When Joy Woo first started in the entertainment business as an executive assistant, her family didn’t understand how the industry worked, and “it wasn’t something they were proud of, or could brag to their friends about.”
But when Woo, a 27-year-old living in Los Angeles, was laid off in December from her studio, she started debating whether she should leave the industry entirely. “It was my second time getting laid off in entertainment,” she said. “I wondered — what am I doing wrong? Is this a reflection of me?” But along with the self-critique came the worries about how her family would respond. “My family members might question why I’m pursuing this career path,” Woo added.
Woo was most concerned about telling her grandfather, who was one of her main caretakers growing up. “My mother told me not to tell my grandfather, so I kept my layoff news from him,” she said. As she had predicted, when her grandfather found out, he was shocked and asked: “Why are you in this industry?”
Disclosing news about layoffs and the career changes that follow can present a set of obstacles for Asian Americans in creative fields if their jobs aren’t considered traditionally stable by family members’ standards, many workers and experts say.
Diem M. Nguyen, a clinical psychologist who practices in both New York and California and who focuses on intergenerational issues in her therapy sessions, said she notices Asian Americans often deal with the tension between following their creative passions and meeting familial expectations. “Clients really struggle with taking risks due to pressures in their family systems,” she said.
Mental health practitioners like her describe the unique stressors that Asian American creatives may face from family members during periods of job instability. She said that these stressors mostly stem from a misalignment in lived experiences. She explained: “It’s not ill-intentioned. Older Asian American family…
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