Meet Emma Peters

We were lucky to catch up with Emma Peters recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Emma, thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?

I attribute my work ethic to being a city girl, an only child and an adoptee. As an SF native, the energy there is relaxed but intentional & productive, which rubbed off on me. Being a Sag helps too, i.e. being a do-er and a mover, always on the go! As an only child and adoptee, I pushed myself to be independent as soon I could walk. My upbringing has its residual ups and downs but I appreciate how it’s taught me to strive and never take things for granted.

I still identify with my strong work ethic, but it’s evolved beyond being “the only good thing about me,” ha! In the past, I buttressed a wounded ego by following the “If you want things done right, do it yourself” approach to life. I fell apart when I was incapable. Now I make a concerted effort to remember nobody’s perfect and getting help is not a failure. The real work takes a village outside the chatter in your own head.

Today, my self-esteem comes from my daily gratitude practice: “photosynthesizing” i.e. getting morning sun, locking eyes with my cat Booty, silent prayers of thanks for my friends and family, and affirmations that I’m an artist and decent human being. I surround myself with people that add love, wisdom and fun to my life. Confidence is a feedback loop that starts with how you feel about yourself, stripped of fakery, followed by how others perceive you. Invest in your side of the street and likeminded people will join you on the patio 🙂

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 happily exist in multitudes! Professionally & personally, I work in three creative arenas:

First is my illustration shop, Fruit Stand, where I sell my digitally hand-drawn paintings of produce, inspired by farmer’s market hauls, cultural symbolism and the beauty of nature. I sell these online and at local farmer’s markets and pop-ups around LA. I love slow building this “brand” and have my sights set on owning my own grocery concept around food and art one day.

Second, I’m a painter. My work revolves around the intersection of identity, otherness, family, and culture. My experience as a Chinese-American adoptee continually pushes me to consider dualities of self and examine familial relationships, particularly with my mom, Sydney. These works explore how personal heritage and connection can be found through memories that aren’t our own. They’re intensely personal but I’m excited to find ways of sharing the works more publicly.

Lastly, by day, I’m a Senior Project Manager at a fashion company. I truly love my job… and it’s also hard! I’m a sucker for great design, process improvements and most importantly, creative collaboration, which is not easy, let me tell you. A great Ted Talk speaker more or less said, “Don’t pursue passion, pursue curiosity. It’ll take you farther.” I completely agree and couldn’t be more curious about interpersonal dynamics, servant leadership and what makes a functional, symbiotic team.

When I reflect on this creative holy trinity, it fulfills my deepest wishes to create art on my own terms and participate in building something greater than myself — all for the greater good and sense of shared belonging.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Ooh this is a good question. I hope these don’t come across as proselytizing but they’ve definitely changed my approach to work and life:

1. Find self-awareness without beating yourself up. Ruthlessly reflect on your inner and outer thoughts, feelings and actions. Do a lil internal spring clean. Choose how you want to grow or what you want to do, do it—then don’t feel too bad when the result isn’t perfect.

2. Seek out other perspectives. On Trevor Noah’s recent podcast episode, Malcolm Gladwell said that he only follows 5 people on Twitter and rotates the accounts every few weeks or so. This helps him learn from niche sources and never stay in one habitus or position. He ended up following all of these former Ukrainian soldiers who obsessively analyze the wheels of Russian tanks, predicting Russia would lose the war since photos revealed the wheels to be from the USSR. Because of this, Gladwell has a subtly different perspective on the war than the media, and it’s allowed him to form his own opinions rather than follow others, strengthening his critical thinking. The same benefits can be found from talking to a colleague in a different department or attending a free cultural event outside your comfort zone. It’s personally helped me synthesize information at my job and feel connected to people I’d never expect.

3. Anxiety ≠ Energy or Enthusiasm. I used to think that if others weren’t anxious, they weren’t “in it” or didn’t care about the work or relationship. I normalized the intense friendships birthed from toxic work environments, the burning-the-midnight-oil mentality of my high school newspaper paste-up days. But that’s really not a healthy or fair approach to work. Now I see there’s a more sustainable way to keep energy flowing without anxiety, and that’s having periods of slowness and open communication.

To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?

My parents Mike and Sydney taught me unconditional love in highly impactful and different ways.

My mom taught me to experience life with wide eyes and an open mouth through Broadway shows, cooking, grocery stores, music and our favorite vibrant color: red. She showed me that joy exists beyond your trauma, and when your trauma brings you down, there’s always the possibility to bring yourself up. I am her in so many ways.

My dad continues to teach me through his unwavering emotional support and belief in me. He’s challenged me to believe that being a good person is enough; what that “goodness” means is open and accepted. He is the best listener, even when I rant and interrupt, ha!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://emmarosepeters.com/ (Project Management & Paintings) and https://fruitstand.art/ (Fruit Stand Art Shop)
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emmapeeta/ (Personal Account) and https://www.instagram.com/fruitstand.art/ (Fruit Stand Art Shop)
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emmarosepeters/

Image Credits

Photo at the Skirball Cultural Center by Cynthia Silverstein: https://cinsilverstein.com/about
All other photos taken by me or friends.