@choco2piece

Our creative story 😀

Classical music is no fun!

Music is supposed to be a healing activity. One fateful evening over a glass of wine, Nini flipped through her book of daydreams in the mind realm. Puzzled by the emotional exhaustion that classical music brought her, Nini had a magical flashback to a conversation she had had with Brooklyn-based, Irish-folk fiddler Dana Lyn: "When you're talking about an orchestra, you're talking about like eighty-five people who are reading exactly what's on the page," Lyn had vented. Simply reading music off of a page has the potential to curb creativity, and for Lyn, spontaneity is an important musical virtue. "There's very little flexibility," she mentioned. "And you can give them (the performers) some directions, but you don't know what's going to happen, really… and that rehearsal process kind of bums me out." Lyn's humility as a composer resurfaced as she explained her rehearsal ideology. She defined her music not by a desire for control but by the freedom unlocked by spontaneity. She stated, "I just want to keep it like in a, not like control at all, but just be involved in putting it together. So that's why the idea of an orchestra is scary to me."

Star-struck (with literal stars in her eyes), Nini strove to dedicate the rest of her life to bringing healing through music to others who have experienced similar pains in life– of being confined to a cage, of suffering for others' sake, of resisting pains that no one else understands, and of overcoming many layers of ego battles and deaths. "As someone who was born into a place of relative discrimination, I've had to fight prejudicial and systematic injustices to achieve my academic and musical goals, often with more painstaking labor than my peers who have far more generational blessings in this country," she says. "Now that I've reached a point of significant achievement, success, and alignment, I refuse to feed into the institutionalized evils that I fought against to get to this point. Instead, I aim to look behind my shoulder to those who came from the same places I did– people who are enduring the same pain that I did due to uncontrollable circumstances– and empathize with them by boosting their progress on their healing journeys," she muses. "This applies to my music and my clinical work– In the future, I aim to work where my voice matters and where it will be heard loud and clear– and where it will be used to stand up for people who remind me of my younger self– queer, Asian-American adolescents and teens fighting identity battles and internalized angst."

Intersectionality is a main motivator for Nini's music and work. An identity built on the juxtaposition of contrasting motifs, or themes traditionally thought to be opposites, brings cognitive dissonance. Fueled by a motive to help others find healing, alignment, and purpose, Nini manifests energy to push forward past the burnout that comes from having walked the most difficult path alone. "I intend to bring the voices of the unheard to positions of power and influence, so that the victimized can regain autonomy over their lives," she proclaims.

It is commonly accepted that art is an expression of the internal self that is to be interpreted by the perceiver. Nini hopes that, as someone who chooses to adopt a positive mindset despite the battles she has endured, she can offer a healthy perspective of suffering to those seeking healing. "It's easy to come out of a bad place and affect others the same way others have affected you, whether it is to hurt or to heal. My goal is to offer hurting souls a space where they can sit in their uncomfortable emotions and deal with them in a positive, transformative way."

Building a welcoming realm

Being your authentic self in a society that rewards artificiality is an intimidating task. Ina is no stranger to the pain of being ostracized despite making an effort to fit in. She plans to explore these ideas through her art, and create a welcoming community for other artists, music appreciators, or just about anyone who can relate.

Besides music, she has also enjoyed drawing, painting, and fashion from a young age. She has newfound interests in design, photography, journalism, and video editing too, so she hopes to make some really cool multi-media content in the near future! (Digital magazine feature anyone???)