Your Dreams Vs. Unsupportive Asian Parents: Finding Your Way

I wasn’t supposed to post anything today other than a reblog (see previous post). But this is a relevant and very good read! Certainly relatable especially for Asians.

To add my piece, my parents never discouraged my writing. But they never really encouraged me either. That was why I didn’t really know I wanted to be a writer until I was a teener–I just knew I loved to write (so did my sister). My mother did like reading copies of the college school paper I wrote for and that was enough validation for me that she wasn’t exactly against it. I did know early on that they were just worried about my future. They did not have to tell me as that is the norm. The term “starving artist” came about for a reason, right?

I think how we see art (writing included) really depends on the society we live in. If the government does not support the arts, naturally, the future could be bleak for any artist. Not everyone has the resources, connections or great luck to be the artist he wants to be.

Mabel Kwong

We all have passions and dreams, which our parents might not always agree with. In a stereotypical Asian family, artistic and creative dreams tend to be frowned upon, and we might have second thoughts about chasing them.

Writing is something I love. Seven year old me rushed home after school and wrote fictional adventure stories in my bedroom, and loved writing essays for English classes. These days after work, I write for this blog and work on my first book. But for as long as I can remember, my Chinese-Malaysian parents have never been keen on me spending time writing.

Sometimes the road to our dreams is a hard one. Kurt Hugo Schneider and Sam Tsui, Melbourne 2016 | Weekly Photo Challenge: Narrow.