Describe the most ambitious DIY project you’ve ever taken on.
Myself as a Project
The most ambitious DIY project I’ve ever undertaken wasn’t built with wood, nails, or power tools. It was built with reflection, discipline, and uncomfortable honesty. I decided to renovate myself.
There was no blueprint or inherited map that fit exactly. Instead, I became increasingly aware that many of my reflexes—how I managed leadership, attraction, conflict, praise, rejection—were ingrained long before I understood them. I started asking tough questions: Which parts of this are truly me? Which parts are conditioning? Which parts are fear hiding as confidence?
That’s when construction started.
Ego Has No Place Here!
One of the first principles I adopted was a rule I now live by: ‘ego has no place here.’ I repeat that to myself in rooms where status tries to speak louder than substance. I say it when I’m leading and when I’m learning. Especially when I’m wrong. Ego is heavy; it makes structures unstable. The more I stripped it away, the clearer my foundation became. I refocused on accountability, humility, respect, and receiving and enjoying the love and support I’ve been given. For me, my peace of mind is non-negotiable.
In leadership spaces, especially when facing resistance, I had to resist the urge to defend myself loudly. Instead, I focused on alignment. If I were building something meaningful, ego would have no place there either. Leadership shifted from control to stewardship, less about being seen, more about being effective. I also learned when to take a bow when things weren’t going well.
Beauty: In the Eyes or Mind?
In relationships, another renovation began. Attraction, perception, and vulnerability forced me to confront another truth I’ve come to believe deeply: ‘beauty is in the mind of the beholder.’ That phrase isn’t just about appearance. It’s about perspective. The way we interpret people says as much about us as it does about them. I had to learn that sometimes what I see is filtered through insecurity, expectation, or hope. To build something real, I had to clear the lens.
As a Scholar…
Academically, the project became even more ambitious. As a UCLA PhD student, I stopped merely absorbing theory and started questioning it. Thankfully, my professors have engaged me in meaningful discussions, offering ideas I might have overlooked or dismissed as unnecessary. I began constructing intellectual frameworks that reflect my own questions about art, power, culture, and performance. Thinking became another form of DIY work—disassembling inherited ideas and rebuilding them in ways that resonate with lived experience. I had never considered seascapes as a homeland for indigenous peoples until now. Realizing there’s more to learn and staying curious about others’ research encouraged me to talk about my own work too.
Ongoing Work
What makes this project ambitious is that it is never finished. There is no final reveal, no dramatic unveiling. Some days I discover a crack in the foundation—an old insecurity resurfacing, a defensive reaction, a moment of pride. Other days I notice growth I didn’t consciously measure.
DIY projects are risky because you’re both the architect and the worker. If something collapses, you can’t blame a contractor. But you also get to pick the design.
The most ambitious project I’ve ever undertaken is refusing to live inside a version of myself that I didn’t consciously create. I am still renovating. I suspect I always will be.
That’s totally fine.
Anyway, ego has no place in my life; only growth matters, and beauty, to me, is in the mind of the beholder.
