(Blog Part 2 for MAIP)

Normally around this time of the year, we'd be taking some last minute trips to the beach or the Poconos to get in as much sun & fun we can get before we're hit with Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and all of a sudden the new year.

Thanks to my busy schedule and the. pandemic, I have not stepped foot onto a beach or pool. I lied- I went to Jones Beach one Saturday afternoon and decided never again after seeing all the people without masks who most definitely were NOT practicing social distancing.

As the summer comes to an end...

My internship program at Rapp & Organic is a 10-week program and I work at one agency for the week and switch over to the other the next week. It was definitely a learning curve for all of us involved, especially with the situation of working from home.

There are times when I get disappointed about the reality of working remotely, not being able to meet new people and create organic relationships. On the contrary, it also has shown me how valuable it is to take initiative and reach out to people. Yet another challenge to get out of my comfort zone and introduce myself to people who I've never spoken to, but admired from a distance.

Having coffee with Cathy Butler, CEO of Organic was the highlight of my week (also, for those of you wondering what coffee dates look like while wfh– make your cup of coffee, turn on zoom, and drink while you chat). Little did I know that me sending a short "have a great weekend" to Cathy would lead to her scheduling a coffee date with ME (the invisible, unknown intern)! I got to ask her questions about her journey as a BIPOC woman of color and her passion for diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace. Cathy emphasized the importance of showing passion and curiosity as well as having a mentor to help navigate through life.

So many zoom chats, group chats, and blue light- so little fresh air, sleep, time to practice self-care.

A few memorable and notable moments.

• write your bio w jezz chung
  • reflecting on all the moments (bad & good) that led me to where I am today
  • breathing in positive affirmations and breathing out negative doubtful thoughts
  • feeling more grounded in my identity as a woman, multi-disciplinary designer, friend, daughter
• best part of maip: the people, the energy, the passion
  • man, maip 2020 cohort is an undeniably, impressive, talented, smart group of people that will CHANGE not only the advertising world, but the WORLD
  • i had the chance to meet friends through discipline specific trainings, animal crossing group chats
• summer projects with maip group: Lucky 13
  • we won the brief for Whataburger from McGarrah Jesse!!!
  • chosen as top 8 finalists
• intern project presentation at Rapp to company & client!
  • i got to work with fellow interns at Rapp to create a campaign for a fundraising initiative at my internship for Leslie Lohman Museum which supports LGBTQ+ artists

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I haven’t been posting regularly about the workshops I’ve been facilitating but tonight’s was the most special one yet and I wanna share why. When I curate these workshop experiences, I collect from what I’ve learned through the trajectory of my career in advertising and combine it with the language I’ve learned in different forms of therapy (CBT, reading cognitive neuroscience and positive psychology books, meditation, mindfulness, visualization, healing practices from cacao ceremonies to sound baths to full moon circles), facilitation trainings, lifestyle design frameworks, and I tap into the loudest parts of my sensitive soul and think about how I can align the expressions of my gifts with what is most needed for the people I’m guiding. I don’t take that responsibility lightly. There’s hours of researching, curating, collecting, building, designing, rehearsing, revising. I see it as a performance in service of collective growth, an opportunity to step a little deeper into the act of self liberation. At it’s best, these experiences are co-created. And because I create from the lens of a queer Korean American with chronic mental health conditions, it’s a special feeling to be held and seen by people who also know what it feels like to be the “only” or the “other” in the spaces we’re in. Tonight I felt affirmed and lifted, and I hope that I did the same for you. It was a workshop to rewrite your story but my intention was to share the power we all have to dream bigger than the dreams we’re told to dream & create a life aligned with our brightest, truest expression. Thank you @4asmaip for creating this community of future founders and radical dreamers and allowing me to be part of your world. Thank you to the 200+ ppl who showed up tonight (for 2 hours!!!) across time zones and co-created this beautiful memory with me. Thank you for being a mirror of my wildest dreams coming true. 🦋🥺ILY🥺🦋

A post shared by 𝙅𝙚𝙯𝙯 𝘾𝙝𝙪𝙣𝙜 (@jezzchung) on Jul 27, 2020 at 5:46pm PDT

Lemonade, yes Beyoncé

Just when I was caught up in agency life, workshops, networking, working on projects, and building new friendships, life threw yet another lemon at me.

My grandmother passed away earlier this month and it hit me harder than I could have ever imaginned. As it was the first time ever experiencing loss so close to me, I went through waves of emotions and took time off to grieve. In hopes to honor her life and keep her memory alive, I commissioned a visual poem, made by the beautiful Kiana Fernandez. My grandma was always proud of me, even at the lowest points of my life and showered me with unconditional love.

As I continue moving forward, I will make you proud in everything I do. I miss you, always.

(Blog Part 1 for MAIP)

That was said by L. M. Montgomery. To be completely honest, I just Googled "June quotes" and liked this one the most.

The month of June felt like the wave pool at Dorney Park, when you just aren't tall enough and can't swim but fight to survive on your tippie toes.

"no hardwork goes unacknowledged. the universe hears and sees you" by gumhuit

Reflecting on June 2020

MAIP's first ever Virtual Engagement Program kicked off in the beginning of the month, along with my externship at Rapp and Organic. I'm so grateful to have these opportunities in the midst of Covid-19 and many internships getting rescinded, because of the stay home order.

Finding out that I was chosen as a finalist for MAIP and selected by an agency for a UX/UI and Graphic Design internship as a MAIP fellow was such a powerful moment for me. The past year or so was rougher than usual and I felt like I simply had no purpose. Going through the application process was arduous, but I pushed through keeping in mind that this was an investment in myself and my future. Finally, I wanted to put myself first instead of everyone else in my life.

And then Covid-19 happened... online classes, zoom birthday parties, stocking up on lysol and toilet paper, and internships being cancelled.

I believe that with every shitty situation– there is a lesson to be learned. Take the pandemic for example, not knowing how deadly this virus is or when the next time I'd be able to go grocery shopping without having to prepare for what it seemed like war, anxious thoughts and lucid dreams haven't been so uncommon. (The pandemic is also just terrifying and heartbreaking) ...but what if I were to shift my perspective? Yeah it sucks not being able to go eat out, spend the day at the museum, go to a bar with friends, or actually meet my mentors and co-interns face-to-face. We're able to witness society be flexible and adapt to ever-changing situations and see real shift happening on an individual basis.

Important lessons I learned/remembered (for myself):

• As my therapist reminds me, "healing isn't a linear process" and this can be applied to life in general. With so many ups & downs, it's hard to see the progress we make as we move forward. Without the usual distractions of being outside, socializing, entertainment, etc– we are left with no choice, but to pause and face our demons. I've been putting it off for months, because I didn't have the time or mental capacity to look inwards and then life said "ha, now you really have no excuse!" so yes, it's been full of uPs & dOwNs.
• People love to talk about work/life balance– as they should, but it also made me wonder how this balance might look different to each individual. Being a hard-worker is emphasized in the culture I grew up in and I've always been taught that if I don't go above and beyonnd to make an effort– I wouldn't be successful.

source: somewhere on tumblr

omg i am such a horrible writer and i can't get myself to finish a SINGLE blog post. there are so many things i want to talk about, but can't find the words to. then i start wondering if i sound like an idiot...?!?! also i wonder if anyone will read this entire thing ¯\_(ツ)_/¯