I wanted something roomy enough to put my creative stuff in, whether it's yarn or scripts. I'm all about bringing lightness and fun to the dark, so I liked adding the strip of patterned pizzaz to a black base.

I've always been me. The world (and myself at times) has tried everything to hide and change and squash it out of existence, but that has never worked. I did have to grow to accept that I am me though.

If the only reason you're not doing something is that you're scared, that's a sign you should definitely do it.

Two major events have shaped my life. When I was 23, I had surgery to remove a brain tumor and then underwent a long period of rehabilitation. I realized I didn't want to leave this world not doing what I loved. Another event was being welcomed into a theater family at UC Berkeley. I realized that I was not alone in wanting a creative life. 

People see a petite Asian girl like me, and often think "meek" or "foreign". I don't relate to any of those assumptions. I think that's why the creative arts always spoke to me. Art lets me express and surprise and create something beautiful outside of a societal label. It's mine alone. It can make me shine brighter and if shared, allows others to shine brighter as well. 

I like that Laudi Vidni encourages people to design their own bag according to their personality. That's a form of creative self expression. I like that Laudi Vidni acknowledges that people come in all different shapes and sizes and from all different backgrounds. And these people deserve their faces and their story to be celebrated front and center. That's lots of shining lights right there.