What's Been Happening the Last Six Months?

Wowzie BunBuns,

I apologize I've been MIA! I know I haven't updated my blog for a while, cuz things have been overwhelmingly busy. But I'm gonna be better about it, I promise. I do usually keep up with my Twitter on the daily though, so if you'd like to follow me there... Gotta warn ya, it's a wild ride- and, I'll definitely blow up your timeline so be forewarned. lol It'll make you laugh, might make u cry, but all in all you'll know exactly what Bunny's been up to!

Just to give y'all a quick recap of what's happened since last October - became a finalist for the Artadia Award; had a feature article in INSPIRE magazine; had a feature article in Thrillist.com; made it to the cover of The London Magazine (UK's oldest cultural magazine since 1732); somehow stumbled across Dungeon Family (it's a hilarious story how I came upon these legends of hip-hop); negotiating consignment deals with gallerists as I build inventory; had a show at Phipps Plaza; began showing at the W Hotel Midtown Atlanta; moved to a bigger studio, became a HIV/AIDS activist; and now, getting ready for my first LIMITED EDITION PRINT RELEASE! June 2nd!

Yeeee!!! Can you believe all this happened without any marketing effort? I can't believe it either! There will also be a print release party at iLoungeAtl (7pm-close), plus it's my birthday so you know we're gonna get crunk!

So y'all better not think Ms. Bunny has been slacking, cuz there's no such thing. Will be writing more in-depth blog entries about what's occurred the last six months to catch everybody up. Meanwhile, getting in shape for my first upcoming video, collaborations with musicians who've shown Bunny support, an international guerrilla porn donation drive (we'll just see how much I collect!) just to name some exciting upcoming happenings...

Alright sweethearts, definitely check back for the print release June 2nd. This is all so exciting, I appreciate you guys so much. Freaking Yeee!!!!

Laying low, making moves

Hi honeys!

I've missed you! I know it's been seven months since I've blogged but don't worry, you know I'm always making moves even if you don't hear from me. That's exactly what I've been doing, making moves!

There are three events coming up, listed under "News & Exhibits" on my website. I'm also getting management together, as it's long overdue. Also hiring interns. Twitter following is growing, I've been meeting all kinds of interesting folks off of there. It's fantastic for networking, I'm so fascinated with it! lol Some big projects happening, lots of seeds being planted, others sprouting.

Basically what happened was, folks have continued to call me; hit me up for stuff to be in shows and interviews, but since I've been off the scene for a while things started piling up. I've noticed bloggers are helping keep my work relevant by still featuring and mentioning me in their blogs. I am so grateful to them for that. I can't even begin to tell you who has been contacting me for projects, what kind of projects they are, and the kinds of things I'm in the running for.

So realizing that I had to expand, I dropped everything I was doing and focused solely on building my team (aside from fulfilling current commissions, applying for grants, doing interviews, etc. lol). I realized if I kept going by myself, it would hinder my growth. So I had to literally stop what I was doing and put a call out for a manager and interns.

Things are really coming together honeys! I'm at a point in my career that I'm going straight for all that I've ever wanted - with no apologies. Simply because I'm tired of everyone's excuses of why it can't happen, but particularly tired of my own excuses. 2012 is going to be the biggest year of my career, I can feel it.

I just want to THANK YOU for all your love, support, and continued belief in me. The last year has been nothing but a road of restoration and healing. I've already named my next solo show "Critical Ascension" because that's exactly what it's been. Making work, building an arsenal of inventory to fulfill waiting list demand and create enough to put on a great solo show. Then my team and I will shop around for a venue to host it. It's gonna be the best show I've put on yet, so excited. But that's just a small fraction of what I have planned for us! You have no idea what's coming!

Well let me tell you honeys, y'all are in for a wild ride. Stick around, my team and I are making mad moves, is all I can say. You have no idea what we are about to do. Just BE READY. ;)

Conversation w/ Dad during dinner

Me: "So what would you say is the secret to you and mom's marriage lasting so long?"

Dad: "We met when we were 13 playing ping-pong. We were getting ready for testing to get into college but were transported to be farmers during the Cultural... Revolution. Then we finally went to college but attended different colleges.

We got married at 31, had you, and I went to America for my graduate degree in Physics. Then you and mom came when you were 5.

The secret for us is that we faced a lot of adversity together in the last 50 years- Cultural Revolution when we were forced to farm and your maternal grandparents' house was ravaged, grandpa got arrested, it was a mess. Building a life in a foreign country, raising you, getting through cancer, bankruptcy, it hasn't been easy.

We're best friends. She's my BEST FRIEND. She's been there through all the hard times. No matter how bad my health gets or how broke I get, she'll be there.

We've grown together, having gone through so much and adapted to a lot- including being open minded to appreciate and believe in your crazy porn art enough to proudly show it to our Chinese friends!

Don't worry Yun there are nice guys out there. You have to find someone that encourages and supports your dreams, your best friend. Keep living good baby. Do what you need to do. I'll be so proud when Yao Ming buys one of your paintings, I hear he collects art? (Dad's obsessed with Yao Ming, lol).

