Meet George Fan Founder of ModA

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful George Fan a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi George, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?

I started ModA as a tribute to my mother who loved the arts.

To those who knew her, my mother was sunlight—warm and kind but also possessing of a natural flame refusing to be put out. Wildly independent, she left her parents, siblings, and home in Beijing to move across the planet and start a business of her own. She ran a travel agency. Her dream was to bring people together, to learn about and show those around her the wealth of creativity a multicultural world had to offer. Growing up during the Chinese Cultural Revolution, my mother never had the resources to learn the arts for herself but she took every opportunity to appreciate them. I remember spending my childhood going to museums, the opera, classical music ensembles, the ballet. She made sure I took art classes, dance classes, and years of piano lessons. My mother couldn’t sing, dance, play the piano, or paint, but she taught me to see the color in art and the euphoria in music.

I lost my mother to rapid-progressing, metastatic bladder cancer in 2009.

The Chinese character 范 (“fan”) stands alone to mean “the model of” or “stylistically”. It is my mother’s and my own last name, and also the abstracted brush strokes of ModA’s logo. My mother is the model of success, the standard of cultural savvy. She raised me as a single parent and is the reason I am the woman I am today. Her influence lives in on the multitude of friends who speak of her goodness and her impact—in her enthusiasm for globalizing cultural exchange, she changed the lives of many. When my mother passed, she left me the desire to continue her legacy and with it, an opportunity. This organization is the hard-won outcome of much sweat, many tears, my mother’s lifeblood, and our joint
determination to expand empathy and inclusion in a multicultural world.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

ModA is a multi-medium creative organization focused on supporting projects that tell diverse narratives. We host biannual contemporary art exhibitions, produce independent film and documentaries, and create spaces for global creatives and their consumers to connect. So honestly, I feel like everything I get to do through ModA is special and exciting haha.

I used to work in DEI for JP Morgan Chase where I felt like a small cog in a corporate giant machine. Making an impact equated to moving a statistical needle, and I hated having to think about individual humans as cold numbers. I wanted to tell their unquantifiable stories. Now, I work directly with diverse creatives in film, art, music, media, fashion, etc. to tell their unique stories, and I get to use anthropology to do so.

My greatest joys come from being able to break down anthropology (what is that?) into applicable tools and teaching both creatives and consumers of art and media how to use them.

Anthropology is the study of humans, but its heart and soul means to translate culture through storytelling. Every day, we consume stories in a multitude of creative forms, constantly– books, tv shows, movies, social media, the news, and less directly, in fashion, music, contemporary art, and any intersection of the above. A professor of mine once said, “History is not learned in facts, but rather by the stories we see, read, and hear.” But still so many ethnically diverse and culturally intersectional narratives remain under the radar, unheard and unwritten in our history books. Why? Because when most people see a painting they don’t understand, they’ll walk right past it. Or if a book title is in a different language, they’ll never pick it up. Most people won’t grasp the significance of something they don’t have the context to appreciate. Put simply– if someone tries to tell you a story you find entirely unrelatable, chances are, you won’t be compelled to listen. ModA uses this idea to guide artists on how to structure their stories in the most impactful ways and to teach consumers how to listen. We focus on asking and answering questions like, “What do love and loss look like to you?” and “What do you think it means to be human?”. Themes like these help us to transcend cultural, geographical, or political boundaries and connect over shared thoughts, feelings, and experiences.

My goal is to ultimately foster a network of people– creatives and their consumers alike– who feel comfortable enough to collaborate, share, and learn from each other, using the arts as a medium to do so. In the past, ModA has hosted dinner parties in galleries where contemporary art collectors and exhibiting artists get to know each other. We have curated panels and conversations for art enthusiasts to hear our collaborating creatives speak about their experiences. Most poignantly, we have flown in artists from all around the world for group exhibitions who lived and ate together, and left with new friends and deeper connections than they’d ever expected. I think the most fulfilling piece of feedback I ever received was from an artist who proclaimed their experience felt like going to Art Camp as a kid again.

Thus, after a year of development, I’m pleased to share the launch of House ModA, a multimedia arts retreat for global creatives across all industries. Over the course of 7 days, selected participants will be intensely challenged to develop deliverables for a widely known multicultural brand, artist, or label (the “Hero”), ultimately culminating in the production of a public-facing activation on the final day. This will be an invaluable opportunity for young artists and emerging creatives to be part of a global network, work with established names in the arts industries, and leave with comprehensive experience to add to their CVs. Like ModA’s contemporary art exhibitions, House ModA will run twice a year, beginning Summer 2025 in Los Angeles, CA. There will be two rounds of applications beginning April 1, 2025: Round 1 Closed, where the Hero’s name is undisclosed; and Round 2 Open, where the Hero’s name is known. Follow our website and socials for more information to come!

