Chelsea, Manhattan / What event has most influenced you in choosing the career you have now?

Another favorite thing about this city...dogs are everywhere! And I LOVE dogs! I struck up a conversation with my next interviewee over her very sweet papillon, Tufani.  

© Jasmin Chang 2011

Question: What event has most influenced you in choosing the career you have now?

Answer: I'm a lawyer now. When I was little, I wanted to be an artist. My parents wanted me to get a profession. Parents  hammer into you that you need a practical career. So, my artistic career got swapped for a legal career, which I've been doing for 28 years. Intellectual property law is very tedious, but it's a way to get into the more creative. 

Question: If you could go anywhere in the world and spend a month, where would it be?

US, Canada, UK/How does art affect your daily life? Does it?

(I photographed Suzanna in my neighborhood in Los Angeles, but it seemed strange to classify her in that location. For the past few months, she has traveled from London to Toronto to New York to Philadelphia to Jacksonville and finally to Los Angeles in the pursuit of developing her screenplay into a feature film.)

© Jasmin Chang 2009
Answer: Art keeps me inspired When I see other people create, it fuels my creativity. As a creative, it keeps me creative. Art is an expression often of what is going on inside and sometimes words are not enough and then art allows us to communicate.

Question: How do you define love and where did it come from? What is the source of it?

Los Angeles, CA (Del Rey)/Does making art, make you happy?

© Jasmin Chang 2009
Answer: Of course! Of course art brings you happiness! In our head, we always imagine perfection, beautiful things and art makes it so that you can see it. It's real! It's not just in your imagination anymore. We as humans go so far away with our imagination. Art puts that in reality where you can enjoy it, especially in moments where you sit and have a fixation on something. It's always beautiful things. You never want to go to bad places with your imagination. Artists give you something beautiful, something green, with birds around, beautiful where your dreams come true.

Well, in art, I don't like art that has an insult to humanity, but anything that brings peace, love, harmony and life, I think everyone enjoys. Art affects your daily life when you don't throw anything beautiful away. You don't see a flower and kick and break it. You don't throw a big plastic bag over something that is beautiful if you are one that likes sensitive things, beautiful things. Yeah, I admire beautiful people, beautiful things. You cannot deny beauty. It's there. It's only for us to see. You can see beauty in a monkey, but other people just see a monkey. Beauty is all over but some people can see it. You just have to see it. Or what you have to do is knock on that door, let it out. Be open to beautiful things in life, or what you can say is oh, damn it, let me just finish my day. It's not a contract. You're day is not a contract. Enjoy your day. Live your day. Then you will see beauty.

I tell you one thing, with photographers--what I see can be a normal person, but what you see is an angel. I see the picture and think geez what a beautiful person. I mean, it's there, but until you see it in a picture and you say oh my God, it's beautiful. You could have just passed it by on the street, but when you see it in a photo, you see it's beauty.

Question: How does art affect your daily life? Does it?

Hollywood, CA (Barnsdall Art Park)/How do you define true happiness?

© Jasmin Chang 2009
Answer: You've asked the wrong person. [laughs] I've been going through a rough time for awhile so...but I think it's something that comes from within, something that you create, like anything else.

Q: To be added soon...

L, thanks for such an amazing conversation. Unfortunately I got so wrapped up in it that I forgot to ask you for a question for the next person! I hope you do come visit this website and if you do, could you send me your question? You can email me at jchang220@gmail.com! Thanks!

Question: Does making art, make you happy?