I know you see her as Tigermom, but she's my best friend."

Me: *Bunny tear "If only she would just let up a little bit! I bet you that's how I ended up making this crazy porn art in the first place." Lol

Aw. I love my dad- big ears and all. Cuz he loves me and my crazy porn art. Now anybody know Yao Ming so I can make an old man proud?

Yeee... Gonna keep living good. ;)

Ready, set, GO! - Mastering my relationship to FEAR

Hey y'all,

I am so freaking EXCITED! Things are coming together and adjusted in my digs. Ready to paint my Bunny behind off and create a new body of work. Targeted marketing plan in place; I may have to do a lot of the administrative grunt work myself to begin with but hopefully the team will naturally come together as I trust everything will fall into place. Whatever it takes!

Have to build a mass inventory of work and focus on selling direct to build some cash flow, but no matter what I absolutely refuse to go get a "real" job. Cuz you know what? Being a full-time artist is my "real" job. Anyone that doesn't understand that, just doesn't get it. There comes a point when you are just "all in" and I'm way beyond that point.

So if you don't see me for a good while, it's because I'm locked up in my make-shift studio looking at all kinds of porn working on new flowers, trees, cacti, mushrooms, etc. All that adversity I faced last year was necessary because it provided lots of inspiration and gave me plenty of material to paint about- human nature, society, my own viewpoints and experiences, all personified through the flowers. I am confident this will be my strongest work yet.

Gotta sell direct for now because although galleries are interested in my work, I still have to pay for shipping there and just don't have the money for wood, resin, and shipping yet. It's a lot of costs upfront. So meanwhile I'm gonna make a ton of work and sell it direct so I can get some money and go from there.

Man I am so grateful for adversity because it is the best motivator one could ever have. I used to let fear and adversity hinder and keep me catatonic, but now I feel like a space rocket, ready to launch into space as far as I can go.

I read somewhere that fear's purpose is to protect you from harm and not hinder you or give you stress; anxiety. The purpose of fear is to warn an animal of when to retreat- when sh*t comes, Bunnies are supposed to run away- that's it. I was telling a friend today that if we let fear hinder us and scare us into being catatonic, then we are imprisoning ourselves within our own imaginary walls.

I also read that when you feel fear but it motivates you; excites you; and you feel empowered, then you have truly mastered your relationship to fear. It took me almost three freaking years to realize this, but only took two weeks to completely turn 180 degrees.

Fear is a friend! Not only does fear warn us of danger, but it further motivates us to go beyond our limits. Inaction is action wasted. So in knowing that fear is no longer an obstacle but instead a great motivator, I've come to terms with it in fully understanding my relationship to it. We are cool with one another- there's an understanding. lol With that said, just excited more than ever about this new work I'm about to crank out.

Gonna push these flowers to a whole different level unlike any of us has ever seen....LET'S GO HONEYS!!

The Power in Being Nice (a focus on benevolence and authenticity)

Whew honeys did you re-cooperate from the holidays yet? lol I've been running around getting stuff done, working things out with my team figuring out what's next.

Lots of great news to share- not to mention the excitement behind it all. Goes to show what a tough mindset and unstoppable perseverance can do.

As you know, I've been active in donating art to a few organizations for their fundraiser auctions. I think it's important to contribute and give whenever you can whether it's to organizations, supporting friends, and just helping out whenever you can, however you can.

In fact, my reputation is built on benevolence and giving a helping hand. Which adds up in the swing of things because when opportunities are presented the art communities in Atlanta, Los Angeles, and beyond have been amazingly supportive in providing nominations, references, etc.

The years in LA have seared unforgettable, but necessary lessons and experiences. Although last year was a tumultuous year of fake friends; adversity; trickery and changes, it was also full of love; support; loyalty; opportunity; and clarity. The experiences have inspired me to "step it up" and accept responsibility for all of it. In accepting true responsibility for all that's happened, it's allowed me to also accept true possibilities.

Accepting responsibility means knowing that all decisions and consequences, in the end comes down to me. Not everyone is perfect but when I do mess up, I step up and make whatever it takes to make it right. You have no choice, because your reputation depends on it. If it means admitting that I'm wrong, I suck it up and admit it. If it means others keeping you accountable, I suck it up and take it. Because in the end it's all about sculpting the best version of me that I can be. Accepting responsibility and being held accountable does that.

Living in LA, you see a lot of crap. Better yet, being a creative in LA or NY is like stepping into a hurricane and holding on for dear life. In witnessing others who lie; manipulate; connive and burn others on their way to so-called "success", I know within my heart it's short-lived and only a matter of time before it all comes crumbling down. I mean, look at Enron. lol

You can only go so far before a reputation built on manipulating others begins to work against you. Those people have to constantly reinvent themselves in new cities and surround themselves with new people forever running away while hiding behind a facade- what a pathetic way to exist. Believe me, I've encountered many fitting that description as I'm sure you have too.

