We recently connected with Emily Schaubeck (Tai Qiujing) and have shared our conversation below.
Emily, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?
As a mental health speaker and advocate, I’m currently focusing my work towards opening the conversation about adoption and adoption trauma. Often times we are overlooked in the mental health scene when in reality adoptees are 4 times more likely to commit suicide or self harm than non-adoptees.
Because of this I have been currently working on developing a workshop/presentation on breaking the stigmas of mental health, and getting help etc. for people who may be struggling. Through sharing my story and life experiences, it is my main goal to inspire and educate others who may be going through a difficult time. Now I’m definitely not saying I’m perfect but growing up transracially/transculturally adopted, and being a different race than my adoptive parents, I would say I have a unique perspective and ability when it comes to empathizing and relating with different groups of people.
Overall I’m super excited about the current development of my presentation “Emotion and Identity: The Power of Patience”. A mental health workshop geared towards Anxiety and Rage Prevention and Emotional Regulation. It will be released privately as well as publicly in the near future, and I cannot wait to share my story with the world.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My name is Emily Schaubeck, aka Tai Qiujing, and I am a mental health speaker/advocate, artist and photographer currently in New York, USA. I am a Chinese American adoptee, sharing my story and experiences to hopefully inspire and educate others. I’m also a digital illustrator, musician, and writer/poet in my free time!
I was introduced to the mental health scene by a very good friend of mine named Mike Veny, a world renowned speaker and musician, known to many for his books, and presentations etc. We had played instruments in a charity band together for many years before teaming up. And are currently looking forward to more potential collaborations in the future!
Unlike some other programs, my developing workshops are rooted in the genuine trial and errors of my life experiences. Sharing the story of my own mental health journey as well as my adoption, helps bring a sense of reality and connection to my viewers and attendees. It’s not easy being vulnerable in front of complete strangers… but I believe the overall outcome is worth the admittance of some of my past and present flaws.
In my free time I’ve written a poetry book called “Older” by Emily Schaubeck, highlighting the trials of adolescence as well as the grief and joys of aging overtime. I also work as a digital illustrator from home, and a professional photographer in NYC on occasion! I’ve always been a creative at heart, and interested in many different fields of the artistic community. Often it’s difficult for me to “choose a field and stick with it” because of my various interests, but working in mental health and sharing my story has always been a deep rooted passion that I believe will help the community.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
The ultimate goal behind my developing workshop/presentation would be to help others who may be struggling with emotional regulation and or anxiety, or rage prevention. Many of us struggle, myself included, in our day to day lives when faced with others or situations we may not necessarily enjoy. And from my own experiences I can say that it is also very easy to slip down the rabbit holes of our depression and anxieties. But it’s important for us to remember that we are all human and we are all worthy of proper help and care etc.
By sharing my adoption story and journey with mental health, I hope to inspire others, as well as adoptees, who may be afraid to take that leap of faith into getting assistance. And if there’s one main thing I would like people to take away from my words, it would be that they’re not alone in their emotions. There is always hope for change and growth, and don’t be too hard on yourself when things may not go as originally planned.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
The most rewarding aspect of being a creative is the sense of community and inspiration that can come from others when we stick together! I use the word “inspire” a lot, but I definitely mean it! Humans inspire me everyday of my life and continue to do so. We are strong, creative, courageous and overall a resilient species.
People inspire me in my creative endeavors almost every day, and with the rise of social media it has been made easier to share our crafts and abilities with the world. The best part of being a creative, at least in my opinion, is being able to inspire other but also BE inspired by others! I honestly have too many hobbies nowadays in my free time due to this! I love seeing what art people can create, instruments they can play, speeches they can give… etc. it only fuels my inner fire more and more everyday to keep going.
I need other people as much as I believe other people may need me! And I think that is a beautiful thing!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: instagram.com/emilyschaubeck AND. instagram.com/taiqiujing
Image Credits
Photographer for 2 images: Alicia Ifill All other photos were taken by me.