Realizing a Dream, Part 2
Driven by a Community of Creators
Lina Z.
1/5/20241 min read


In January 2022 (wow, just 2 years ago), I started my first book with “A is for Apsara” and drew multiple drafts of an Apsara. An Apsara is a celestial deity who descends from the heavens to entertain and inspire an audience with graceful dances. Working through different iterations of my Apsara illustration brought back the spark of drawing I used to have. This time I enjoyed it more as I was the one who set the style and parameters of the art.
Drawing on this momentum, “B is for Bai” came easily next. I opted in a different approach for C to highlight a popular destination’s famous staple: Kep’s crustaceans. I also chose this word since the Spanish word is a cognate of the English word; that is crustáceos looks similar to crustaceans while crabs and cangrejo not so much. Just as with the art, the topic of writing sparked my interest in all 3 languages and a joy of being creative in relating them together.
Next, with my family as inspiration, I incorporated drawings of personal photos into the book. From drawings of my mom and daughter for “Y is for Yeay” and my husband snorkeling near Kep for “H is for Hael Teuk”, the books incorporated more of my personal life.
Spark. Momentum. Inspiration. By April, I learned about other creators all of whom are reclaiming their heritage and sharing with others. Writers. Artists. Entrepreneurs. Khmericans. Khmer. Chinese. Indian. Black. White. Latine. They reminded me I wasn’t alone in searching for my identity and purpose. I am blessed to have found them. For without them, this would have just been a short hobby.

