When I attended Creative Writing workshops in college, I occasionally sketched visions of characters in the stories that students shared in class. One of my classmates saw this and asked if I could illustrate the character of her story. Without any references other than her manuscript, I drew who I thought was the protagonist; then my classmate responded, "This is Good, but My character is Black." I respected her comments, but it made me realize that I didn't have experience drawing African American people at that time. I felt it would be challenging to deliver a character that she desired.
When I reflect on this moment in time, I realize the incident took place years ago in my early college career. As an adult now, I realize how important it is for different ethnicities to have accurate representations in media. I've had the privilege of studying a diverse range of models in my life drawing practice and I continue looking for sessions where I can exercise more of it. Expanding our knowledge of different cultures could help remove stigmas and stereotypes of other people. Having this kind of exposure offers light to those who may not always be portrayed appropriately.
Last week, Dad wanted to talk about an animated short featuring an iconic Filipino holiday activity: preparing decorative Parols. For those who aren't familiar, Parols are Christmas lanterns and ornaments traditionally crafted with bamboo, colorful tissue paper and lights. The video showed a grandmother sharing this with her granddaughter over the holiday seasons. It was short, sweet and wholesome for a 3-minute ad. When Dad talked about it, he was particularly critical about the gift-giving shown like an advertisement, but overall it sounded as though he desired much more.
I thought this would be an opportunity to talk about the animation industry and explain the different stages of production. For all we know, it takes an entire team to pitch, create and execute such projects. For this short sequence to be approved and shown by an entity as monumental as Disney is an amazing place to start. I understand the importance of Cultural Representation in mainstream media and I felt Dad's response to this Disney clip made it clear. When I tried expressing the impact of our ethnic visibility, he dismissed my point entirely. So I wonder, did I miss something?
These experiences have shown me different takes on representation and I feel it is not my place to show or tell tales of a life I've not lived, nor would I want someone else doing the same to me. Being a Filipino born in America, I've had little sense of my own cultural roots. After seeing this holiday animated short, this is the first time I feel that I can identify with something as part of my own family heritage. I don't know that what I'm feeling is exactly Pride, but it makes me happy knowing that this aspect of Filipino culture is shown with respectful, heartwarming imagery.
Previously, I've prepared decorative Parols for our Holiday season and given some to my relatives as Christmas gifts. Looking back on those memories, these small gestures gave all my aunts and uncles so much joy to have their own hand-made Parol. I can only imagine that certain traditions and practices didn't carry over during the transition from the Philippines to the U.S. - but I'm glad that I could give my family members something to cherish, identify and embrace for themselves.
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"Celebrate 40 Years of Disney and Make-A-Wish" - https://youtu.be/NeNHiUrA34U
When I reflect on this moment in time, I realize the incident took place years ago in my early college career. As an adult now, I realize how important it is for different ethnicities to have accurate representations in media. I've had the privilege of studying a diverse range of models in my life drawing practice and I continue looking for sessions where I can exercise more of it. Expanding our knowledge of different cultures could help remove stigmas and stereotypes of other people. Having this kind of exposure offers light to those who may not always be portrayed appropriately.
Last week, Dad wanted to talk about an animated short featuring an iconic Filipino holiday activity: preparing decorative Parols. For those who aren't familiar, Parols are Christmas lanterns and ornaments traditionally crafted with bamboo, colorful tissue paper and lights. The video showed a grandmother sharing this with her granddaughter over the holiday seasons. It was short, sweet and wholesome for a 3-minute ad. When Dad talked about it, he was particularly critical about the gift-giving shown like an advertisement, but overall it sounded as though he desired much more.
I thought this would be an opportunity to talk about the animation industry and explain the different stages of production. For all we know, it takes an entire team to pitch, create and execute such projects. For this short sequence to be approved and shown by an entity as monumental as Disney is an amazing place to start. I understand the importance of Cultural Representation in mainstream media and I felt Dad's response to this Disney clip made it clear. When I tried expressing the impact of our ethnic visibility, he dismissed my point entirely. So I wonder, did I miss something?
These experiences have shown me different takes on representation and I feel it is not my place to show or tell tales of a life I've not lived, nor would I want someone else doing the same to me. Being a Filipino born in America, I've had little sense of my own cultural roots. After seeing this holiday animated short, this is the first time I feel that I can identify with something as part of my own family heritage. I don't know that what I'm feeling is exactly Pride, but it makes me happy knowing that this aspect of Filipino culture is shown with respectful, heartwarming imagery.
Previously, I've prepared decorative Parols for our Holiday season and given some to my relatives as Christmas gifts. Looking back on those memories, these small gestures gave all my aunts and uncles so much joy to have their own hand-made Parol. I can only imagine that certain traditions and practices didn't carry over during the transition from the Philippines to the U.S. - but I'm glad that I could give my family members something to cherish, identify and embrace for themselves.
- - - - -
"Celebrate 40 Years of Disney and Make-A-Wish" - https://youtu.be/NeNHiUrA34U
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