ARTIST PROFILE:
ALICE KUO SHIPPEE
FAST FAVES RIGHT NOW:
City: Copenhagen, Denmark
Smell: fresh coffee
Music: Khruangbin
Dessert: Mexican wedding cookies
Podcast: Family Secrets, Stuff You Should Know, This American Life, In Our Own Backyard
Weather: hot, windy, balmy summer nights
Souvenir: vinyl city stickers for our suitcases
Item of Clothing: muslin shirts from Aerie
BODY OF WORK
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TEXT & IMAGE
My favorite combo. Enjoy some words accompanied with photography. I like to tell stories with both.
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AKS DESIGN
Photography, graphic design, websites, & branding
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EDUCATION
With over 40 years of experience in multiple educational settings, Alice is a seasoned teacher & curriculum designer who is known for her connection with students & her creative ways of bringing all types of subjects to life.
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THE PV POLARIS
Supporting diversity, equity, & inclusion & student perspectives & self-expression in the Palos Verdes Peninsula School District.
ALICE in this moment
How would you describe this moment in your life right now?
Renewed! Traveling to Norway & Denmark this summer completely flipped a switch in my head! I hadn’t been to Europe in over twenty years, & the last time we went, I was in my late 20’s. Everything is just fun in your 20’s. I wasn’t married yet, & I didn’t have kids yet, so my thoughts about Europe were just that it was beautiful & exciting. But this trip was different; I saw it through the eyes of being a mother in particular. It was about the lifestyle & a society’s choices that affect families, schooling, & relationships. I realized that culture isn’t just a way of doing, it’s a way of thinking, & therefore a way of being.
I didn’t feel particularly enamoured of Scandinavian culture prior to going; we went because my dad loves Scandi stuff, & we were celebrating his 80th birthday. And after only 24 hours in Copenhagen, I was like, “Ohhhhh, I get it now.” Being somewhere new that was full of gorgeous design, delicious food, history & modernity, style & sustainability really tickled my brain in ways it hasn’t been tickled in years.
What phase of life are you in, & how do you think your age affects your thoughts, your feelings, your decisions?
Our oldest is applying to colleges now, & I’ve spent a lot of time reflecting back on who I was at her age. I’m looking for information, affirmation, confirmation that being 18 wasn’t as fraught a time as I remember. I’m trying to figure out how I can be the best mom to her at this moment. I dug out some old letters and journals from that era of my life, & I realized it was a fraught time for me, but I had a lot of growing up to do. And maybe it’s not as fraught for her, or not in the same ways, & she has a long life ahead of her as an artist and a human, & that is normal. I just have to be present now to enjoy her before she flies the nest.
What’s the last thing you thought of before you went to bed last night?
Why did I have that coffee so late?
The first thing you thought of upon waking this morning?
Where is my coffee?
What have you been working on / playing with / scheming this last week?
MAGENTA MAGAZINE! I had a long overdue brunch date with a friend, a mentor, a muse, a confidante, & soul sister, Anjale, & it was a nice, long meal with food & drink & lingering, which is exactly what I’ve been craving since Europe. And the next day, I was like, “I’m going to launch a magazine.” I was able to do it in seven days, because 1) my husband is out of town, 2) I felt compelled, & 3) “launched in whatever state it’s in” is the point; it will always be a work in progress. We can only ever truly share this moment with others, so just let it be in the world as a constantly growing, changing thing. I really want it to come from the deep instinct to create, & for it to be a place where we add, delete, edit, & revise–not where we need perfection & completion.
If you were to use only three words to describe your current creations, what would they be?
Personal, free, & shared
What early experience or influence on you is still very much alive for you today in your way of living or in your work?
My dad is a thinker, & my mom is a do-er. And I’ve always felt they were both artists at heart. I feel like I have both in me, & I’m best when I can do what I’m thinking about. I really want to manifest, make something out of nothing. I love making the invisible visible. I love when ideas are in action.
What is something you’re trying to let go of right now, & how is that going?
Stuff. I hoard so many things for so many projects that I just will never have the time to get to no matter how long I live. But I’d rather take my time creating than dealing with our garage, so it’s going very slowly.
What is something people would be surprised to learn about you?
I can be very introverted. In social situations, I can turn on the extrovert, but it can wear me out. I watched how my parents functioned in their very public roles, so I’ve learned from the best, but I do love being in my house alone to focus on my projects. When I get together with people, I always enjoy the deeper conversations most.
FIND ALICE @
INSTAGRAM
@alice_in_mamaland
DM to contact
(310) 699-7756
kuophoto@mac.com