Today we’d like to introduce you to Tony Hoang.
Hi Tony , can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I’ve always been drawn to creating, my oldest sister Ly likes to take credit for nurturing my artistic nature by spending some of her angsty teenage years drawing ninja turtles with me before I could even really remember. When I reflect on how things started, I think it’s more than I can really put into these sentences because it feels like all the things that shape my personality, the core memory parts of learning about something for the first time, seeing pain and happiness exist in the same exact day, asking scary questions and not quite comprehending as a child, and being heartbroken and not quite knowing how to really cope with all the tough stuff that gets thrown at you from the moment you enter into this world. I’d like to think me wanting to draw pictures and interpret my little world was some way to start to cope with it all.
I didn’t take art seriously until I went to college in the Bay Area, shoutout Cal State East Bay! It was there that I took a creative process class and that’s where I met an amazing teacher that really impacted the way I thought about making work and gave me the confidence to really communicate things through my work. I eventually was immersed in the Fine Arts program there, building amazing friendships with my peers and instructors, and my last two years of school were transformative because of how inspiring it was to be around other artist wanting to push themselves and grow their skills. Big shoutout to Lisa Solomon and Grace Munakata and all my BFA family, you know who you are! After I graduated, I moved back home to Pomona to take care of my family and those years were made up of finding time for an art practice while working multiple jobs to survive and being in my 20’s trying to figure life out.
It was during that time that I found out about the Sign Painters documentary by Faythe Levine and Sam Macon at the Fowler Museum at UCLA in 2013-ish, I remember taking the bus out there from Pomona, staying after the film to listen to the Q&A and afterwards getting home really late and feeling this burst of energy and inspiration that there was this group of people that were so passionate about this traditional art form and not letting it die and being so surprised that there was a trade school still teaching it right here in Los Angeles.
And that was it, I sort of forgot about the film, and all that energy and inspiration it gave me. I just continued to survive for the next 10 years and then I met this amazing human that was taking the Fashion Design program at Los Angeles Trade Tech and a spark went off, she helped me believe that it wasn’t too late to go back to school and it wasn’t too late to reimagine what I wanted to do with my life. That’s when I remembered how the film made me feel, I remember thinking that maybe one day when the timing was right I could be a part of that program, and so I enrolled and now I’m in my 3rd semester of the Sign Graphics program here feeling so grateful for all the things that have led me to this exact moment and all the amazing people that I’m learning from and building friendships with.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I grew up with my mother holding it down for our entire family, my dad left when I was young and she had to work unbelievably hard to make sure that my siblings and I were fed and housed so it’s because of the struggle of my mother but also all the mothers and true caretakers out there that formed my understanding of how unfair this world can be to the working class, to immigrant people, to women, just trying their best to take care of themselves and their families and do good. Witnessing all these heavy experiences of heartbreak and struggle had an immense impact on my character and I’ve learned how to advocate for myself through the years and also learn how to take care of others around me.
I’ve learned from her story that I can decide what is valuable to me, and that’s how I treat myself, how I treat others, and standing up for people especially when they are treated poorly or unjustly.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m studying, practicing, and waking up before the sun every day to become a professional Sign Painter who can run a respectable and sustainable sign shop and tell everyday people’s stories at the same time. I just want to nurture something that will be a source of joy and power for my community, and keep showing up and getting better. So if you back that kind of stuff and you are about the people, hit me up for a sign, family. I’ve also been sparked by one of my sign painting mentors to continue making zines so please keep an eye out for my work at your local zine fests and art book fairs. I just want to make quality work and connect with people, it’s amazing what you can learn from someone if you just sit down and listen sometimes.
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
“To be beautiful means to be yourself. You don’t need to be accepted by others. You need to accept yourself. When you are born a lotus flower, be a beautiful lotus flower, don’t try to be a magnolia flower. If you crave acceptance and recognition and try to change yourself to fit what other people want you to be, you will suffer all your life. True happiness and true power lie in understanding yourself, accepting yourself, having confidence in yourself.”
― Thich Nhat Hanh, The Art of Power
Big love to all the people that have helped me arrive in this moment, without you, I’m not still dreaming and believing in a better world. Love you big family.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://everydaypeoplesigns.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/everydaypeoplesigns
