Meet Alixen Pham | Soul / Human Being / Philosopher / Artist / Poet / Writer / Adventurer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Alixen Pham and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Alixen, we’d love to hear about a book that’s had an impact on you.
I was very young when I read Plato’s Parable of the Cave. Even though I didn’t understand everything, the ideas about self and reality resonated with me. It stuck with me as I grew into adulthood. As such, I’ve studied various Eastern philosophies and spiritual traditions to try and understand these concepts. Through meditation, my experiences and knowledge have grown and deepen such that they greatly influenced my writings and perception of life, of who we are, the purpose and meanings of our lives, and brought about a greater appreciation of life all around us. I also realized the power of such stories regardless of time, space, age, gender, language, ethnicity, etc.. Plato lived over two thousand years ago and his ideas survived the fall of empires, the changes and migrations of people and places, war, drought, famine, and countless deaths. This is the power of ideas translated into words written on papyrus or animal skins or on paper. It’s one of the reasons I love books.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I love art and think the various disciplines are like the spokes of a wheel, similar to yoga which means union. As such, I practice poetry, visual art (mixed media, collages, acrylic and oil paintings, ceramics, sculpture, installations, and media), fiction writing, and screenplays. While my educational background and work experiences have been in primarily in business (I have an MBA), being a creative artist was something I’d always done. It was my outlet to express myself, to reflect or explore concepts and feelings that excited, puzzled, or overwhelmed me. I’d always thought of art as part of my being, part of my breathing, part of my life. I practiced it for years without showing anyone, then gradually shared it, and eventually my work was published and received recognition for things like a nomination for Best of the Net, a finalist for Best New Poet 2022, and recipient of the City of West Hollywood Art Grant 2022. While I appreciated these recognitions, what mattered the most to me was hearing from people who told me how my works had affected them in positive and uplifting ways. To me, these are the reasons for and purposes of art and the artist. Just like how Plato’s Parable of the Cave, the Bhagavad Gita, Buddhist teachings, Rumi and Rilke’s poems have influenced and inspired me and many other. Long after I’m dust and forgotten, my artwork lives on inspiring, uplifting and expanding the minds, bodies, and spirits of future peoples.

In terms of challenges, I’ve learned it’s how we set our minds to follow our purpose(s) in life that determines how easy or difficult doing or achieving it can be. During my teens and 20s, I fought myself when I followed my parents and society’s beliefs and standards about who I should be, what kind of work I should do, how much money I made, where I lived, what kind of car I drove, who I knew, etc. During those years, I practiced art sporadically with long intervals of dryness. I was miserable, but thought this is what life is for all of us. I’d forgotten the Parable of the Cave and other profound spiritual insights in my attempts to fit in. Worse, I’d ignored my own inner longing for something more than the life I was then living. For me, illness has been a wise and patient teacher. It reminded me this moment is all that truly mattered, and that within this present moment, both the past and the future are created, re-created, changed, and constantly in motion within us and all around us. What if we were to die today, or tomorrow, or a year from now? How would knowing that each second was precious could motivate us to be our authentic self, to express it in wise, compassionate, generous, joyful, and appreciative ways to expand the true reality of our being beyond the limitations of our social structures, ideologies, identities, and experiences?

I think it’s important for each of us to know who we truly are. Not as labels or job titles or even achievements. What does it feel like to be who we are? To be in harmony with life all around us? To feel the wonder and awe of something like our recent solar eclipse on April 8th, and realize how vast and limitless our universe is. With so many possibilities. And we get to choose. We get to say, “I am…” and go explore that, feel it so fully, it’s like what Rumi wrote in his poem: “That which God said to the rose, and caused it to laugh in full-blown beauty, He said to my heart, and made it a hundred times more beautiful.”

And in knowing myself, I recognize that I’m a creator and giver to others. As such, I create community and bring people together through various events. Over the years, I’ve volunteered with various nonprofits including APLA, Free Arts, Write Girl, SoCal Kundiman, and others. For the past three years, I’ve been one of the organizers and host for the Festival of AAPI Books (FAB) in Long Beach. We introduce and promote local and national poets, fiction and nonfiction authors to the AAPI communities that have hungered for representation and a voice in the literary industry. In addition, we help expand and educate the general public on AAPI authors and their writings. I believe it’s through such community and sharing that we get to know each other and realize just how much we have in common. And that the differences should be celebrated for it makes each of us unique.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I’m a foodie, home chef and baker. I love spicy food and places that are either fully ethnic, fusion, or creative. I would recommend Amphai Northern Thai Food, Night + Market, Wat Thai Temple, Sugarfish for sushi, India’s Restaurant for authentic Indian food, Northern Cafe on Beverly Blvd, Crustacean and Spago in Beverly Hills for a little celebrity watching, and drinks at Chateau Marmont or the Abbey in West Hollywood.

For things to do, I hit museum row on Wilshire (LACMA, Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, Craft Contemporary) as well as downtown (The Broad, Japanese American National Museum, and FIDM Museum). For laughs, I would check out the Laugh Factory, Hollywood Improv, and The Comedy Store). I also would take them to Venice Beach, stroll along the boardwalk, visit the shops and cafes on Abbot Kinney. Later shop at The Grove, Melrose Street, and Rodeo Drive. Maybe catch a show @ The Greek Theatre or The Troubadour.. Also watch a movie outdoor @ Hollywood Forever Cemetery.

Plus, I would take them to Beyond Baroque in Venice for poetry readings, writing workshops, and local art exhibits. There are so many amazing public readings at bookstores like Skylight, Book Soup, Village Well, Vroman’s, and Chevalier which are very supportive of talented local and national poets, fiction and nonfiction writers. These are wonderful places to meet genuine local people from all walks of life in the greater LA area. Plus downtown LA library is an architecture beauty loaded with art, books, and culture. And take in some nature at the Huntington Library and its gorgeous gardens and sink our feet into sand at Zuma Beach or any of the beaches in Malibu.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I want to thank Jack Kornfield for his wisdom, love, compassion, sense of humor, and great storytelling abilities. Listening to his teachings helped me during my illness. Plus comedians like Tracey Ullman, Sarah Millican, Key & Peele, and many others who reminded me to laugh even if I was sick and hurting. And that in laughing, I was reminded that life is worth living. I also want to thank Armine Iknadossian, Arthur Kayzakian, Tresha Faye Haefner, Elya Braden, Linda Reardon Neal, and Roz Levine who were my first truly supportive poetry group. They believed in my work and encouraged me to submit. And when I did take that leap of faith, my work was published on my second submission. You all reminded me to believe and trust myself, my work, and folks like you.

Website: www.alixenpham.com

Instagram: @alixenpham

Twitter: @alixenpham