I just watched a great video from F.D Signifier about Black wrestlers and he spoke about how people of color, in particular Black people, are only in the good graces of white companies until they aren’t. I immediately recalled how the only people laid off from my prior company in my department were women of color, myself included. Sad but not unsurprising.

I’ve been hard at work on my portfolio and have begun putting my Figma mocks together on Framer, which is UX/UI design platform speak for I’m getting closer and closer to being done. My main motivation? I want to get back to finishing editing my latest video while I submit for day jobs.

Historically, people of color who went into wrestling were often not allowed to be victors or be interesting characters, but instead were reduced to racial or ethnic stereotypes. For example, even the most talented and hardworking Black wrestlers, often who had more accomplished athletes or charismatic personalities than white counterparts, were relegated to lower tiers or forced to lose to predominantly white, star wrestlers. Wrestling might be fake but the echos of reality loom in their dramatic bouts.

Years ago when I was a professional actor in LA, I had an improv teacher who was a well known Japanese American comedian that I had watched on shows growing up. We talked candidly about racism in the industry and how my agent at the time suggested I drop my Japanese surname, as I could pass as “inoffensively ethnically ambiguous.” I told her there was no way in hell I would do that, thinking there would be some solidarity between us for “standing against the system.” She smiled kinda sadly and told me I was gonna have a harder career by doing that.

Maybe she was right, but for me to water down myself or appease an antiquated industry frankly wasn’t worth a career, which made me appreciate hearing the stories of Black wrestlers like Kofi Kingston, Big E, and Xavier Woods, who faced the long standing racial barriers in professional wrestling but frankly changed their industry by not following what their horrible boss (cough, McMahon) typically wanted, and instead gave something new and more humanly authentic that the audience ended up fully adoring.

I think something similar is why I’m working so hard on this portfolio and also my videos: to show something that is authentically me while showing how I care about quality and craft. I feel pride seeing my surname (or a representation of my surname/heritage) emblazoned on my work and showing in my words and art pieces.

I guess what I’m really saying is fuck the system. Be unapologeticly you. Make good work and make good art.