Doing it for the Attention is a newsletter that highlights how asking for attention has been weaponized against us. Through personal essays, Q&As and community resources, I offer strategies to help us rebuild the skill set and the capacity that puts our creative, liberatory work in the spotlight.
Attention.
It’s a loaded word.
We shame children by saying things like, “They’re just doing it for the attention.”
We shame business owners by saying things like, “They’re just doing that because they want to be famous.”
We shame ourselves by saying things like, “They’ll think I’m needy if I ask for attention.”
As a mother to a small person, a professional with a decade in the public relations sector, and a lifetime of being a needy human*, I call bullshit on all of the above.
It’s clear that seeking attention is seen in a negative light.
But when you’re a creator, a healer, an organizer – there is no other way to make an impact than to seek and then to receive attention.
Attention, when claimed from a place of clarity and intentionality, leads to…
A sharing of resources
Non-exploitative and non-extractive relationships
Deeper awareness of an issue or cause
A breakthrough to solutions
Healing
Policy change
It shines a light on what’s important, and it helps get a need met.
That’s what this newsletter is all about.
What is this newsletter all about?
It’s about reframing and then repairing your relationship with wanting, receiving, and giving attention.
It’s about learning how to feel at ease with self-promotion.
It’s for those who have a vision that’s bigger than themselves (even if that bigness is your own 500 square feet**).
Every week, you can expect missives on topics like:
How to reach out to total strangers in a way that feels warm and resonant
Ways to gracefully handle awkward situations with clients, influencers, and decision makers
Going after what you want with courage and conviction, especially as someone from an under-recognized*** population
Thoughts on the creative process
Visibility: rejection, dividends, and authentic connections
Q&As with industry experts
Nonfiction book launches: What works, what doesn’t work, and what’s trending
I’m so glad you’re here.
Now, allow me to introduce myself.
WHO AM I?
When my mother – an immigrant from Taiwan who had a passion for writing spicy romance novels – passed away unexpectedly at 49, I began to see how those with diverse backgrounds had a desire to tell their stories but lacked the skill set and resources to leverage the mass media.
In an effort to close that gap, I used my PR skill set, my heart for advocacy, and my nonprofit background to start Ginkgo PR, an agency that believes in using public relations to support historically-excluded populations in taking back narratives that have traditionally been told for them.
Instead, I help them place their countercultural stories in noteworthy publications and on aligned podcasts so they finally get the recognition for the work they’ve done quietly for years. In turn, they build covetable social capital and get in front of new audiences while their narratives fight against negative stereotypes and increase representation of under-recognized*** voices.
When I’m not doing that, I’m writing. In my stories, I place themes like grief, belonging, reclamation of heritage, and self-abandonment under a microscope. Through long-form fiction that situates multiple timelines side by side, I examine the inner lives of Taiwanese families -- from aboriginal ancestors to immigrants to first generation children -- so that I can offer a multifaceted and fresh perspective on why and how our stories live and die throughout our lineages.
Inspired by Taiwan’s rich history of rebellion and persistence for self-determination, I leverage historical context to demonstrate how our identities and our self-perception are being shaped and influenced by systemic power all the time, often with the goal to disconnect us from ourselves and each other.
Using speculative elements like time travel and magical realism, my stories urge people to connect with one another while they’re alive so they can heal their own relationships to their heritage and gain a deeper appreciation for their caregivers in their full humanity.
*s/o to Mara Glatzel for crafting rich, resonant language to talk about this issue
** This is a reference to Betty Reid Soskin, the artist, activist, and National Park ranger
*** s/o to Nmadinobi Chloé Nwangwu from NobiWorks for coining this term
