5x30: Commitments to Self


I'm officially in my thirties. Here are five commitments that I have made to myself.

I will know what is happening in my own city, communities, province, and country

That is to say, I will actually read the news, not just scan posts on social media.

 As my fellow Canadians will know, there is a tendency here for our media to be overwhelmed by American news and happenings. I find it very telling that a lot of my peers and friends know more about American politics and happenings than they do in their own country of Canada. 

 Yes, we Canadians are known for being polite. That doesn't mean we are innocent of violence, racism, and general wrongdoings on a municipal, provincal, or federal scale by any means. 

 If we don't pay attention, our own country will continue to commit human rights atrocities. There is tons of racism, police brutality, and environmental degradation that happens here on a daily basis--it's not just happening in our neighbouring country to the south or in so-called third world countries. 

 I personally read The Star. For a crash course in Canadian happenings, you can stream Good People with Mark Sakamoto on CBC Gem for free here.

I will not be the only non-white person in the room in my personal life

The exception being funerals and weddings. 

For much of my life growing up, if I was not with my family, this was often the case. In a city as big and diverse as the one I live in, there is no excuse, especially since I already enjoy a lot of white privilege being both mixed race and light-skinned.

 For my white friends who are hosting an event or party - I love you, and you can expect me to be inquiring about the guest list so I may ensure I'm not your token guest.

I will not be the only non-white person in the room at work

Thankfully, the last few studios I have worked for have been pretty racially diverse. While this hasn't saved me from experiencing racism in the workplace, I have also been lucky to have lots of allies in the room who kindly deal with the racism for me so I don't have to (thank you, AC and MB).

 While I am not the only POC in the room, it is still often the case that I'm the only woman in the room.

 I would also like to note the vast majority of client teams we work for are comprised of white people, or those who enjoy a great deal of white privilege--client teams, in other words, do not mirror the diversity in the studios I have worked that are actually producing the footage.

 I've been pretty fortunate having bosses/direct Supervisors who care about this, and will listen to me when I do raise this as a concern. I will continue to raise this concern (if/when relevant) at other places I may work.

I will continue to define my world through a intersectional feminist perspective


This commitment started out as an experiment. As you probably know by now, I'm very heavily committed to #ReadWomen.

 #ReadWomen got me thinking about the importance of honouring and listening to the voices of women and non-binary creators and stories because history (it's literally called HIS story, people) has largely defined by the actions and words of men.

 I started thinking - what if I just took men out of the picture in a way? What if I redefined how I look at the world via who I pay attention and listen to?

 And so, the truth is, I don't just #ReadWomen. That's just the tip of the iceberg, baby.

  • The vast majority of the time, I listen to bands and music with a front women or vocalist or who are mostly composed of women.
  • I pay attention to the movies and TV I watch. Are there women in at least three key creative roles? Does what I'm watching pass the Bechdel Test? The Mako Mori test? The DuVernay test?
  • As an extension of #ReadWomen, I check when I'm reading blog posts and articles online - who were they written by?
  • When I need help with something, I ask a female or non-binary expert first. Dentist? Doctor? Lawyer? Career mentor? Check!
  • On social media, I follow female and non-binary politicians, filmmakers, artists, activists, musicians, writers, and bloggers. While I haven't counted, I would hazard a guess that it's well over 70% of who I follow
  • Where I can, I vote for women. This doesn't always make sense for who might be voting in the election (i.e. if only female candidate in my riding is for a party I don't support, I would of course vote for my preferred candidate regardless of gender)
  • I take note of which businesses I support. Who are they run by? When I'm in a store, can I see lots of women who appear to be managers or in leadership roles on the floor?
  • I'm unlearning history via reading books that put women in the centre of events, pushing things forward. List of what I've read the last few years below!


 Some things I have read to learn about 'herstory':
Princesses Behaving Badly by Linda Rodriguez McRobbie
Fearless Girls, Wise Women, Beloved Sisters: Heroines in Folktales from Around the World edited by Kathleen Ragan
The Wisdom of the Beguines by Laura Swan
Almost Famous Women by Megan Mayhew Bergman 
Bygone Badass Broads by Mackenzie Lee
Not Just Jane: Rediscovering Seven Amazing Women Writers Who Transformed British Literature by Shelley DeWee
Lark Rise to Candleford by Flora Thompson
Wonder Women: 25 Innovators, Inventors, and Trailblazers Who Changed History by Sam Maggs
The guidebook accompanying the Our Tarot deck by sarah shipman
Project Vox, which focuses on women philosophers in early modern history


I will tithe my income when I can; I will volunteer my time when I cannot

This is an interesting one. Since I started working in the animation industry, my free time has been decimated by the overtime required by my work. This was very odd for me to get used to as prior to working in this industry, I did actually volunteer a lot of my time. 

 Working so much, however, did enable me to participate in a new way I could give back to my communities: financially.

 Since the beginning of 2018, my wife and I have donated over six thousand dollars of our income to charities, the vast majority being local (i.e. within B.C.). I would also like to note that I have been mindful to donate to charities and causes in my hometown of Abbotsford*--they say to remember where you came from, and I do.

 For 2019 and this year, we made a conscientious choice to factor charitable giving into our budget. In 2018 we were just winging it, donating where and when we could. Prior to this we did more volunteering for our favoured causes.
*Abbotsford is the traditional territories of the Sumas, Matsqui, and Sto:lo First Nations peoples.

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