We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Joanne Chew. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Joanne below.
Joanne , we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.
I found my purpose through crashing and burning. Don’t be afraid of “rock bottom,” because that is where we often make our most important life discoveries. I’m not saying to purposely live life in a way that will bring us there, but to hang tight during the inevitable ebbs and flows. When things get rocky and you hit a rough patch, hang on to the fact that things will get better eventually.
I really should be taking my own advice more. Navigating through the WGA & SAG-AFTRA strikes was tough during 2023, and then all of a sudden, my Dad was hospitalized and he passed away one week later. I felt like the world landed on top of my head. Some days it still feels that way, but I keep reminding myself that some of the worst moments of my life eventually led me to some of my happiest. I just had to keep going and not allow myself to be eaten up by all of the hopelessness and sadness.
I struggled with my mental health a lot during high school. I suffered a breakdown and my parents pulled me out of school temporarily to recoup. That was also around the time I found myself in my first acting class. At the time I had no idea that I had stumbled upon my life path. I was so excited to be introduced to a new world when the one I was currently living in felt so dark and impossible. Years later, after I had moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting professionally, I hit another low point when my professional & personal lives imploded along with some health struggles.
It was during this time that I was forced to get comfortable with speaking up and using my voice. It was a completely foreign concept for me in the beginning. Yes, my parents raised me to have a lot of endurance and to perservere, but when we’re being mistreated, dismissed, silenced, or otherwise, that is something that we should never have to endure. This opened my eyes to the injustices of the world and forced me to look beyond my own little bubble. It ignited a passion for social justice, inclusivity, equity, and other areas of activism. I’ve still got a long way to go and much to learn, but I’m so grateful for how my life has been enriched by branching out into these communities.
During this same period of my life, a girlfriend of mine dragged me out to a wine & paint night in the hopes of pulling me out of my slump. I had painted since I was a child, but fell out of it by the time I got to high school. This was the first time I had painted as an adult, and things started to snowball in the best way. I started buying a lot of blank canvases, painting along with YouTube tutorials, and eventually developed my own style of abstract art. I started exhibiting my work in 2019 and I’ve been in more than 20 art shows and exhibits. It’s been especially rewarding when I get to combine my art with activism/philanthropy and I’m able to contribute to worthy causes in a much more meaningful way than my bank account can allow (for now).
My Dad used to love helping me with my paintings. It was an activity we both enjoyed doing together, and it was a very crucial activity in trying to preserve his mental health as his physical health was declining. We were working on a couple pieces together up until he was hospitalized for the last time. When he died I was initially so heartbroken I threw the unfinished paintings into a bag of other things we wanted him cremated with. My mom later on set them aside for me.
I know my Dad would have been upset if he knew the last art we worked on together got tossed in the fire. I’m still working through my grief and how much my family and I’s lives have changed, but I keep reminding myself that this dark and sad time can guide me to something really beautiful, if I allow it.
Just ride the wave, and hold on for dear life when you need to.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I’m an abstract artist, actress, and activist based in Los Angeles. Film/TV Credits include “Street Kings” with Keanu Reeves, Showtime’s “Shameless,” the Lifetime Movie “Evil Doctor,” and an upcoming crime thriller called “Dead Wrong,” directed by Rick Bieber. I’ve had the privilege of exhibiting my artwork at The Last Bookstore, TAG Gallery, Art2Art Inc, Artshare L.A., and various pop up shows all over Los Angeles.
Some people were initially hesitant about me branching out into visual art because they thought it would take my focus off of acting, but I found the opposite happened. My art, whether it was performing or visual, became stronger when I learned how to balance the two, and I enjoyed the creation and process that much more. It’s renewed my excitement in striving to improve and the execution of it all, which is what drew so many of us in in the first place.
