How Musician TRACE Reimagines
How Musician and Creative TRACE reimagines Q: Tell us a bit about yourself. A: I’m originally from Orange County but consider LA home. I’ve been here for seven years...
How Musician and Creative TRACE reimagines
Q: Tell us a bit about yourself.
A: I’m originally from Orange County but consider LA home. I’ve been here for seven years and currently reside in Silver Lake where you can catch me going on hikes or drinking wine or lingering at the produce aisle or chatting with a pal over coffee.
When I’m not strolling or sipping, etc, I’m working which I’m grateful to also call, being a full-time musician. As a newly independent artist, I’m having a lot of fun settling deep into what I want the next season of my career to look like so I’m thrilled to announce I’ll be releasing my third EP 2021/2022! It all still feels like just the beginning somehow too.
In addition to music I’m writing a feature film based on my life and upbringing and of my mother’s. It’s a lot but the hard stuff is the good stuff. AND it’s fun to bounce back and forth between different mediums of creativity! Keeps me ultimately sane and healthy.
Q: re–inc is rooted in our founders' fight for equity as members of the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team. We're all about breaking norms and barriers society has placed on us. How do you reimagine the status quo?
A: Ultimately, hope is key. And hope is an imagination that things can be better and different. So I’m always re-imagining things! We have to. And even though these days seem quite wild and scary and hopeless--it’s also a time to be curious. I’m curious of why I am alive during this time. As a woman. As an Asian American. As an artist. As a daughter. A friend.
I’m comprised of complexities just like everyone else. So I guess I’d say the defiance comes from knowing that I am not restricted by the past or by the media, or by the culture or standards of our society. I’ve learned a lot from my mom. There’s a freedom I have that my mother didn’t. That has given me a lens of how I defy a lot of barriers.
I live in a time/country/city where I am privileged to continue to question how things work, or are done or are expected from me. I don’t know if this makes sense but it’s truly just a posture of knowing I have to take responsibility with what I’ve been given. Ownership. What is normal, may need to be challenged. What is expected might need to be underestimated. I hope I do that with my music--with my work. To write about sadness and emotions but to know we don’t need to be overcome by it. I do hope I do that in my script for sure too. To write about generational trauma and how we can really heal (therapy, community, faith, discipline, guts) and break the “norm” that is a cycle of pain. I hope I do that with my life. :)
"Ultimately, hope is key. And hope is an imagination that things can be better and different. So I’m always re-imagining things! We have to.
Q: What's brought you the most joy this summer?
A: Learning and practicing. Writing scripts and poems, playing on the guitar, attempting French, making cocktails. And my friends OF COURSE. A four hour long dinner with close friends is JOY itself. Oh. And a really strong meme goes a long way.
Q: One of the themes from our summer collection is redefining peace and well-being. How do you nourish yourself or cultivate self-love and inner peace?
A: Stepping away from the screen/social media first and foremost as much as I can. Prayer/breathing intentionally before I get out of bed. Exercise--moving my body. And really just trying to grasp onto presence and being present which is SO hard for me. Anxiety lives in the future and I’m always ahead of myself.
Q: This summer we explore the idea of elevated states to higher self and collective liberation. What makes you feel most elevated and free in spirit?
A: Selflessness. Real sacrifice and bending for others. (But also knowing boundaries--learning!) Forgiveness has recently liberated me. But also, like, martinis too.
Check out TRACE's work at http://www.listentotrace.com/. Discover more creatives like Trace in our re—cap from the Women That Rock LA event.
