(re)Introduction
Welcome to my channel & community!
For friends that already know me, you must be wondering what this is and what I’m up to now, and what is Athena’s Garden! The truth is, I have always been a multi-tasker, multi-manifester. There are people who prefer and thrive when they focus on one specialty, and there are people like me, who are multipotentialites (linked here is Emilie Wapnick’s Ted Talk on “Why some of us don't have one true calling”)- those that have more than one specialty, who may enjoy interdisciplinary studies and wear multiple hats. The nicer descriptors are “polymaths” or “renaissance person” or “scanners." I do believe in the “polymaths” also imply that you are a recognized authority figure in multiple fields, and so I personally don’t have an interest in public recognition or obtaining titles, so I will stick to the label “scanner” & “multipotentialite!” The derogatory ones to refer to people like us are “jack of all trades, master of none” or “unfocused”- at least in the recent 100 years since the Fordist conveyer belt model/culture came about - just focus on one thing part, one job.
Growing up I operated under the assumption that at some point, I do have to pick one. And for 14 years, I did pick 1 main profession (Makeup & Hair Artist / Self-Employed Entrepreneur). I picked one category, but actually, Hair, Makeup, Skincare, Artist Management - those are separate categories, but let’s just call it one category. But when my business hit that 10 years, I thought to myself what my next step could be as I knew mentally, I was ready for the next thing. It didn’t mean I lost my passion for my craft and being of service, but I was looking for the next challenge. It was a long and challenging journey, in between still running my business and working full-time, battling crippling grief due to the sudden death of a close friend to suicide suddenly, surviving a global pandemic, renovating 2 bathrooms while making a trans-pacific move to Tokyo alone from California with two cats (my husband got hired for a job based in Tokyo right before the pandemic!). Looking back, that was a crazy time, and that’s why I had to put plans for Athena’s Garden on hold! It’s hard enough and scary enough to starting something BRAND new, with all the other elements in the mix, I had to wait patiently for the right time to work on this, but while it’s scary to be in front of the camera, I am ready for the new challenge!
Now that I’m writing this, it feels like a coming-out party! I’ve been wearing the Artist/Entrepreneur Hat for a while, working behind the scenes, blending into the background. Stepping into this new role is exciting and a little scary, but I’m ready!
If this is your first time interacting with me, I’m Liz, SO nice to e-meet you! Thank you for being here and reading this! Here’s the short version, a little about me. My parents are from Taiwan but I was born in San Francisco while they were working in Dominican Republic, and from there, I lived in 7 countries across 3 continents, and at one point had 3 passports. It’s a mouthful to list them all in the intro, I’d love to share more about my experience as we go along. When I moved to the United States as an 18 yr-old, I started telling people I’m from Planet Earth. Because what else do you really need to know? :D If you think about it :) This is where we are, borders & nationalities are social constructions, it’s just another label, and I didn’t think it was that important until I set foot in the United States, where I found that getting to know you involved “Where are you from.” Being multicultural, multilingual, going through different school systems growing up with people from around all corners of the globe, it was a privilege because it gave me unique life experiences I could not have had otherwise, but it was not an easy life as a kid and teenager, saying good bye to your closest friends every few years, crossing an oceans and having to start over. As a child, I did not have a choice, but as an adult, I chose not to have a career that required me to move every 2-3 years to a foreign country!
At the end of the day, I knew at age 3, this body, this life I’m living is my temporary residence anyways. Everything is transformative & transient. This is why I love butterflies - that’s how I see life - it’s precious, short, and beautiful. And yes, how many 3 year-olds do you know contemplate about the meaning of life? It was an inevitable result after having my first out-of-body experience at age 3, but please excuse the teaser, I promise more on this later!
I think the more important question to ask someone instead of “Where are you from” is “Why are you here?” - I mean, why did you choose to incarnate on Earth? What’s your mission, what’s your intention, what’s your goal? I know I came here to teach, to heal myself & others, make this world a better place, by Creating. As I started my sacred work as an Akashic Records reader, I discovered that most people knew WHY they chose to be here deep down inside. You have all the tools you need - inside you already.
Please excuse a collage of some very vintage photos - some more recent; some I took with my film or digital camera, some are photos of me playing my instrument, performing, styling hair & makeup, being an art director - both Doing and Being. I didn’t know how else to introduce to (re)Introduce myself other than I hope you will stick around, to hear what I have to say!
