We were lucky to catch up with Jeehan Quijano recently and have shared our conversation below.

Jeehan, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

I’ve had a passion for writing since I was young, so I just wrote and wrote though they were manifestations of self-expression with no audience in mind. In my late 20s, I began writing short stories and after some time, I realized that writing short stories was not for me. I always had these ideas in my head but I wasn’t sure what format I was most at home with. When I was writing my first novel, I enjoyed it very much. And that’s the important thing – I enjoyed it, so the creative path was realized in those moments when I loved what I was doing. Then I told myself that I must carry on and see where it goes. Getting published cemented that creative path and emboldened me to keep writing and really think about what stories I want to write and share with the world.

Jeehan, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

It might have been a fulgent evening sky in the countryside that had first prompted me to write. Or the panorama of flat land, a long stretch of greenery as far as your eyes can see, looking silvery in the moonlight. Or possibly a gorgeous sunset by the beach. These were the summer settings of my youth, and I wrote about them in my notebook when I was a teenager. And this was where my writing began, musings really, about significant moments, beautiful landscapes and treasured memories that took place in an island in the Philippines called Cebu where I was born and raised. And I continued to write in between living, while living, wherever the paths took me. And then life brought me to America. And then I carried on writing while navigating a new and different life. Writing while at a crossroads, while life was a big heap of dreams and grief and happiness and hope and utter madness.

With great perseverance, I officially became a novelist in October 2018 when my first novel was published. My cross-cultural experience informs my writing, so my stories involve, but not exclusively, the themes of adaptation, acculturation, identity, but at the core they are essentially stories about how we are as human beings – our vulnerabilities and strengths, our dreams and fears, our excesses and failings, our resilience, our desire to be good and happy.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

Writing is a solitary activity so I can’t just spontaneously socialize when I am writing. Sometimes it is necessary to disconnect from the internet and not constantly check the phone. Writers need space and time to gather our thoughts, reflect, contemplate the lives we witness and live, to listen and find out what message we want to relay about humanity. And to arrive at this place of meaningful thinking requires solitude. And those not familiar or comfortable with solitude misconstrue it as loneliness and they are different things.

With solitude I can fully immerse into reflective thought that leads to a lot of discovery about myself and others and the world, and these discoveries lead to insights which then give rise to questions, such as, what can I do to make my community a better place, or what small acts of charity can I do to improve things or make others happy. It makes one ask the important questions. Solitude is part of my writing process and creative life.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

Creativity is part of my nature and identity, so it is a natural part of my life, a journey that I embrace and honor. In terms of goal or mission, I would like to write more stories that raise the voice of women, stories that raise our consciousness to the issues and challenges of our times, to what is happening in the world. We have one Earth and one life to live so we ought to live fully and with kindness. And lots of laughter along the way.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.jeehanquijano.com
• Instagram: jeehan_quijano

Image Credits
Paulo Sagon