We recently connected with Viveca Chow and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Viveca, thank you for being such a positive, uplifting person. We’ve noticed that so many of the successful folks we’ve had the good fortune of connecting with have high levels of optimism and so we’d love to hear about your optimism and where you think it comes from.
In our lives where we have no control of what’s to come, I choose to always live intentionally, do anything that will make myself laugh and know that I have the strength to have gotten every low point in my life–so what makes this low point different?
I’m so aware of our mortality–not in a morbid way. Throughout the 29 years of my life, I’ve totally come to the conclusion that it just feels so much better in my body when I’m talking to myself and the world around me kindly. I want to smile and be comforted when I ever leave this world, not gripped with fear and regret.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I am a NYC Lifestyle Expert and Performer. I moved to America 11 years ago and I can’t believe I get to say this (!!!) but I rewrote Hong Kong’s international history by becoming the first Hong Kong born and raised Broadway musical performer.
From Swinging on Broadway, to being featured on Netflix, MAX and Apple TV+, I love how I can extend my creativity and artistry seamlessly to my work. I have collaborated with and generated content for over 550 brands like Capital One and Samsung across various social platforms. I am grateful my expertise has garnered myself features in notable outlets such as NBC, Cheddar News, South China Morning Post and Tatler Asia.
With 100m views and counting alongside a combined audience of 242k followers, I create bite-sized videos to uplift small/local businesses, amplify Chinatown and empower New Yorkers to live their life to the fullest in their own city.
My most recent theatre credits include Miss Saigon (Broadway Revival) and Farewell My Concubine (with Jason Robert Brown). Other television and film credits include: The Country Club (starring Elaine Hendrix), Exception(al) (directed by Michelle Bossy), The Other Two (MAX), Dear Edward (Apple TV+) and Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel (Netflix). I was also chosen out of 20,000 actors to be a part of one of the most competitive industry showcases in the world, the Disney Television Discovers: Talent Showcase in 2022.
I hope to continue to inspire my community and beyond leading with creativity, positivity and adventure.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Wow, what a great question. I do think I’m going to hone in on qualities because I strongly believe that skills and areas of knowledge stem from having these innate qualities first and foremost.
I think the most impactful quality is probably curiosity! I love LEARNING. I love asking questions. I’m not scared to invest in coaches and courses whenever I want to learn a new skill that I know will benefit me in my short-term and long-term goals.
Another quality I think really helps me on my journey is knowing why I do what I do. Being in creative industries (both entertainment and social media), our paths are often unpredictable. This really helps during those hard days and months when I feel like my validation is only based on external achievements.
The last quality I would say I cherish a lot in myself is not taking life so seriously. I was not always like this–it took the last 2 years to unlearn a lot of unhealthy habits and thought patterns. I was so rigid in my ways, never spontaneous and way too stubborn. I constantly needed that control to feel like there’s a logic behind this life we’re living. It turns out I was getting in my own way by taking things too seriously!
This is so funny for me to say, but something that helped and continues to help me in developing or improving on these qualities is taking personality tests. I didn’t even know these qualities about me until I read my Enneagram chart–how are you supposed to dive into self-improvement when you’ve never looked within? Personality tests allow you to become self-aware in the best way possible. The Enneagram is my favourite!
What was the most impactful thing your parents did for you?
I have such a wonderful relationship with my parents, and I am really grateful and recognize how lucky I am that I’m able to say that.
The best thing my parents did for me was let me try everything when I was younger! From different sports to learning all kinds of instruments to art classes. I really think that set me up with being curious about everything, and not being scared to try things for fun, or as a problem solving skill.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.helloitsviveca.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/vivecachow
- Other: www.tiktok.com/@vivecachow
Image Credits
Personal Photo: Sam Pickart Photography
