In 2019, along with Iris Kim and Ronny Tam, a wonderfully ridiculous day was had working on Adult in Training, a shoot about feeling like a kid faking it until you made it. In prep, I completed my pom pom blazer. Spray painted a tricycle and wine bottles. My work space got infected by glitter. And, I designed a bunch of destination-style luggage stickers representing things I had struggled with over the years. Because, sometimes the most cathartic thing to do when faced with pain or stress is to tackle it face on and turn it into something ridiculous. Trust issues turned into a tourist trap, and imposter syndrome looked more like Groucho Marx.
When the spot shoot in March 2020 got canceled, I still wanted to make something of it. Whenever I had shown people the pictures of the stickers, it made them laugh. It made them feel seen, and it helped open a dialogue about their struggles.
2020 to so many has been incredibly hard. And talking about it for many has not been easy. So I began to sell those baggage stickers in the hope that it might make some of those people feel seen. That it might help start other dialogues and normalize acknowledging the struggles we all go through. That it takes something hard someone might be dealing with and turns it into a smile.
