JL: Well, my name is Jessica Louie, and my objective is to share the pleasure and aliveness of life through the avenues of arts, culture, and environmental awareness in a positive, creative, and dynamic community. I was born in Hawaii, lived in Hong Kong most of my life, attended primary school in the suburbs of Vancouver. I got my BFA in Communication Design at Parsons School of Design in New York City, Class of 2008.

Most important in my life is to KNOW what is good, LIVE what is good, and SHARE what is good. To develop relationships where this goodness can be nurtured and made immensely pleasurable. Design is the medium I use to share what is good; other than practicing life-affirming habits on a personal basis, design is used to stretch this knowledge and these practices to reach an audience of unlimited potential.

Regarding choice of subject (e.g. GREEN issues), it's only natural. Our core values are created by how we live and how we want to live. I don't see any other way. I was lucky to have 6 years of childhood in Canada where we had in my backyard, a beautiful evergreen forest. So my olfactory senses were daily stimulated by the smell of pine cones and pine needles (on a side note, returning to Hong Kong was a disappointment as it doesn't live up to its name of 'Fragrant Harbour').

At school we were educated in the ways of the Native Americans, and how they treated the environment and all inhabitants with respect. If they killed an animal, they used every bit of the animal for food, clothing, housing, and tools. They communed with nature and asked for help and guidance: it's a sense that the spirit knows and speaks to you when you are calm and ready to hear. All the answers are there within you.

Yes, for me, the choice of subject is more important than the design work itself. After all, we are all designers co-creating our realities. We get to be designers without having a career in design. Making everyday choices means making design decision:

How do we design our outfit? (are we reflecting a style, a mood, making us available to situations and attracting ourselves to a group of people)?

Currently, I haven't invested much time in designing for causes I don't feel affiliated to...it's a waste of time. Your body, mind, and spirit, will feel contentment if you pour your energy into what fulfills you.

I'm a truth seeker, so anything can stir up my passion: authentic experiences that trigger the inquisitive mind, sensitive and sensual body, and an adventurous soul is a cause worth concern! As my partner quotes, "I want the same as most people: love, happiness, security, adventure, to make a difference, to be a good person". My dreams are to flow with the current and to be the ultimate expression and carrier of whatever 'good' is happening on right then and there. Life is not like it was before. One example is that technological innovations allow us to be philanthropists at any age, from anywhere in the world.

To be more specific, within 5 years' time, I may move to the coast, where I can surf wild waves on a clean and beautiful ocean everyday. I'd have more in-depth knowledge of the ocean and the colorful marine life, and dedicate myself to allowing it to flourish. I'd be contributing my design skills to help with poverty alleviation, which may or not may not be related to the ocean and marine life. I'd be 'making a living' through expertly practicing a modality that allows people who are more 'mind'-oriented to be more in their body (e.g. alternative therapy such as acupuncture or movement therapy), and teaching people who are more 'body'-oriented to be more mind-conscious (e.g education and awareness). All of this with the accompaniment and support of my partner and fine friends of course!

iCUBED.us: Were you always good in arts? Give us some examples of how you came to discover your talent--did you win awards before you even finished pre-school, were you drawing portraits of your family members since age two for example?

JL: I attended a fun weekend drawing class when I was 4 years old, the only piece I remember is a pizza with funky toppings on it, including screws and tool bits. I won a few drawing competitions as a kid, really just drawing from my heart...including a piece on the Chinese Dragon festival that was published in a newspaper when I was 7, and one about the Celebration of Life when I was 8--a piece on saving animals that were sick and suffering from the hit of a rainstorm. I was also a curious child; I imagined male genitalia and drew large blown-up portraits of them when I was 5. I also remember drawing more elaborately as a kid; fellow kindergarteners would accuse me of drawing '4 legs' when humans 'should only have 2' (i.e. I moved beyond the stick figure phase earlier). I'd get shunned for doing things beyond the norm: asked to simply trace the outline of my hand on a piece of paper, I'd draw it to include all the veins, indentations, wrinkles, and hairs on them. I'd never finish because the details are limitless! Also, I practiced traditional Chinese calligraphy and painting for a few years, winning a couple awards here and there.

That said, art and design was never my strongest 'point'. I devoted my existence to academia as any typical obedient and impressionable Chinese daughter would do. My self-worth was equivalent to my academic results and everything I did had to be perfect. I lived in fear, worry, and anxiety, under a mask of self-confidence and unwavering desire for achievement and progress. Luckily, life is more authentic and healthy now since experiencing NYC and having a chance to pursue all the facets of life, that were previously buried in order to survive and remain top in the academic world. If I were a star, the other 'points' would symbolize integrated interests such as psychology, holistic health, spirituality, culture + languages, and free-form movement.

iCUBED.us: How would you describe your connection to arts and design? Are they a passion for you, or just something that comes naturally, or "just feels right"? Or is it more like, it's better than anything else you could come up with, and good enough until you find something better...

JL: Honestly, it used to come naturally. It was the only hobby I had, as other extracurricular activities were very rigorously Chinese (math / piano / mandarin / cantonese lessons every day of the week).

