Our Renaissance: The World We Imagine
There are two worlds I can imagine after the crisis. The first is the world I fear. The second is the world that I hope for.
Rethinking the Arts: Arts Spending in Wisconsin and the US
Arts Spending in Wisconsin Wisconsin ranks 48th out of 50 states for public funding for the arts. In 2018, Wisconsin's state budget for the arts is $811,800 (14 cents per capita), which…
Rethinking the Arts: Calling for a Paradigm Shift
Whenever I tell people that I'm a (full-time) artist, they generally have one of two reactions: "Oh, for a living?" When I answer yes, they ask, "Full-time?" When I answer…
"The Light Within Us We Do Not Use," 20 x 30 in drawing, by Jenie Gao
The myth of the starving artist–and what it can teach us about job security
"What do you do?" This is the number one small talk question we ask people, on par with discussing the weather. It's a question we either don't care about at…
"A Circulatory System," Ink and Watercolor Drawing, 10 x 14 inches, by Jenie Gao
How to Catch a Counterfeit (or how to focus on what matters)
Back when I started working in manufacturing, I had a boss who would ask our team: "How do you catch a counterfeit?" The answer? "Study the real." There are infinite…
Antonio Berni
A challenge to my community: speak up for what you care about
It's not a loud voice, but it's an extremely prevalent one in our culture. I have friends who choose not to talk about things like politics on Facebook or at work, because the…
Trigger Finger, Ink Drawing by Jenie Gao
How do we define true human progress?
August 29th was the one-year anniversary of me leaving my corporate job. I left to pursue my artwork. On a deeper level, I left to make myself better and more…
What Feral Dogs Can Teach Us About Humanity
Stray dogs overrun the cities and towns of South America. Their presence is so normal that when I asked a local about them, he answered my question with a question,…
What does the existence of 5 Chilean Pesos suggest about wealth?
Contemplate this for a moment: 10,000 Chilean pesos is the equivalent of $16.30 US Dollars. Over the course of my voyage in Chile, I have acquired many 5 peso coins,…