Lee Thao

• What is your personal definition of home? What experiences have influenced/continue to influence and shape your understanding of home, belonging, and safety? (Are there any core memories?)(this can be a time/event, a place/location, an item, a tradition/way of knowing etc)

My personal definition of home is with my family. I believe my close relationship with my family members and the family focus tradition of the Hmong people is what influenced my understanding of home, belonging, and safety. I feel as though no matter where you go, as long as I’m with them I know that I’ll be safe and sound. When I think of home, I am sometimes reminded of the traditional ceremonies held at my grandparent’s house. Usually all my relatives show up and I have fond memories of running around as a child with my siblings and cousins, all united under a roof for a certain time. Additionally these traditional ceremonies can be done to heal the spiritual soul which always brings me comfort to know that my family is watching over me.

• What parts of your personal/family/collective histories help you feel grounded in (or disconnected to) your idea and understanding of home? When/if you feel disconnected to your cultural community, where do you go and/or what do you do to feel safe and accepted? 

What part of my family history that keeps me grounded in my understanding of home is our family’s spiritual practice of shamanism. I feel like shamanism is a practice that always involves family, especially during our traditional ceremonies, it’s something that brought everyone together. Although I was born in America, I still would want to respect and practice the culture because my grandparents are shamans, who are healing figures in the Hmong community.

• What aspects of your identity do you feel most connected to? What parts feel the most challenging to feel connected to and how does this impact your understanding of home and belonging?

The aspect of my identity I feel the most connected to is being a Hmong daughter. I love to represent my community through this identity, however there are challenges. At times, it could be hard to connect to this title because us Hmong daughters do not want to conform to the norms of the old traditional values. Sometimes it can be difficult to be scrutinized for simply wanting to be more or to speak out for yourself because we are supposed to be obedient and patient. This does make me question my understanding of belonging in the Hmong community, however it is even more of a reason why I should not let these old values stop me from creating a safe home environment for other Hmong daughters like me. Especially as an adult now, I would like to empower other girls to be ambitious and selfish because we sacrifice a lot of our life goals for our family.

• Time isn’t linear–spiritually speaking, we carry our ancestors and descendants with us everyday. How do you hope to contribute to the healing, growth, and transformation of your people’s collective understanding of home, place, and belonging? Through your art, how do you hope to help your ancestors and descendants find home and feel + know safety?

I hope to help my ancestors and descendants find home and security to honor our journey and remember those who had an important influence on their lives. Although I do not frequently make art based on my heritage, I am glad that when I do get the chance, I can hopefully make a piece that can heal and resonate with other’s values. Additionally show respect to my ancestors that we were able to preserve our culture and how the Hmong community has grown and transformed over the years of our existence.

• What role does art/creativity play in your life? Is this connected to your journey of belonging? If yes, how?

Art is a way for me to express my desire to create my own worlds and it makes me feel happy that I am able to make something by myself. I have always liked to do art for as long as I can remember and I am sure as many other artists can agree, I like to draw when I want to destress because it really lets me disconnect to my own little bubble where I do not have anything to worry about but my own creations. For me art does connect my journey of belonging, however not within my cultural identity but the art community. It has really opened up my social network to the art community where there are all types of amazing people, young and old, who share the same or even more passion for their own creations. To be able to observe the different types of art styles and the process each individual goes through is one of the amazing things about being in the art community. 

What is one dream you have for your community? 

One dream I have for the Hmong community is that we can continue to grow and succeed in our dreams. Although we have been in the United States for more than 50 years, it is still fairly new in the timeline of American history. There are still many families who still have health problems, educational challenges, and live in poverty. Thankfully, there have been many ways in which our community has uplift each other through organizations in Sacramento such as Hmong Youth and Parents United, Project HMONG at Sacramento State, and Hmong Innovating Politics.

• How has this project influenced your understanding of community, belonging, home and/or safety?

Through our creative sessions of iSea Us, this project showed me that the Hmong community has a lot of similarities in cultural practices and history with many ethnic minorities that were also displaced from their original homeland. We had many great conversations about the struggles of growing up as either Iu Mein, Khmu, or Hmong Americans and trying to balance our identities, cultural practices, and familial relationships. These factors are what connects our different communities and where we can find a sense of belonging and safety among our shared experiences as people who grew up or had to assimilate to American society. Something special I got from being involved on this project is learning more about the Lu Mein and Khmu culture and meeting amazing artists with similar backgrounds like me!

• Is there anything on your horizon or forthcoming for you as an artist/storyteller?

I do not have anything major planned for now, but just continue making art I enjoy!

• How can people learn more about you and keep up with your work?

You can keep up with me on instagram under my artist name, @wispyclear. I mostly draw my own characters or some fanart from time to time.