Career
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2020, balancing good v. bad in the new year
As the new year opens, I struggle to balance immense optimism and gratitude with the horror taking place in the world.
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learning. reading. writing.
I’m still trying to read as much as possible. Below is a highlight of what I’ve read in the last couple of months. Pachinko by Min Jin Lee – I had to check out what all the fuss was about. It really took me back to watching Korean dramas with my parents as a kid, but in the form of an epic novel. Becoming by Michelle Obama – who can say anything bad about Michelle Obama? I can’t. This was a great example of a famous person’s memoir and I think I’ve learned a lot from the writing of it. The Leavers by Lisa Ko – Whoa. Read this book.…
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When your boss has unrealistic expectations, but the boss is you.
In late July, I set a goal for myself that I would finish the remaining 6 chapters of my memoir manuscript in the month of August. Reason? I had put it off enough, I told myself. I started out with the goal of writing this book in late January, wanting to get a full manuscript done in 3 months so I can go back to working a normal job. I hadn’t imagined that my freelance writing would take off and find an audience. I didn’t expect to find myself with more projects than I can manage. I feel extremely grateful, more professionally fulfilled than ever before. But between the speaking…
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Devouring Words
One of the greatest luxuries of writing full time is my renewed ability to devour words. When I was growing up, my nose was always in a book at the corner table of my parents’ restaurant or I’d sneak in pages in between taking orders. All the librarians knew me by name. The library had been my sanctuary. Life had temporarily taken me away from reading. My job and being a parent of a small child and the long daily commute had drained me so much each day that I told myself I had no energy or time for reading. Now, as I set my own schedule for writing, though…
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Michelle Yang, Writer
Having worked with professional copywriters in the creative industry for over 4 years and with gifted writers in the nonprofit sector for 6 years before that, I faced significant trepidation calling myself a “writer.” I was the organized one with the business sense: a marketer, a producer, a project manager. Not a professional “creative.” As someone who’s suffered from imposter syndrome my whole life, this is no easy barrier to overcome. Still, I started writing because I was dedicated to a mission. To convince those newly diagnosed with mental health conditions that it is not a life sentence because a happy full like is still well within reach. This was…
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Courage is not the absence of fear
“Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the assessment that something else is more important than fear.” -Franklin D. Roosevelt Over four months have passed since I began writing and talking about my mental health condition opening. Still, fear creeps in every day, haunting me. Mostly, I’m fearful about how my…
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“Coming Out”
On Wednesday, May 1, 2019, I “came out” to the world about my mental health. My story, “My Mental Illness Did Not Prevent Me From Suceeding, But The Stigma Nearly Did” was published on a major outlet. I had pitched my story in early February and was over the moon when the editor responded later that month. I had been eagerly anticipating its publication ever since. There would be no turning back after this “Coming Out.” Sure, I had already told my story to my own social circles, but this was a national, even international, stage. I set out to tell my story to make myself an example, an advocate.…
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memoir in progress
Not too long ago, I went to a book store and put my hand where my future book will be. It was a powerful feeling to put my energy there. It took me a while to admit that I’m writing a memoir. I wrote a mission statement for my book first. I had to overcome knowing how arrogant (and douchey) it sounded to be in my late thirties writing a memoir. But I’m doing it. I needed this story when I was first starting out in my mental health recovery journey and almost twenty years later and there’s still a void where a book like this should be – an…
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guilt, shame, and stereotypes
“...you can't advocate for yourself if you won't admit what you are.” -Lindy West
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Dear Potential Employers
Unfortunately, I soon found myself mysteriously passed over for jobs for which I was well-qualified. Repeatedly ghosted on opportunities where the recruiter initially sought me out, for which my skills and experience seemed perfectly aligned. Hiring managers were suddenly silent after successful rounds of interviews and much momentum.
