May is Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, a time to celebrate the diverse cultures and rich history of AAPI communities. At Zazzle, we are proud to support the AAPI community, including our talented Creators who have shared their designs with us. Join us in celebrating AAPI Heritage Month and learning more about the significance of this month.
What is AAPI Heritage Month?
AAPI Heritage Month was first established in 1978 as Asian Pacific American Heritage Week, a week-long celebration of the contributions of Asian and Pacific Islanders to American society. In 1992, the week turned into a month-long celebration, recognizing the unique and important history of these communities.
The term “AAPI” refers to a broad range of communities with roots in Asia and the Pacific Islands. These communities have diverse cultures, languages, and traditions, and have made significant contributions to American society in fields such as science, arts, politics, and much more.
How can we celebrate AAPI Heritage Month?
There are many ways to celebrate and show support for the AAPI community during this month. The first thing we can do is educate ourselves about the history and achievements of AAPI communities. This can include reading books, watching movies or documentaries, attending cultural events, or listening to AAPI stories.
Another way is to support AAPI-owned businesses and creators, like the many talented Independent Creators who have shared their unique artwork on Zazzle. By purchasing products created by AAPI artists, we can help support their work and talents.
The last way we can help celebrate this month is by recognizing and appreciating the diversity of AAPI communities and the unique experiences and challenges they face.
Highlighting AAPI Creators
We want to use this opportunity to feature the incredible work of our AAPI creators and share what this month means to them.
We are proud to have established a community where our Independent Creators can showcase and celebrate their cultural heritage while promoting creativity and inclusivity.
How has your AAPI heritage played a part in your design work, if at all?
I enjoy adding some lunar new years in to the mix in honor of my heritage. This year there are a lot more bunnies in my shop to color or decorate with.
Any highlights or other comments you’d like to share?
I focus on colorable products as my niche is adult coloring. I am Korean American. and I create from Ohio 🙂
How has your AAPI heritage played a part in your design work, if at all?
Having close family ties is one of Filipinos’ unique cultural values. A majority of my work is inspired by this value. As families, we love to celebrate life’s precious moments (when a baby is born, birthdays, weddings, etc) and I love designing invitations and stationary for people celebrating these moments. Filipinos are also known to be very hospitable people. We love to throw a great party and invite everyone we know. Again, you can see this in my work as I create different themes to cater to all different tastes.
Karen Chau
How has your AAPI heritage played a part in your design work, if at all?
Using the product types available on Zazzle, I’ve created products for and inspired by Asian games I used to play at family gatherings. For a game called Fish Prawn Crab, I’ve designed game mats on a variety of products including posters, placemats and fabric. To make the custom dice necessary for the game, I designed a sticker sheet with the coordinating elements for a DIY solution. For Mahjong, I designed accent pillows to look like a giant version of Mahjong tiles, with the tile value on one side and a jade green back.
Any highlights or other comments you’d like to share?
I’ve also illustrated ingredients used in Chinese cooking (e.g. scallions, soy sauce, ginger) and am branching out to create designs featuring all Asian foods that I have enjoyed for a long time (e.g. boba tea, sushi). Thank you for considering me for this feature.
Marissa Pileggi
How has your AAPI heritage played a part in your design work, if at all?
Remembering growing up in a house full of people, grandparents, aunts, uncles, my sibling and my cousins. There’s always gatherings at a long dinning table full of food. What I liked the most was we had a lot of trees, flowers, herbs and animals in our property. Everything was so colorful, noisy, interesting, delicious and beautiful. My designs have a lot of those things in them. Busy, noisy, lots of colors, food, plants, animals and people all together. Being an Asian or an American is not so much different. We are babies in this big world who are still learning how to be, to feel, to love and be together in harmony.
Any highlights or other comments you’d like to share?
Lots of colors and lots of love.
How has your AAPI heritage played a part in your design work, if at all?
My design is 100 percent inspired by my experiences as an AAPI growing up in Hawaii
Any highlights or other comments you’d like to share?
I want to revive the Hawaiian language to Hawaiians as well as the entire world
How has your AAPI heritage played a part in your design work, if at all?
My Oba used to always say that your soul is like a plate and you need to fill it with things that bring you happiness and joy. While my designs are not directly influenced by my culture, the words of my grandmother have woven such joy through every single item in my shop. Each of my designs is sparked by something that makes me smile. I went to school for Nutrition and Dietetics and ultimately decided to pursue my creative passion in design rather than utilize my science degree. Leaving an expensive degree unused may seem strange to many here in the U.S. but I know she would be proud. My plate is full, Oba. ♥️
How has your AAPI heritage played a part in your design work, if at all?
Growing up in the island of Taiwan, traveling in public transportation is part of daily life. I have always been fascinated by trains and airplanes. My love of aviation started on my first trip to the USA on a 747 in middle school. I was fascinated by how all the parts work together on a huge and powerful machine that can fly and carry so many people.
Any highlights or other comments you’d like to share?
