Preface
The first symbol that imprinted itself upon my life was the vibrant red royal poinciana flower, a representation of youth. In nearly every school in Vietnam, these trees burst into bloom at the end of May, marking the close of the school year and the arrival of summer. Their fiery blossoms become keepsakes for students, pressed between notebook pages or gifted alongside handwritten letters, small but heartfelt tokens of gratitude and nostalgia as they bid farewell to cherished memories.
This flower holds deep cultural and personal significance for me. Nowhere else does the royal poinciana carry the same weight of meaning as it does in Vietnam. It is more than a seasonal bloom, it is a thread woven into the fabric of Vietnamese identity, a symbol dot that continues to resonate across generations.
As I grew older, more symbol dots appeared, weaving a meaningful thread through my life. I have always been fascinated by symbols, metaphors, and the profound layers of humanity and culture embedded in design and storytelling. This curiosity aspires me to become a Cultural Aesthetic Concept Developer, who integrates cultural insights, aesthetic principles, and creative thinking to shape innovative concepts for projects, products, and experiences.
Inspired by a question posed in my Philosophy of Art class What is art?, I decided to build this website as a space to collect and archive my work, tracing my journey towards answering a more personal question: What is art to me?. Even if I never find a definitive answer, I believe this journey will open new doors, connecting me with people, especially those reading this now.
Song's Manifesto of Art
1. The nexus should not be forgotten in the process of making art and interpreting art.
All the work displayed here is captured by my lens of view. I resonate with Viet Thanh Nguyen's words in his novel The Sympathizer, where he states, "Another affordable way to add a drop of loveliness to the world was not change it but to change how one saw it." However, I am not creating my website with an intention of convincing you to adopt my perspective. I simply want to show you my point of view as I believe synthesis is an affordable way to deepen our understanding of a central point and enable to interconnect with other vantage points. I welcome your thoughts on my perspective, and I hope we can both discover the nexus in the topics you bring.
2. Art should remain connected with the realities of life.
Despite drawing inspiration from abstraction and imagination, art must still mirror real-life experiences. Even when conveying a personal message, it ultimately reflects a facet of human existence. That way then we can unveil the layers of a situation and confront the truth and raw emotions, making us more humane.
3. Art can be personal, but should not be an exclusive subject.
When someone without musical knowledge expresses emotions while listening to a song, to me that song holds significant artistic value. I acknowledge that some individuals with limited taste may struggle to appreciate certain artworks, but does that mean the art has failed its fundamental purpose? I believe the core function of art is to elevate the audience's awareness by evoking emotions. If art serves as an expensive decoration accessible to a few that can afford it, it is not art, it is an luxury. Art is not about luxury, it is about community.
Not A Resumé
I graduated from University of Massachusetts Amherst with a personalized concentration of Decision Analytics and now a part-time Master student in Digital Marketing and Design at Brandeis University. If you are curious about my working experience and my professional skills, you can view my LinkedIn profile Here.
Besides school and work, I joined the ballroom dancing team at college and currently I am dancing bachata. I also find it enjoyable in surfing and hiking, especially when the summer comes to Boston. When I need time for myself, I will listen to vinyl or hunt my favorite records from the shop in Brookline, read a book in a coffee/tea shop, visit the art museum/gallery, watch a critical award-winning movie, take photos, or take a trip with my family/friends.
I love connecting with other creative people, so I usually sign up to join the creative networking events. I am also self-practicing making tea lattes, and would like to host a pop-up tea event at my place to connect with more people.
I am also starting the journey of becoming a content creator, which is very exciting to me because I like recording and editing short videos. My content will focus on a holistic lifestyle in a busy Boston city to encourage city dwellers can still cultivate peace, wellness, and sustainability within an urban environment, unlike typical holistic influencers who have access to vast nature.