bean pastes

Humble beginnings

Since high school, I’ve harbored a dream of one day vending in the Artist Alley, much like my artist hero/ines. I longed to share my art with other people, and for them to acknowledge, accept, and celebrate my work. It’s a tangible way of leaving my legacy in this world, long after I’m gone. (Not to get morbid…)

One day, I decided to stop dreaming and go for it. Thus, in May 2023, I started selling my stickers as BEAN PASTES at the UW Spring Makers’ Fair, where I first learned the ropes for customer service, business transactions, and social media marketing. Above all, I nurtured relationships with fellow art vendors, seeing one another not as competition but as collaborators with a similar goal of making ends meet. We’re struggling but we love art!

Since then, BEAN PASTES has taken me as far as Japan where I sold my art prints, stickers, and commissions at Tokyo International Deaf Art Festival (手話のまち) in November 2025. In late 2024, I was awarded the BIPOC Deaf Arts Grant of $1,000 to pursue making zines, starting with SOUND & SILENCE that debuted at Seattle Asian American Zine Fest. I can’t wait to see what the future holds in store for BEAN PASTES, and I’m determined to keep this journey going for as long as I’m alive, if only as a way to keep my creative outlet intact.

BEAN PASTES is active on Instagram: @beanpastes