Combining my love for graphic design and aviation, I founded the JNAV clothing brand in 2016. As a designer, I believe design is not merely aesthetically pleasing. It should also be functional. In the beginning, I was going to create t-shirt designs with my favorite airport codes for plane spotting. Unlike most of the designs out there with simple airport codes and random numbers targeting average travelers, I wanted to design something awesome for aviators with essential navigation info and runway layouts.
How has your AAPI heritage played a part in your design work, if at all?
Growing up as a first-generation Asian American female has influenced all my art and designs to some degree. Our life experiences shape our perspectives and ideas, ultimately shaping our worldview and creative output.
For my “Dreams and Nightmares” collection, I specifically drew from a recurring childhood dream of being pursued. In these dreams, I was always running from an unknown danger, seeking safety and security. Each dream featured a different setting, but the fear and uncertainty remained constant. With the help of AI technology, I was able to create abstract, imaginative, and emotionally charged images that reflected the chaotic nature of dreams. During my trip to Cambodia with my parents in 2018 – my first time back since fleeing our homeland – I gained insights into our migration to the United States. This experience made me consider that my recurring childhood dream of being pursued was likely rooted in those early formative years.
To provide context, in 1970, the Khmer Rouge guerilla forces overthrew the Cambodian government, leading to a civil war that ended in 1975 with the Khmer Rouge in control. Once in power, the regime created two classes of people. The first class consisted of those who had supported the Khmer Rouge during the civil war. These people were poor, illiterate, and from the jungles. They obeyed the central power without question and were praised as model citizens. The second class consisted of city dwellers, mostly well-educated, who had not fought for the Khmer Rouge. These people were denounced as parasites who did not deserve to live. My family and I belonged to this second group. Both my parents are of Chinese-Cambodian heritage, and before the war, my father was a teacher and my mother was a merchant. In 1979, we escaped from Cambodia to Thailand, seeking asylum provided by humanitarian organizations. I was only 3 years old when we arrived in America in 1981. My family and I were extremely fortunate to escape the genocide that claimed approximately 3 million lives through torture, murder, or detention/work camps.
InfiniteLi, my brand, aims to be inclusive and representative of all religions, cultures, and ideas for that exact reason. We’ve all felt like outsiders and experienced discrimination at different times in our lives. Although I consider myself spiritual and not bound to any specific religious doctrine, I also believe that one person’s belief does not negate another’s and that everyone should be represented and allowed to express and celebrate what they feel in their hearts.
This is why I have included symbols from Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, and Muslim traditions in my yoga mat designs and other products. Allowing for different expressions helps us learn from each other; insisting that everyone must agree and think the same way leads to authoritarianism and eventually genocide, which makes it essential for us all to agree to disagree. Humbly, in my opinion, the majority of ideologies try to teach us the same fundamental truths about living a harmonious life – which we all want.
Any highlights or other comments you’d like to share?
As someone who has been an artist for my entire life, I have always loved the creative process of drawing and painting with oil, brush, and canvas. But as much as I adore the physical act of creating an artwork, I also understand how challenging and time-consuming it is to create a painting. However, with the help of AI technology, I have become a much more productive graphic designer without the expense or workforce normally required to do so. As a result of that convenience, I want to give back and make life easier for others too. To achieve this, I have decided that half of my Zazzle earnings from all AI artwork will go towards funding people and projects on Kiva.org, a non-profit organization that helps provide financial access to underserved communities in developing countries by allowing people from all over the world to lend money through crowdfunding. As Kiva’s website states, these loans are not donations, but instead create a partnership of mutual respect and dignity. A Kiva loan can enable someone to pay tuition fees, get emergency care, or start their own business. When one person is lifted up through a Kiva loan by growing their business and creating opportunities for themselves, it creates opportunities for others too. This ripple effect can shape the future not only of an individual but an entire community. As a refugee, having experienced firsthand the life-changing kindness of others and the efficiency of AI technology allowing me to be that much more expedient in my creative process, donating to Kiva allows me to pay back by paying forward to underserved/poorly represented communities. Even though technically these are considered to be loans, the intention is to continue to circulate recouped loan payments back into the platform.
The theme for AAPI Heritage Month in 2023
The theme for AAPI Heritage Month 2023 is “Honoring Our Roots, Empowering Our Future.” This theme recognizes the importance of acknowledging the rich heritage of AAPI communities, while also empowering them to shape their own futures.
In light of recent events, this theme also highlights the need to support and uplift AAPI communities, particularly in the face of discrimination and violence. By honoring their roots, AAPI communities can draw strength and inspiration to build a better future for themselves and future generations.
As Zazzle celebrates AAPI Heritage Month, let’s take time to appreciate the diversity and unique contributions of AAPI communities. Let’s continue to support AAPI creators and businesses, and work together to build a future that empowers and uplifts these communities. At Zazzle, we are proud to stand with the AAPI community and celebrate their heritage and accomplishments.
Zazzle Ideas hosts a wide range of content experts, contributing knowledge & inspiration around current events. Learn more about what our writers have to say, exclusively here on Zazzle Ideas.
