From Everything Everywhere All at Once to the reboot of Lilo & Stitch, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) have seen a huge increase of representation from major storytellers. While it doesn’t surprise us that many “firsts” have been cemented in the past year, it is surprising to look back in history and see how long it’s taken for us to get here.
Filipinos were the first South East Asians to arrive in North America in 1587. It wouldn’t be until almost 50 years later for the first Indian American lineage to be documented, and then another 100 and more years for the first Chinese community to arrive. During this time of fluctuating prosperity and survival, many Asian American and Pacific Islanders struggled to tell their story under their own terms.
Then, in 2020, a series of events led to many AAPI folks re-examining their relationship with their identity—and how our stories can be shared without edits. In this spirit of expression, we’re highlighting four different AAPI artists whose love for pets and their heritage inspire us to tell creatively diverse stories.
Chanamon Ratanalert
Once a UX designer, Chanamon Ratanalert originally pushed aside her dreams of being an illustrator in favor of a “real” career. But through many years of tech industry burnout, the desire to become an artist never left. So in 2020, Chanamon quit her day job and dove into illustration full-time.
Photo courtesy of Chanamon Ratanalert
During this time, a cultural storm was also brewing. Asian Americans faced increased aggression during the pandemic, leading to more awareness of racism towards the AAPI community. This movement struck a chord with Chanamon, who began to confront hidden patterns of internalized racism by proudly including cultural references in her art—namely, snacks like shrimp chips and Hi-Chew. Now, representation is as natural as her experiences.
Pet highlight: “My brand has always been about adding a little whimsy to every day situations and my dog Whiskey embodies that perfectly,” she says. “On harder days or when I’m in a depressive episode, she reminds me constantly of the good things in life. I carry this with me into my creative process and try to find the uplifting side of everything.”
Gerard Soratorio
Many Asian Americans can relate to the story of being guided in one direction for their career. For Gerard Soratorio, this guidance also came with support, allowing for him to discover his path as an artist and an individual. He found a career as a packaging and graphic designer for companies who sold merchandise to retailers like Urban Outfitters, FiveBelow, and TJ Maxx.
And much like the support Gerard received from his parents to pave his own way, Gerard’s foray into pet portraits started with a little encouragement from his wife and French Bulldog, Olive—before blossoming into a rewarding business. “The most joyous part of my pet portraits come from making clients laugh when seeing their pet in a new light, but also helping them heal when working on memorial pieces,” says Gerard. “It’s incredibly rewarding to lend a hand in that manner.”
Want to see your pet as a king, a sailor, a hipster, or an astronaut like Olive? Homme Sur La Lune (which translates to man on the moon) can give you a glimpse into the alternative reality of what your pet might look like if you asked them what they want to be when they grow up.
Pet highlight: While French Bulldogs are known to have long nap periods, Olive is adventurous. This inspired Gerard to create a portrait of Olive as an astronaut, which has since kicked off a business that’s had over 18,051 sales, over 60 different types of customized pet portraits, and a feature in national commercials!
Courn Ahn Design
Sometimes destiny finds its way. That’s certainly the case for Courn Ahn who went to Art Institute of Portland simply because it was the first school that popped up on their Google search. After three years of building their skills in graphic design, Courn began to experiment with illustrations and post their hand-drawn sketches on Instagram.
Photos courtesy of Courn Ahn
While they say the rest is history from there, looking into Courn’s work shows undeniable introspection about identity and community. Their vibrant illustrations grounded in allyship and liberation for all and echo a journey of navigating internal and external struggles that many marginalized folks experience. Courn illustrates more than what it’s like to be seen—she also draws a path towards healing.
Pet highlight: When Courn needs a breather, she turns to her two dogs, Adobe and Ochako. “I’ll take them on a walk, have a tug-of-war session, or just get some good cuddles when I need to get out of my head – and it always works,” she says. “When I was practicing illustration everyday a few years ago, the first subjects I drew were them! Dogs in general have always been an incredibly common theme in all my artwork because I have such a deep love for them”
Jane Kusuma
From getting in trouble for drawing on everything to drawing everyday, Jane Kusuma is familiar with finding her voice among many influences. Some of these influences also included the pressure to assimilate into the United States as an immigrant. “I was trained to be versatile in my styles of illustration to fit the needs of companies I used to work for,” she adds.
Self portrait by Jane Kusuma.
But after many years of designing for other people and companies, Jane has gone back to her own sketchbooks and heritage for inspiration. Many of her patterns today are rooted in Batik, a textile technique originating from the Island of Java in Indonesia, which uses wax and dye. You can see these bold and expressive details in her work; peeks into different cultures, motifs, and patterns that sing of her experiences.
Pet highlight: Jane’s 10-year-old Westie, Jasper, has influenced her creative process since he was a little pup. “He’s one of the main few reasons why I started focusing more on making art that has colorful joy about them,” says Jane.