What I realized is that those people are running away from themselves- from facing their own authenticity. Or perhaps it's because their own authenticity remains so unbearable that they must keep running in the first place. lol

Throughout all this came a revelation strengthening my commitment to two things- my art, and approaching the journey with benevolence. As I discover womanhood through being an artist, you come to side with a few things- particularly, what you stand for. It's not easy to remain committed to one's beliefs when everyone else is telling you how to best live your life.

The adversity I've survived is an accomplishment. Yes, an accomplishment. Without it I couldn't have given my full loyalty and commitment to this art life nor to approaching it with full servitude and benevolence.

It forced me to question my own authenticity. What is "authenticity"?

The New Oxford American Dictionary defines authenticity as:

"1 of undisputed origin; genuine
• made or done in the traditional or original way, or in a way that faithfully resembles an original
• based on facts; accurate or reliable
• (in existentialist philosophy) relating to or denoting an emotionally appropriate, significant, purposive, and responsible mode of human life."

What stuck out for me were the following words- genuine; reliable. But especially the last definition, "relating to or denoting an emotionally appropriate, significant, purposive, and responsible mode of human life". That is freaking beautiful! No wonder so many people run away from themselves cuz they can't stand to deal with who they are! lol

You see, authenticity is genuineness. It's real. Furthermore, it's about being real and keeping it real. Authenticity is a being. Some may argue authenticity as being apart of someone's style, blah blah, but we're not talking about that here. We're talking about authenticity as an attribute of genuineness.

I knew having a benevolent authenticity for family, friends, collectors, colleagues, supporters, fans, and the world in general was part of my nature. But how do I utilize my love for the world and benevolence on a much bigger scale through everything that I do? Especially through my art?

One book has especially influenced me in my business philosophy- The Power of Nice by Linda Kaplan Thaler and Robin Koval. Though business-world is presumed to be a world of dog-eat-dog, sharks, and wolves in sheep clothing- I found it against my nature to trample over others on your way to the top as a practical accepted mode of success. So when I found this book, I was so relieved that you can win and get to the top by being nice. In fact, the authors of this book built their whole company around this philosophy. Always having gone against the grain anyway, this was perfect for me. Yee!

So you ask, how has keeping it real all these years helped me? How has being nice contributed to my career?

What's come of it is a solid team of seasoned professionals most of whom I've known for a decade that's immersed themselves to be apart of this team as they've witnessed my persistence and "no-matter-what" attitude. These professionals specialize in legal, accounting, management, PR, grants/residencies, and artist representation. I am beyond honored to have attracted such a phenomenal team of outstanding professionals. Their survey of my character over the past decade gave me unspoken credibility that didn't need persuasion simply because benevolence builds trust.

Currently, my work has a presence in Atlanta, Houston, and Los Angeles. The team is spread out across the US with numerous allies including collectors, curators, and critics, amongst other supporters. There are ten galleries who have shown interest in the Porn Flowers and ready to discuss showing them. Six curators ready for new work to put in shows; a waiting list of existent commissions; a list of people "interested" in commissions; interviews I have yet to respond to; a few celebrities said they were fans. And, the crazy thing is, I haven't even started the targeted marketing campaign I was planning on implementing yet. Yee!

What did I do you ask? Three magical questions plus an enthusiastic, friendly attitude: "How can I support you? What can I do to help you? How can I make things easier for you?" That's it. *shrug

Calling people and reaching out to them; volunteering; donating; being there for others; contributing, supporting, encouraging, lending a helping hand; being a good friend; going out of my way to network and hook others up for stuff in support of making their dreams come true... That's what I did. I guess all those love seeds I threw out there finally began to sprout, huh?

Recently, I was at an art opening and ran into an artist I'd been familiar with but never had the pleasure of meeting (we were in a few shows together). I was standing there catching up with an old friend of mine and when this artist introduced himself, we both acknowledged each other and was delighted to have finally met. Then he said something that caught me off guard: "You're so sincere-I hope it's real" then looked to my friend for validation. My friend vouched for me that my sincerity indeed, was real. Later that week I ended up helping this artist with some feedback and insight concerning some challenges he was facing proving that my sincerity is real.

Sure, I've had to show my Bunny fangs and raise some hell when I've been tested, but it's just not my style to go around trampling others to get ahead. I consider that cheating. People often tell me, "Yun, you're too nice". The truth is, it works for me. Being nice, sincere, genuine, and authentic is how I've gained the opportunities, connections, and relationships I've been fortunate to receive.

In this world of dog-eat-dog business acumen, being nice has worked for me. It has helped me stand out amongst the crowd. Sure, some people are hesitant upon first meeting me and don't quite know how to respond to my bubbly sincere happiness- but after the fourth or fifth meeting when they realize it's unashamedly consistent, they start to open up. Hee hee.

The point is: I don't mind watching malevolent hares dig deep holes for themselves burning bridges left and right trampling over others in the race to success- although the hurt they cause others disappoints. I'd rather remain as the benevolent tortoise that lays a firm foundation based on integrity, contribution, and service. After all, my team and I are building a legacy-- and not interested in fads. lol