Brian Hoang of Westminster on Life, Lessons & Legacy

Brian Hoang shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Hi Brian, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to share your story, experiences and insights with our readers. Let’s jump right in with an interesting one: What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?
Since I work from home and set my own hours, every morning can be a little different but mainly, I get up around 6:30 or 7:00 and to ease into the day, I’ll waste some time watching TV or on social media. Then when my wife (also an artist) gets up around 8:00 or so, she’ll have a coffee and I’ll have a tea, we spend a little time together before we head off into our respective offices and start working on whatever project we’re currently working on.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Brian Hoang and I’m an illustrator based out of Canada. I was born in Vietnam and came to Canada at a very young age in the 80’s. Growing up in the west, I had always tried to acclimate to the culture here which meant turning my back on my own culture. But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve tried to reconnect with my roots. A trip back to the motherland in 2019 inspired me to focus my artwork on Vietnamese culture and imagery.

Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. Who saw you clearly before you could see yourself?
My wife. Connecting back to my previous answer, when we first met, I almost never talked about being Asian. To be honest, I never thought about it much either. I only thought of myself as just Canadian. But she took an interest in my Vietnamese background. She asked me about the food and family dynamics and she read a little bit about the country’s history. Her interest, funnily enough sparked my interest in exploring my own culture. In fact, that trip to Vietnam I mentioned earlier was her idea. Since then, I’ve been extremely proud to embrace my heritage and I feel more authentic to myself now than I ever have in my life.

Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
Absolutely. After graduating from art college, I got a pretty decent job working at a hotel. I thought I’d work there for a few years while working on getting an art career started on my off time. But those few years kept dragging on longer and longer and there were many days I thought this would be it. I never stopped making art but it got to a point in which I thought it would never amount to anything more than just a hobby.

So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. Is the public version of you the real you?
I don’t think many people’s public version is the real them. I am definitely different in public than I am when I’m at home. I’m not saying anything new here at all but social media has allowed us all to curate a public personality that we want people to see. Though I don’t overshare personal stuff on social media to begin with, it’s still just a version of me I want to share. This also applies when I’m with friends. When I’m sad in the company of others, I’m sadder in private. When I’m angry in the company of others, I’m angrier in private. There’s a truth presented there but it’s muted behind a mask.

Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
That I cared about them.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.brianhoangart.com
• Instagram: @brihoangdraws
• Facebook: brihoangdraws