Growing up, I wasn't encouraged to speak. I couldn't express myself verbally and was always afraid to say what I felt, my opinions didn't matter outside of the academic environment. So drawing became my way of seeing and communicating to the world. The touch of pen on paper is very Zen. I hoped that if people saw that my drawing was beautiful, they'd realize I was a beautiful person as well, as it came from within, deep inside of me.

In my drawings I'd create new realities; I'd transform characters and give them new looks (e.g. I'd give Minnie Mouse a full makeover with a skirt of 22+ layers of trimming...not just 1 bow on the head, but 10 for every facet of her face). I thought, "Why not?"

It was a passion.

In high school, the themes became more dark and experimental. I sculpted an embryo that exploded into a wingspan of spines made out of aluminum rods carved out of a lathe to convey how we're forced to grow up quickly and exceed our boundaries through forced but precise industrial pressure. On the opposite end, I had a lot of hope and celebrated life by envisioning entire new realities, similar to Surrealism with function. I made a model of a reformed changing room...the shower cubicles were shaped like incubating fireballs, tap water flowed through a wooden labyrinth before reaching you, and the toilets were surrounded with multi-colored glowing stalagmites that grew from the ground up.

iCUBED.us: Would you say that you chose your talent, or that it chose you? How much conscious choice was there for you, in pursuing your work in design? If there are other careers you might pursue, would you share with our readers, what those might be? Or, are you looking to make a living from your skills as a Parson's graduate?

JL: In university, my 'art'-based approach turned into a 'design'-based approach. Haha. I signed up thinking the school was called 'Parsons School of ART and Design', when really it's just 'Parsons School of Design'. My main motivation was to learn to create something whose value cannot be measured solely quantitatively (unlike a test), and to create knowing that there is no absolute right or wrong. Action leads to consequence; often we try to manipulate and control the consequences, and in turn gain control of our destinies (all with the misconception that we know exactly what is right for us and what our best talent is, that can be used to serve the greater good)! Instead, I learned that the best approach is to just simply to have GOOD INTENTIONS.

I've done a lot of volunteer work (e.g. cooking for sick and homeless), and intern or paid design positions for NGOs (e.g. air pollution, climate change). However, I have not yet settled on a distinct career path. I have started to look at developing a professional medical skill set in the 'alternative' therapy realm (e.g. acupuncture), or joining consultancy firms to tweak the environmental practices of businesses.

Nevertheless, once learned, design skills will always stay with you. They allow you to efficiently present and market whatever profession you decide to pursue (be it in the form of website design, all the printer collateral, visual identity and branding, styling). Design is also beyond mere looks. It can be the design of systems and how it operates to designing a way to influence your target audience.

iCUBED.us: IF we lived in a perfect world, what would that be like? ... What is design all about? What should it be about? Are there things you wish you could change about the business of design?

JL: In a perfect world, everyone would be doing what they love and enjoy. People would be living lives truly in line with their passion, or on a safe and supported journey to finding and developing their passions.

Design is all about transforming an intangible idea or thought-form into something that is tangible. It is like sculpting or alchemy. Imagination transformed into something you can touch, lick, smell, eat, or scoff at. It's about creating interaction and making fun: whether it's a bouncy edible fart toy, a bobo doll to be bashed or a blowup doll to be embraced, a cereal box packaging embedded with fun games that takes you into another dimension, or paving the roads with ice so instead of walking to work you can skate and slide to work!

Regarding the business of design: I wish products and services could be made with good intentions. Many products are created to lure us into a vicious cycle of buying and dis-empowers us (e.g. soaps with unnecessary harsh chemicals that dry our skin, which we must then fix up by buying moisturizer of the same brand).

Products should have circular life-cycles, or a continually evolving life-cycle. As a consumer, I prefer to buy things with a double bottom line (i.e. high quality and environmentally sustainability) and preferably secondary benefits (e.g. contributions to a social cause, people are paid rightfully, the design or its application is substantially different to existing options). I wish products were less about 'selling and disposing' according to rapid cycles of fashion trends, and instead, were ALL about the care and creative inspiration involved its design and the people it benefits (from the producers to the consumers). Now, eco-chic is a unique selling point, it gives added value to commodities. Whereas, it should just be the bottom line! Adventure should be part of our daily lives; don't wait till you go traveling!

The process from initial conception to production is pretty streamlined and accessible in the age of internet. We can download high-end design software, gather all the materials and pay people to perform all the processes you need to manifest a design, 'POOF'! Any young person can be involved in the business of design as his or her hobby.

iCUBED.us: What--if any--advice would you give to a young person who is considering attending an arts and design college?

JL: There is a big difference between an 'art' program, and a 'design' program. You can do art from a design perspective, or design from an art perspective. You'd get a lot more much-needed support, be more comfortable with who you are, and developing your voice and skills if you choose the right discipline for you!

Check out student work galleries, and see if you resonate with the work. The faculty shapes the direction of your work: in my opinion, they are equally as important as the written description and prescribed syllabus of the course, so research each teacher's personality, values, and style of teaching when you customize your program. In other words, take the time to "do your homework" and you will gain much more from your education.