We’re looking forward to introducing you to Rose Chang. Check out our conversation below.
Rose, it’s always a pleasure to learn from you and your journey. Let’s start with a bit of a warmup: What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?
Morning rituals are so important and it’s something that I value a lot. It can really determine how your day goes or how your mood will be. For me, having that first hour or so before jumpstarting my entire day is critical. I’m trying to be better about this but I do check my phone first thing when I wake up – for messages, emails, and news. My partner and I got an alarm clock to detach from our phone clocks and alleviate this issue and so far, it’s been a lot of help, I don’t have to rely on my phone to make me up and I don’t feel I have to have my phone next to me while I sleep. I always make the bed once I’m up, I feel good about doing it because starts my day with a completed task which I find to be motivating. The next thing I do is the coffee moment (of course). I love making my coffee in the morning – I’m a huge coffee fanatic! The process of brewing my cup (and my partner’s coffee) is really meditative. From weighing the beans, grinding it, dialing in my espresso or making a pour-over, it is a routine that I always allot time for in the morning. After sipping on my coffee, preferably for at least ten minutes, I try to read, either a news article or book. By this time, my dog, Moro, is out of bed and will most likely hit her “walk” button and I take her out on a quick morning walk. Sometimes I’m really resistant to the walk but having a dog really helps me get outside in the morning. It helps me feel connected to my neighborhood and who doesn’t love a walk? It’s the best for thinking! Then I pretty much get my day started after that, whether it’s planning out the week, going into work for a shift, or tackling a new recipe or project.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Rose and I am a creative producer. I love film, music, art, and food. I spent most of my early adulthood studying filmmaking and have always felt akin to being a storyteller. I really gravitated towards artistic and creative endeavors because I always found them to be the most rewarding and challenging work. I pursue a lot of different creative outlets and mediums, which I have found a tremendous amount of gratitude towards the process and privilege to do so. They certainly come with challenges and instabilities but I feel very grateful for listening to the part of myself that yearns to explore and learn new skills, crafts, and subjects. Something I have always wanted to pursue was food. I grew up learning how to cook from the two best cooks I personally know; my mom and my dad. Everything I learned about food and cooking really sprouted from spending time with my parents in the kitchen. It wasn’t until I was older, going into my early twenties, did I realize how fortunate I was to have been able to learn these life skills. I cherished all the Taiwanese recipes my parents taught me and am forever thankful for the kitchen skills and competency that my dad instilled in me. That love for food grew into the love for hosting and sharing that food with my friends and loved ones. I’m definitely that friend who’s hosting Friendsgiving every year and doing the most. Recently, I finally decided I would try to share my offerings with others and my community. Thus, Mílù was born. Mílù is an online micro bakery serving East LA and San Gabriel Valley – the area that I grew up in and returned to after college. This is my way of sharing and fostering some things I’m really passionate about: little (sometimes big) treats, community gathering, and celebration of food. Mílù is focused on classic and taiwanese flavors from my own childhood and culinary experience to everyday sweet and savory baked treats. I love working with high quality ingredients, seasonal offerings, and trying new flavor combinations. Mílù is set to open for orders very soon THIS FALL!
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What breaks the bonds between people—and what restores them?
I find that miscommunication is often a reason that breaks the bond between people. I’m sure there are a lot of other things that are situational that can really break even the strongest of bonds, but, I think a lot of tension, resentment, and undiscussed expectations come from miscommunication. We all accept that we’re all going to miscommunicate with each other, and no matter how hard we try, there’s still the possibility and likelihood that miscommunication will occur. I heard, seen, and experienced people falling out or severing their ties due to small miscommunications that could be otherwise avoided. The way we respond to those miscommunications is how we restore bonds. Everyone’s carrying their own issues and on different chapters of their healing journey, so understanding each other and where we come from is so vital to the restoration of bonds and relationships. I think really listening to each other is so important (and underrated) – we might not always agree with someone else’s perspective but it’s such a great and empathetic skill to understand how a person would come to that perspective. It’s easy to take things personally and that can be potentially dangerous and unproductive when navigating interpersonal and professional relationships. Our ego is a big block that people struggle with and it prevents us from connecting with each other as much as we can. Remembering the things that are most important to you in life is something that grounds me in navigating the bonds I have with people. Nothing that occurs between me and anyone in my life can’t be worked out if we have a conversation about it. It’s also important to remember that restoration doesn’t happen all at once, depending on the situation, and that restoring a bond is a process and takes rebuilding trust and healing wounds to cement a new kind of bond.
If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
One kind thing that I would say to my younger self would probably be, “don’t be too hard on yourself.” I spent a lot of my life being really critical of myself in so many ways than just creative ones. It’s still something that I’m working on everyday in my life. It’s very difficult for me to celebrate my artistic expressions, endeavors, and creations because it was instilled in me at an early age to be hypercritical and to strive for perfectionism. It’s a waste of time, honestly. It’s a lot of energy to be expending on criticizing yourself and what you do, when you can recognize and reframe in a way that is constructive and positive. I think my younger self would’ve been a lot more happy and carefree if I had been able to know that I didn’t have to be so hard on myself and every little thing that I did.
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. What’s a cultural value you protect at all costs?
I would have to say empathy and community. I find those values to be instrumental to human connection and coexistence. In a world that aims to destroy, displace, and erase those values, they are more important than ever to protect and teach. I firmly believe that approaching each other in an empathetic way can only lead to more acceptance, understanding, and openness. There is so much power and love in community and I hope that we all can stand in solidarity with one another in a system of oppression that serves to have power over us all.
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. Could you give everything your best, even if no one ever praised you for it?
Definitely, I try to approach everything that I do with my best effort, even if at times the thing doesn’t call for me to do my best nor am I getting praise for it. As a young child, referencing back to being hyper critical of myself, I had issues with receiving praise, whether it was a lot of it or lack thereof. I feel it’s important to give everything your best in all that you pursue because, to me, it demonstrates care and consideration for yourself and your craft. I think that if you are pursuing something for the praise, it might not be the best for your work and inner work. I believe that it’s necessary for growth and development to always give everything your best so that there is room to feel proud of the work that you’ve done. What’s most important to me is that I’m happy that I’ve given my best, rather than someone else praising me for work that I felt I didn’t put my best effort into.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/milu_microbakery/
Image Credits
Luis Reyes
