Meet Kesia Eng | Creator/Writer

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

Hi Kesia, what matters most to you?
In terms of art, a north star of mine is “to create beautiful things”. I know the term “beautiful” may seem subjective, but I think at the core of it, it isn’t really. It’s not hard to look at a sunset and know that it’s majestic and worthy of attention. So, I aim to create beautiful things like that, where the viewer is in awe of the beauty, where the art promotes a good value, and/or where the piece took a lot of thought/effort to be created.

Since beauty is a universal concept that’s understood by all, I aim to create things that emanate it so it’s enjoyed by many. Most importantly, creating beautiful things mirrors what the majestic Creator, God, does himself!

Please tell us more about your work. We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about. How did you get to where you are today professionally. Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way. What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?
While many children books have two dimensional illustrations, my children’s book, “Baby Bao at Dim Sum” are photographs of 3D handmade models. Yep, that’s right – I hand made 95% of the characters and miniature items in there. This includes sewing the bao characters, building each set with cardboard/construction paper, making the small-sized food dishes with clay, etc.

My writing journey is just beginning, so I don’t think I have much profound challenges I can speak about.

I’m only in my early 20s (ish), so I still feel like I’m just starting to establish the kind of creative person I want to be and writing voice I aim to have. It almost seems odd to tell the world what they should know about me when I’m still figuring that out myself. But if there’s something I’d like to share with the world about who I am, it’s that I’m an observational person and am an eager learner which are both important components to being a good artist and writer! I like to think I’m an entrepreneurial individual, so am looking forward to writing more books and pieces, creating more art, and self-starting other projects in the future.

As for what I want the world to know about my children’s book — it’s a cute book and has a great message about selflessness and family. Get it, you won’t regret it. I hope it soften your cute kids’ hearts and maybe make you tear up a little. Then you can use the pages as tissue (or not).

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Where to eat: Hong Kong cafes or dim sum restaurants in the San Gabriel Valley that have 3 stars on Yelp (anything above is just fake).

Where to hang out: Archery in Pasadena, Sightseeing at the Griffith Observatory in LA, etc.

Night time activities: The Comedy Store in Hollywood

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I can’t put a label to all the people that have supported me, but I’d like to thank my previous coworkers, friends, family, church family, and local elementary school teachers for helping me! Their support from believing in the message about family, financial contributions, sharing with others, constructive feedback on book manuscripts, etc. means the whole world to me. I honestly sound like a broken record because I’ve said it so many times, but I am so thankful for their love and help!

Website: kesiaeng.com