“If I ever needed to describe my artwork in a nutshell or in an elevator pitch, I think I would say something like this.”
“Having a hard time convincing some of my students that I have a serious, professional side at the office. Oh! But maybe vice versa, my coworkers won’t believe that I have another side in the classroom.”
“I guess I could choose rock, but the game wouldn’t go anywhere right? … Let’s just toss a coin instead.”
“… said Dawn in an empty clasroom one summer day.”
“This doodle is dedicated to someone we lost last night at 10:07pm on 03.07.2018. Before The Inkformant, you might have seen me on a popular YouTube channel amongst the Vietnamese folks for learning English. It was my brother-in-law’s channel. I can’t event count the many times that my own newcomer students and their families would recognize me because of his videos. I’ll let you in on a behind-the-scenes secret: It wasn’t “easy” to get me to do those videos so willingly. I’ve never been someone who liked much attention. After failing to convince me that I could “help a lot of people,” my brother had to me with coffee instead. I usually shy away from the spotlight, but you know, my brother was my brother. he didn’t care about my comfort zone at all! Without any qualms whatsoever, he stubbornly kept pushing me to myself out there. Each time I made a video with him, and I would always get treated to a cup of coffee as his way of bribery… It’s funny how little moments like these are the ones that you remember and cherish the most. My big brother’s bribes were silly, but in the bigger picture, they were all out of tough love. Whether I like it or not, those bribes pushed me to grow into a confident person who dares to take chances and not care about what others may think. The Inkformant was one of those chances. Although my students were the main factors for starting it, my brother’s driven nature and his coffee bribes were subtleties that instilled the confidence in me to even go through with it in the first place. Now, it’s hard to accept that in the future, he will no longer bribe me to do his videos. It’s even harder to accept the fact that he’s gone, so suddenly and at such a young age too. However, his stubborn light continues to live on in me, and even more beautiful, I can still see that same stubborn light shin e in my 2-year-old niece. Big brother… thank you for all that you have done for your family, friends, and fans. You will be missed by those who have had the honor to know you near and far. #inlovingmemory & #restinpeace
“Making a pour over makes me feel like an inventor… or a coffee scientist!”
“Rewrite the rules and color outside the lines. You may gain a new perspective.”
“#currentlyreading Sequential Drawings by Richard McGuire. Is reading the right word? Maybe flipping through it is more accurate.”
“… as in, “Y” do kiddos grow up so fast? It seems like yesterday I was creating math lesson plans around long division, and BAM, now I’m preparing for pre-algebra lessons.”
“I can remember your birthday, your important moments, and everything in between, but I can’t seem to remember what you just told me. #elefish #imaginaryspiritanimal”
“There are lots of talks about self-care these days. My coworker asked me what I do for self-care, and I reply with something along the lines of, ‘I doodle, write, and take photographs for a blog.’ So, I guess you can say that this little ink doodle is my self-care.”
“The author of Coraline says that Koumpounophobia is the fear of buttons… Well, the movie did make buttons look pretty scary.”
“Superheroes may not be real, but with comics, anything is possible… friends, I have exciting news to announce! This summer, I’m partnering with the Youth Sustainable Development organization in Vietnam to launch the Panels & Me project! The project will guide 60-120 youth to create their own comics stories. In doing so, our hope is to empower youth to share their perspectives and inspire their communities. I can’t express how grateful I am to work with such a dedicated and passionate group of young people in Vietnam – the ones who are coordinating everything to make this project happen. The enthusiasm in the country is surreal. We already have over 70 applications for 7 volunteer positions. I am so excited to continue working on the finishing details with everyone and see all our work come to life soon!”
“- from the great Belgian detective Hercule Poirot in “Murder on the Orient Express.” An important lesson that I’ve learned is how to be more comfortable in the grey area. Not everything is black or white, right or wrong all the time… there’s such a thing as an in-between.”
