~ Mumbai, India November 2013
I grew up in a well developed industrial city about an hour’s flight north of Beijing. Shenyang is a second tier city — there’s no port, no tourist attractions, so there aren’t many foreigners there. It’s very much a local culture where the traditions are similar from neighborhood to neighborhood, and family to family. People are generally more relaxed and feel more comfortable showing their face (being expressive of their emotions) than in a tier one city like Beijing, which is more formal.
Mine is a big family, we’re very close (parents, aunts, uncles, cousins and friends). Everyone gets along wonderfully, and we even live in the same community — actually, within arm’s reach of one another. So each night, we would enjoy dinner together, share our stories of the day, and enjoy the camaraderie. Leaving this homey, loving atmosphere to live and work in a foreign country was both daunting and exciting.
I’ve worked in the studio for just under 5 years, and it was my first job in the U.S. My background is in actuarial science, so not only America, but the business of branding, design and marketing was new to me. Initially, I thought of this as a job to carry me through. The preliminary proficiency process was challenging but more interesting than I could have imagined. Once I freed myself of the fetters of the more basic training, it became possible to try new things. I found myself making new discoveries and evolving all the time.
One of the most important responsibilities I have is receiving and disseminating information in the studio. I pay attention to and track all the details, providing clients, production partners, and designers with updates as they occur. I make certain that everybody knows what everybody else is doing. There’s nothing more knowledge quenching than immersing oneself in the details. It’s a little project management and a little bit gatekeeper. And a lot of communication.
I’ve been putting myself out there to do more and to help wherever I can — this is most rewarding.
I’m inspired every day I come to work, and better still, the studio is a familial environment. We take care of each other. It’s not just the work, we have a genuine affinity for one another. Like home, I spend most of my time here, am with people who sincerely enjoy one another’s company and care for each other, problem solve together, travel together (like a family), and we even dine together nearly every day.
It dawned on me while writing this, that what I originally thought of as a work place is really my family. Regina Rubino and Robert Louey are like our parents and take care of us, making sure we’re okay. When I left China, rather than leaving the comforts of my hearth, instead I expanded my family when I found my home in the studio. And of course, “There’s no place like home.”
~ Ningning Lu
~ Istanbul, Turkey November 2013
~ Borneo, Malaysia July 2014
~ Dandong, China October 2013
