I’ve learned throughout my life that it’s ok to be different. Growing up, I never really felt like I fit in. My Asian friends told me I was too white and my Caucasian friends didn’t understand my family culture so I never really felt completely part of a group. I always thought there was something wrong with me. But as I grew older, one of the biggest things I’ve learned is to be comfortable inside my own skin. I realized we shouldn’t have to act a certain way in order to be accepted. Changes in who we are as a person should occur naturally and shouldn't be forced.

When I painted ‘Magical Wildfire’, I decided to use reds and blues without blending them completely together to symbolize the differences we have between one another. I wanted to show that harmony and balance can be found among very different things.

This painting is a reminder that there’s no need to compromise who we are as a person in order to reach others expectations of who or what we should be and that it’s completely fine to march to the beat of your own drum.