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

1. Perseverance.

By perseverance, I don’t mean blind optimism. If things get to a point where you begin to question why you started in the first place, I will be the first to admit that having doubts is normal. Deliberation is normal. Especially in a rough patch, I find myself wondering if I made a mistake walking away from a stable, corporate job all the time. But the line between having doubts and giving in to them is reminding yourself that progress doesn’t look the same every day– having an unexpected setback to figure out and learn from can be just as much progress as getting a great sponsor or partnership. I’ve learned so much

2. Willingness to learn and ask questions.

Ask questions, even the stupid ones. Being a learner means admitting you don’t know everything, or have all the resources, or know how to do it all. Open yourself to the possibility of being taught and guided. I personally struggle with this the most– a lot of self-starters do. Especially as women starting a brand or business, we’re conditioned to believe that to be taken seriously means showing no weaknesses. We feel pressed to seem polished, intelligent, and independent at all times, when in reality, no one’s journey toward success is ever that way. Ahead of all the stressful projects and tight timelines, admitting I’m wrong or that I need help are somehow the most difficult things for me to manage. On the other hand, the times I have been able to let go of my pride and admit I can’t do everything right and ask for support are the times I’ve learned the most and grown the fastest. Even now, this piece of my own advice is a hard pill to swallow, but I can say with certainty it’s the reason I’ve gotten to where I am now.

3. An intentional and motivated team.

Finally, I’d be remiss not to mention how lucky I am to have my incredibly dedicated team and mentors. I cannot– CANNOT– emphasize enough just how important it is to have a strong, capable, and trustworthy network. Of course, achieving the ideal support system does not necessarily happen without its trials and tribulations. Be intentional with who you choose to have your team, who you don’t, who you choose to keep, and who you let go of. Just because you’re friends with someone doesn’t mean they will be a good fit for your team, just as not everyone on your team has to be your friend. Less is more– you don’t need an endless number of people to do a few organized tasks. Don’t bring someone in just because you like them, or because someone told you to, or because they’re shiny and popular– what is their value add? Do they bring a skillset you need? Do you work well together? Will they support your direction and goals? Do you trust them? Likewise, relationships and goals can change– don’t be afraid to let go of individuals who no longer make sense in your journey.

Lastly, a good team isn’t comprised of people who will do and agree with everything you say. As my own team can attest, we will argue during a project, many times. Constantly. My collaborators aren’t afraid to disagree with me, correct me, or tell me their perspectives like it is– just as I, the same– but always with what’s best for the project in focus. We come from different sets of expertise, so disagreements and compromise are inevitable, but we respect and trust each other enough to understand that even after very heated discussion or feedback, we’ll walk away with the best intentions. That said:

Sia Fang, Esther Fan, and Noah Chang– my trusted partners and collaborators– thank you, a gajillion times over, for your work ethic and confidence in ModA and in me. The time and energy you’ve dedicated mean more to me than I’ll ever be able to put into words.

Jess Fee, Irene Ashu, Justin Armstrong, and Vivian Young– my invaluable mentors– you forged the foundations for my inspiration and continue to be the people I aspire to be when I grow up. I am endlessly grateful for your continuous support and encouragement. I would not be here without you.

Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?

This is a great question because since 2025 began, I’ve been feeling overwhelmed a lot.

I don’t know if it’s just me, but depending on the situation, I experience different types of feeling overwhelmed. So, I like to customize little stress relief or self-care days based on what I need in the moment.

For instance, if I’m feeling sociable, I might go invite a friend to get coffee or lunch so conversation with another person provides distraction for a couple hours. On other days when I might want more quiet solitude, the combination of jazz piano music and rain sounds is particularly calming. Maybe I’ll turn on a Spotify playlist and paint for a few hours because concentrating on a canvas slows time for me. Or, if I’m feeling particularly anxious, journaling works the best. I’ll put away all of my technology and just pour my stream of consciousness into a notebook. At some point, I’ll find myself feeling lighter and less tense, and then maybe as a little reward to myself, I’ll order takeout with some dessert for dinner 🙂

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.moda-studio.com/
• Instagram: @george__fannn // @moda.curations // COMING SOON @house_modastudio
• Other: https://moda-curations.com/