiences within the mixed identity and I wanted to be able to show that by providing other mixed people with the chance to tell their story.

Mixed on Campus was inspired by the Humans of New York project. The purpose of Mixed on Campus is to give a voice to this university’s mixed community and shed light on its members. Being mixed means to be multiracial, multiethnic, and/or a transnational adoptee. Through Mixed on Campus, mixed students have the opportunity to have their portrait drawn and share their experiences!

OTM #42: Something a Little Different!

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Hi all, hope your preparations for finals are going well (if you’re a student like myself, that is)! I just wrapped up my final project for my Minor in Writing’s Gateway course (Writing 220), and I wanted to share some of the illustrations I had the opportunity to make for it. Our projects are semester-long “experiments” all centered around one “origin piece,” something we wrote when we were younger that we want to explore the ideas of. My origin piece was an old article I wrote about a trend in which people tried to watch the most disturbing media possible — fascinating, I know. In relation to this, I wanted to reconcile with my younger self, who, in a frenzy of wanting to feel “older” did a similar thing, getting really into online horror. The above illustration bridges the gap between present Me and younger Me’s mindsets, showing us sitting together and drawing “My Little Pony” characters in awe of each other.

I also got to make these cool introductory illustrations, paying homage to the old Internet and displaying both versions of myself trapped in MS Paint tabs. I’m really happy with these ones! Thanks to arts, ink., I really feel like I’ve nailed how I like to draw myself. Below I’ll share some other illustrations I’m happy with too! In my project’s story, I depicted my young self exploring a haunted house, hence the spooky stuff. Thanks for looking/reading, and good luck wrapping up the semester! I sure need it, haha.

Mixed on Campus #15 – Giana Mae

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Name: Giana Mae
Mix: Filipina, Mexican, Polish, Italian
Major & Year: Business; Junior

I am the Director of Event Planning for Michigan Esports

Q: What do you wish more people knew about the mixed experience?

A: The percentage of your mix does not determine how you identify. I am often met with the uncomfortable question “what percent are you” as an attempt to see how much I can relate to a person. I find this extremely inaccurate to how I was raised. I can be proud of my culture and how I grew up even if my blood percentage is less than reflected. I want people to know that to be mix does not mean you accurately align with your blood at all times.

Q: What kind of person do you aspire to be?

A: I aspire to be someone who can be counted on by others. I know how hard it can be to handle something all on your own. Whether it is at home or in the workplace I want to help carry the load. I have noticed the competitive spirits of some people, which can be draining. We can get so absorbed in grind culture and “making it” that we forget to lean on others and accept help when necessary. I want to be someone that others come to for advice and can be trusted.

Q: Who is the most influential person in your life?

A: The most influential person in my life is my older sister. She always seems like she has everything figured out and is one of the hardest working people I know. She enjoys the little things in life. I can see her living out the life I want. This helps me when my dreams feel like a reach or unattainable.

Mixed on Campus was inspired by the Humans of New York project. The purpose of Mixed on Campus is to give a voice to this university’s mixed community and shed light on its members. Being mixed means to be multiracial, multiethnic, and/or a transnational adoptee. Through Mixed on Campus, mixed students have the opportunity to have their portrait drawn and share their experiences!

OTM #41: Hero

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The other day, I had to show some of my artwork for a writing project. I’m usually not one to flex that I draw, particularly due to the fact that I don’t like special attention. But that day, a classmate told me my work looks like it was inspired by Bryan Lee O’Malley, author of the “Scott Pilgrim” series. O’Malley has been an art hero of mine since I was fourteen — my heart practically burst out of my chest upon hearing the compliment. Alongside the recent release of the “Scott Pilgrim” anime, I’ve been drawing huge inspiration from the series’ art style. Sometimes it’s nice to be able to step away from yourself and realize that your heroes have indeed contributed to your growth. That’s the coolest feeling ever!!!

Mixed on Campus #14 – Sophia Singh

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Name: Sophia Singh
Mix: Indian & Serbian
Major & Year: Neuroscience; Sophomore

Q: How has being mixed affected your campus experience?

A: People are very quick to assume, and simultaneously, dismiss who/what I am based on my appearance. It’s very disappointing, because I thought that narrative would change from the South (where I grew up) when I moved here for college, but it really hasn’t. Ignorance and micro aggressions permeate every part of this student body still, and it has created an overall sense of weariness.

Q: What do you wish more people knew about the mixed experience?

A: It has been so difficult to grow up in a society that has forced you to put yourself in one box or the other. It’s so jarring at times, because I’m not “Indian enough” for some , but also not “white enough” for others. Growing up not being able to place yourself into any singular category makes you really question yourself and who you are. I still go into doctor’s offices today that place emphasis on “only checking one” in the race section.

Q: What is your proudest moment?

A: The moment I truly learned to love myself and the cultures I represent. Being born and raised in Louisiana has definitely been a interesting experience, tainted with the underlying forceful assimilation into white southern culture. It’s something I will never be, but it took me until middle school to truly appreciate the unique experience I have from having a Sikh-Indian father and Serbian mother. It’s something I am so extremely proud of, because I have seen the sacrifices they have made to get to where they are, and the sacrifices they have made to be together. Why wouldn’t I be proud of how I represent that?

Q: What are you most anxious about right now?

A: I think the general trend of “backwardness” we see going on in the United States right now. It’s naive to ignore the rise of the ultra- conservative right in this moment, and it’s something we should all, as a modern society, be more wary of. There is going to be a lot on the line in this next election, and I fear the most basic fundamental rights for every marginalized group will be at risk.

Q: What kind of person do you aspire to be?

A: I aspire to be seen as someone who has spent a lifetime being kind and helpful. There is nothing more rewarding in this life than helping as many people as you can, in any way possible. Most importantly, to have led a life filled with kindness. It costs so much more to be mean, so why not approach everything with kindness?

Mixed on Campus was inspired by the Humans of New York project. The purpose of Mixed on Campus is to give a voice to this university’s mixed community and shed light on its members. Being mixed means to be multiracial, multiethnic, and/or a transnational adoptee. Through Mixed on Campus, mixed students have the opportunity to have their portrait drawn and share their experiences!

OTM #40: Spectator

katelynski 1 Comment

I’m not a cat mother, I’m a cat aunt. I love my nephew dearly. We spend quality time together often, but it seems he’s been getting more and more attached lately. When my roommate (the actual cat mother) leaves for class, he will come running into my room desperate for attention. A lot of times he’ll crawl up on my lap, purring loud while I work, occasionally pawing at my typing hands as if I’ve made up a game for him to play. But my new favorite maneuver is his talent of jumping to the top of my chair; he bounces with the ferocity of a cartoon pogo stick. Afterwards, he’ll sit on the backside of the chair and stare at the back of my head. Sometimes he sets his hands on my shoulders, too, as if he’s giving me a massage and encouraging my hard work. Most of the time it hinders my work more than it helps me, but I’ll never complain about a cute cat disrupting my day. Have a great week and a great upcoming break!