My abstract heart paintings done with fluid mediums and spray paint have become one of my signature styles. I wasn’t ready to dive back into painting right away when my Dad passed, but I knew I needed a creative project to help me cope. I started digitally editing some of my original pieces, just fiddling on my computer. This eventually led me to developing The “Renewal” Collection, with custom items displaying my artwork available in my Etsy shop (joannejcartist.etsy.com). So far I’ve designed some tanks, tees, totebags, and coffee mugs. I’ve got more items on the way soon.
The “drip” heart design came about subconsciously. I kept fiddling with it until I felt it “looked right.” A couple of my artist friends remarked that it was interesting because the dripping hearts looked like tears that were very symbolic of the grief I’m still processing, yet the colors are still bright, vibrant and cheery, which is my usual color palette.
My hope is for anyone who goes through any kind of heartbreak or major loss will eventually find renewal.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
I would say the three most essential qualities that helped me survive this journey would be curiosity, a sense of humor, and self-love.
As an actor and visual artist, staying curious is what keeps the fire alive for me. To constantly be on a quest to learn more, to improve, to experiment with different techniques, and ultimately expand our style into something more complex and dynamic is what makes me excited to start the day. Curiosity is often what will lead us to new ventures and opportunities. Always explore. Fall down the rabbit hole. Be open to all the things you don’t know (yet).
Life is a bumpy road no matter what path you choose, and I learned early on if we don’t find a way to laugh during the rough patches, we’ll go insane. It doesn’t mean we aren’t aware of the gravity of the situation or that we’re out of touch with reality. I’m also not saying we need to rush ourselves to find the silver linings when we’re stuck in bad situations, I actually hate when people tell me to do that. Just take a breath, tell yourself that you’ll be okay, and in those moments you’ll likely find spots of humor or absurdity that will give your mind a much needed break when life gets too intense. We’ve ALL been there.
Finally, self-love. This has been one of the hardest lessons for me to learn and it’s still very much a work in progress. It’s also been one of the biggest game changers for me as an artist. I’ve been acting since I was a teenager, and only an exhibiting artist for a few years, so I still very much feel like I’m still learning the ropes. It took a VERY long time for me to stop equating not booking a role with my talent. I’ve gotten to the point where if I don’t book a job I auditioned for, yes, it’s disappointing, but I trust my work enough to know that it wasn’t because I didn’t give a good audition. They just thought someone else was better for the role. The only thing I have control over is how hard I work and the constant quest to improve. As long as I’m doing that, the tides will turn in my favor eventually.
I’m still working on that as a visual artist. Whenever I get a rejection from a gallery or exhibit, I start to wonder if my art isn’t good enough, maybe it’s not refined enough, I’m still too “new” or…. (five million and one other things my brain makes up that won’t help the situation at all).
I’m working on it.
To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?
This question takes on a whole new level now that I’ve only got one parent left. My mother and father had very different parenting styles and philosophies, but one thing they were absolutely united upon was putting my sister and I first, no matter how much they had to sacrifice on their end or how much more difficult their lives may be as a result.
Both parents (my Dad especially) would have been thrilled if I had chosen a more conventional/stable career path, but despite that, they went out of their way to be supportive and help me any way they could. They used to always tell me they knew nothing about the visual arts or entertainment industries, except that it was really difficult, so there wasn’t any way for them to guide me. Now that I’m older, I appreciate more how much they must have worried and how difficult it must have been for them to trust the path I was on, even though none of us had any idea what lay ahead.
I’m truly grateful to them for choosing to see past what they knew and felt, and to back me up regardless of the outcome, as long as I was happy.
Even in the heartbreaking days leading up to my Dad’s death, I was very aware of the steps he and my mother took to try and make it as least traumatic as possible for me. That’s something I will carry with me for the rest of my life.
Contact Info:
- Website:www.joannejchew.com
- Instagram: @joannejchew, @joannejcartist
- Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2415065 joannejcartist.etsy.com
Image Credits
Diana Toshiko Thi Luong
