We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kela Wong a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Kela, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?
If you’d asked “kid me” what I wanted to be when I grew up, I probably would have said that I wanted to be an artist. Despite my lifelong love of being creative, for most of my life I never seriously let myself consider pursuing art professionally. It felt like a maybe one day dream.
A few years after college, I found myself seriously burned-out at a job that drained and taxed me to the limit. I was living and working abroad and was extremely isolated from friends, family, and my support network. With nothing else to do after work but sink into depression or attempt to live vicariously through TV shows, I poured myself into an art journal, spending hours at the only cafe in town. That tactile, creative outlet for my feelings and experiences – both good and bad – became a huge part of weathering that challenging period.
When I returned home, I knew I wanted to take some time to heal, recover from burnout, and figure out what to do next. I decided I wanted to do more of what made me happy. I found myself leaning into art and being creative more and more as a form of self care. That desire continued to grow until I decided to take a leap and focus on becoming a professional artist. In a rather unplanned manner, that’s how my small business was born.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
My name is Kela Wong, and I’m an Asian American artist from Seattle, Washington. As a third generation Chinese Japanese American, I often struggled when I was younger to figure out where I fit in with my mixed cultural identity. For a long time, being a part of three cultures felt like I didn’t quite belong anywhere, that I wasn’t “enough” of anything. I grew up in an English-speaking household. I was told I didn’t eat enough rice to be a “real Asian.” I wasn’t blond enough to be a “real American.” Neither “Japanese American” nor “Chinese American” fully described me and my lived experience.
As I grew older, I realized that my experience is a valid Japanese American experience, and a valid Chinese American experience. It’s also a valid American experience. As I reflect on my mixed heritage, I feel so much gratitude. My tri-cultural background gave me an appreciation for other cultures, taught me to have a more open mind, and helped me see the beauty in our differences. I love that I got to grow up with great food, traditions, and holidays from all the different parts of my cultural heritage. It’s a joy to incorporate and center those parts of me in my artwork. Finding pride in ourselves and our communities by celebrating our differences and the parts that make us unique is the message I hope to convey with the art that I create.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
In March of 2021, I received a group text from a coworker warning us all to be careful because someone they knew – a Japanese American teacher – was brutally attacked while walking down a street full of people in the middle of the day in Chinatown. The Atlanta spa shooting followed shortly after that incident. I remember feeling shaken, somber, and scared. I wanted to do something, but felt powerless to help. After taking some time to process, I decided that I wanted to respond to that hate with a deep joy and fierce pride in my Asian American heritage. I created my Stand Together collection then as a reminder that in the face of hatred and dark times, I choose love and joy and pride.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
The most rewarding part about being an artist comes in those tiny, easily overlooked things that most people don’t see from the outside looking in. The long periods of intense isolation that I lived through abroad and during the pandemic taught me to recognize those precious moments of human connection, whether small or big, and to never take them for granted.
It’s the boy who told me he was going to ask out a girl with my matcha card because she loves matcha. It’s the couple who gave each other cards for their anniversary and discovered they’d each bought the exact same corgi boop card from me online. It’s the grandmother who returns to my shop every year for a card to help her grandson celebrate his Japanese heritage. It’s the woman who bought my ginkgo cards for each of her siblings because her mother had passed away recently, and she loved ginkgo leaves. It’s the mixed race family that hangs my ornaments on their tree to help their biracial kids feel pride in their identities.
Through my work, even if it’s something small like a card or sticker, I get to create art that inspires tiny moments that can make someone feel less lonely, laugh louder, proudly display their identity, or genuinely connect with a loved one. That’s the impact I hope to have with my work.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.keladesigns.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keladesigns
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/keladesigns
Image Credits
Gina Kim Gaieshan Dejean Kela Wong