Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Paulina Hoong. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Paulina, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

When George Floyd was murdered by the Minneapolis Police Department in 2020, I lived in Minneapolis a few blocks away from where the uprising started. Overnight, I witnessed my neighborhood become a food desert. I knew that my neighbors, especially the ones without cars, would be struggling.

In order to raise funds for my neighborhood, I traded art commissions in exchange for mutual aid funds. Surprisingly, I made over $500 in one week with these commissions! With this money, I was able to donate food and necessities to my neighbors. This is when I realized that people liked my art and I could use my art to do greater good in the world.

In 2021, I worked at a job that wasn’t fulfilling my personal needs and I knew that I could do more with the skills I had. That’s when I decided to take the leap and pursue art. Without the fundraiser I did, I wouldn’t have had the confidence to take the leap – and I’m so glad I did!

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My name is Paulina Hoong and I’m a queer, second-gen Chinese-American watercolor artist based in Oakland, California. Under my brand, Menmin Made, I create AAPI-inspired food art and sell stickers, cards, prints, and apparel!

I create art that represents the Chinese-American experience. I grew up in Fairmont, Minnesota and we were almost the only Chinese family in town. I grew up feeling ashamed of my own culture since I was bullied for being different. I didn’t know what it meant to be Chinese. I knew that wasn’t right and I didn’t want to live my life being ashamed of myself. After I left my hometown, I set out on a mission to connect with my culture and answer the question, “What does it mean to be Chinese?” One way I’ve explored this question is by creating art that is inspired by Chinese culture!

My main inspiration comes from my family’s Chinese restaurant. For instance, my series “Zodiac Plants,” where I pair Chinese Zodiac animals with plants that match their personality, was inspired by the Chinese Zodiac placemats that were at every single table at our restaurants. One of my most popular painting series, “Soy Sauce Genesis,” was inspired by my mom growing flowers from a soy sauce bucket at our restaurant.

Most people grew up with two parents, but China Restaurant was my third parent – it raised me to become the person I am today.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

For most of my life, I wanted a job where I helped people. I’ve had many jobs in politics – legislative intern, campaign organizer, political campaign consultant, and social media manager. I even used to be an immigration paralegal!

When I was 25, I was in a job where I cried daily. After a racist interaction with my employer, I quit my job without a fallback. It was heartbreaking to me – this industry that I dedicated my life to rejected me. While I still think engaging in politics was important, I needed to do something that served me.

I always wanted to try selling my art, and it was the perfect time to do it. That’s when I started an Etsy shop selling my art. I was so surprised when I made some sales – my friends from all points in my life supported me!

In the meantime, I got another full-time job while working my Etsy shop on the side. My goal was to do this job until my art business grew. Unfortunately, after two months of working this job, I started developing chronic shoulder pain that was triggered by typing and using the mouse. It got so bad that I couldn’t even eat or drive using my arm. I had to go to the emergency room several times that summer. I was in the doctor’s office for 8-10 hours a week, trying to get better through physical therapy and acupuncture. My employer was really understanding, but it was overwhelming to balance the doctor’s office and work. My body was telling me that I had to stop working full-time – especially in the politics sector – so I left that job with no backup plan.

Jobless, I decided to move from Minnesota to California and live with my brother. I was going to give myself 6 months to figure out how to make an art career become realistic. Two years later, I am still selling my art!

The most rewarding part of this journey is that I still get to help people out through my own art. I love making people smile and laugh through my stickers, prints, cards, and shirts. It makes me happy to think about the thousands of homes that have my art hanging in them!

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I used to be a perfectionist. I wanted to sell my art for several years before I started my business, but I kept on waiting for my art to be “good enough” to sell. I eventually realized that waiting to become perfect was unrealistic. I could wait until I’m 90 to become “perfect” and doubt what an art career would look like, or I could go with “good enough” and finally realize my dreams of becoming an artist. Instead of waiting, I started my art business when I was 25 and it’s been the most rewarding risk I’ve taken in my life.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://menminmade.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/menminmade/
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@menminmade

Image Credits
Faith Cao