Editor's Statement
I laugh when I think about “dichotomy,” an idea I suggested for February’s theme. That’s way too fancy, one of my friends had snapped. There’s a real dichotomy between your use of vocabulary and your English grades.
She wasn’t wrong.
So our staff settled on “duality,” defined as an instance of opposition or contrast between two concepts or two aspects. Broad enough to encompass a variety of artwork, but deep enough to prompt nuanced pieces and introspection, “duality” embodies its own definition.
Duality is inherent in Asian American identity. Mental health, too, often encapsulates “duality:” frequently, we find ourselves reflecting on our “other” identities in recovery or creative processes.
But as submissions rolled in, our team began to realize the intricacies of our theme. The February issue of It’s Real addresses not only the complexities of mental health and cross-cultural identities, but also parent/child relationships, the interplay between past and present personas, the tensions between self and other, and the contrast between the diversity of Asams and our narrow media representation.
Simultaneously, I’ve noticed It’s Real beginning to adopt a dual nature: to encourage discussion on mental health, yes, but also to provide a platform for Asian American artists and writers. This issue's pieces relate to mental health and duality in various degrees, but are also a step towards more Asian voices in creative and artistic industries. Like all the other dualities in our lives, we have embraced and continue to embrace this one: there is beauty in multifacetedness, just as (aforementioned in our January issue) there is beauty in becoming.
So a huge thank-you goes to our contributors and staff for embracing It’s Real’s growth, and to our readers for helping us reach (can you believe it?) over a thousand unique viewers and four-thousand views in the last three weeks. And happy late Lunar New Year and Valentine's Day as well! Along the lines of an endearingly wholesome cliche, let's continue to spread the joy and love that is recovery, solidarity, and self-reflection.
Happy reading - we hope you enjoy these works as much as we do.
- Ana Chen, Founder and Editor-in-Chief
She wasn’t wrong.
So our staff settled on “duality,” defined as an instance of opposition or contrast between two concepts or two aspects. Broad enough to encompass a variety of artwork, but deep enough to prompt nuanced pieces and introspection, “duality” embodies its own definition.
Duality is inherent in Asian American identity. Mental health, too, often encapsulates “duality:” frequently, we find ourselves reflecting on our “other” identities in recovery or creative processes.
But as submissions rolled in, our team began to realize the intricacies of our theme. The February issue of It’s Real addresses not only the complexities of mental health and cross-cultural identities, but also parent/child relationships, the interplay between past and present personas, the tensions between self and other, and the contrast between the diversity of Asams and our narrow media representation.
Simultaneously, I’ve noticed It’s Real beginning to adopt a dual nature: to encourage discussion on mental health, yes, but also to provide a platform for Asian American artists and writers. This issue's pieces relate to mental health and duality in various degrees, but are also a step towards more Asian voices in creative and artistic industries. Like all the other dualities in our lives, we have embraced and continue to embrace this one: there is beauty in multifacetedness, just as (aforementioned in our January issue) there is beauty in becoming.
So a huge thank-you goes to our contributors and staff for embracing It’s Real’s growth, and to our readers for helping us reach (can you believe it?) over a thousand unique viewers and four-thousand views in the last three weeks. And happy late Lunar New Year and Valentine's Day as well! Along the lines of an endearingly wholesome cliche, let's continue to spread the joy and love that is recovery, solidarity, and self-reflection.
Happy reading - we hope you enjoy these works as much as we do.
- Ana Chen, Founder and Editor-in-Chief
DISCLAIMER: Nothing on this website is intended to be taken as professional medical advice.