Life & Work with Tommy Lei of Pasadena, CA

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tommy Lei.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Tommy. Let’s start at the beginning.
My path into art didn’t begin in the studio. It really started during a period when I felt deeply disconnected from the life I was building. I was working in corporate communications at the time, in an environment that was structured and stable, but creatively limiting. I had gone to Cornell and grew up in a traditional Chinese American household, so there was always an expectation to follow a path of certainty.

On paper, everything made sense. But internally, something felt off.

That led me to start documenting my surroundings and experiences more intentionally. What began as a personal outlet gradually became MYBELONGING, which was an early platform where I explored photography, writing, and storytelling. At the time, it lived more in the world of fashion and lifestyle, but it was the first time I began to understand image-making as something deeper—something that could hold emotion, memory, and meaning.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Not at all. There were moments where things seemed to move quickly on the surface—especially early on, when social media started to reshape how creative work was shared and consumed. But that kind of visibility didn’t always feel aligned with the kind of work I wanted to make long-term.

I think one of the biggest challenges was realizing that I needed to step away from that pace. There’s a lot of pressure to constantly produce and stay visible, and for a while I tried to operate within that system. Eventually, I had to make a decision to slow things down and rebuild my practice in a way that felt more intentional.

That shift wasn’t easy, but it was necessary. It required me to let go of certain expectations and focus on building something with more depth and longevity.

MYBELONGING.COM – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
MYBELONGING was a really important chapter for me. It gave me the space to experiment and figure out my voice across different mediums—photography, writing, and video. It also taught me how to think about storytelling in a more cohesive way.

Over time, though, my interests began to shift. I became less interested in producing content and more interested in building bodies of work that could exist beyond the moment.

What I focus on now is developing long-form visual art collections that unfold over time. Instead of thinking in terms of single images, I think in terms of accumulation, repetition, and structure—how a group of works can carry meaning together.

What is “success” or “successful” for you?
For me, success is being able to stay committed to the work over time.

There’s so much emphasis on visibility and speed, especially now, but I’ve learned that my process requires something slower and more deliberate. Success looks like continuing to show up, continuing to build, and staying aligned with the kind of work I want to make—even when it doesn’t move at the same pace as everything around it.

It’s less about a single moment and more about sustaining a practice. Everything I’m working on now feels like part of a longer arc. I’m less interested in quick outcomes and more focused on what the work becomes over time.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.tommylei.com
• Email: tommy@tommylei.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tommy.lei

Image Credits
All images from Tommy Lei Studio. Any brands seen is not considered endorsement; all copyright belong to those institutions and organizations respectively.