Lind Nguyen

Activist, Project manager, Scientist

- Leader of the Communications Team in Vietnam Summer School in Development (VSSD) 2021 - President in HUS Media, Hanoi University of Science, Vietnam National University - Head of Communications Department in HUS Chemistry Club, Hanoi University of Science, Vietnam National University - Organizer of Vietnam School of Development - Media & Communication in Winter School in Sustainable Development (WSSD) 2020 - Freelance Designer

I’m passionate about being an artist. Even though “artist” is just a title, though it may be an earned one. More so, I am very passionate about creativity, using my imagination, being inspired and inspiring others if possible in the process. Life is a wandering path sometimes, but creativity will bring you so much more than the normal day to day of almost anything else you could do. More importantly, I enjoy art because it generates powerful messages or sentiments. Every time you create something you have the unique persecutive of seeing the inner you. Your originality is at your fingertips. I don’t want or wish for my life to be boring or regimented, for it to lack the freedom of thought, or to simply be a part of society. I want my life to be abundant; creatively, mindfully, spiritually, financially, charitably, healthily, happily, truthfully, knowledgeably, worldly, as humanly as possible. I live an artful life and I’m passionate about it.

“Your spark isn’t your purpose. That last box fills in when you’re ready to come live,” While we all want to discover and live a purposeful life, we mostly live a scripted life influenced by society and chasing a dream of happiness that rarely materializes. Most of us are not really “living” – we are just existing. So the truth is life is not solely about finding a purpose, but discovering the little things that make life worth living.

Communication, Pharmaceutical Chemistry

All my academic life I’ve loved Chemistry and Art, but everyone told me Art didn’t pay, so I went for Pharmaceutical Chemistry with the hope that I still can become an designer and illustrator as secondary employment someday in the future. Many says to me it is impossible, it is like traveling in two boats at same time. I know that most people say “do what you love” but when what you love becomes your major and work then your love for it can fade. Not always, but it can. So despite the initial interest in Chemistry, it got hard very fast and I noticed that I was spending more time doodling in my notepads and less time studying. I managed to finish the course, but by then I already hated my major, didn’t want to pursue a career in this field, and I didn’t like teaching all that much either, so I simply think "Will it be worth shifting to Graphic Design from Pharmaceutical Chemistry?" or maybe while I'm passionate about art it’s tarnished by the stress of study and work. How to determine if I will be successful with this change? But then I relised that no major can give you surety that you'll success in your life. If you love your major then you will successfully achieve your goals. When you recognize "passion" as not a noun but an adverb that you work "passionately", it will no longer be a specific job but a way of doing everything. Only then you will realise if you are truly passionate about what you are doing or not. Because "passion" will come when you are not looking for it, but when you work hard and devote yourself. Follow your heart, but be smart about it. Instead of doing what you love as work find something that brings joy and pride and challenges you. I think having something that challenges your mind is the most rewarding. Something that won't get stagnant. So that will leave you enough time and ability to do what you love in your free time. And if you're bold and willing to try, there are ways to combine the two. You just need to find a niche that allows you to work by combining the two interests. Also, arts and science are very related. Mary Corse, a very important artist of the Light and Space movement, returned to school to study physics, to incorporate light boxes into her art (go look at her incredible work on Artsy dot net). Marion Lane, a Venice artist represented by Launch Gallery and known for her unique happy work in acrylic, has a degree in Math from USC. Melvin Sokolosky, a very important fashion photographer, landed on Vogue's doorstep (and his early bubble in Paris for Haute Couture is major) because of his love of photography and his addiction to Scientific American magazine. Helen Storey, a British fashion designer nominated twice for British Designer of The Year, is now a professor of fashion science at the University of Arts, London, working on textiles with nanotechnology that actually purify the air. Nobody else can tell you who you are and what you love. Try to explore your mind to find what such work there exists that you would do only for the joy of it, demanding no return (though we are all happy if you get some). Trust me, there is only one such work and none other. So to conclude, your decision is beyond logic and even prophecies. No matter who or what guides you, you are aware of the answer. Try to discover it!

Because of my major, people don't know I'm good at Literature. Literature is the closest any of us will ever come to actually being inside another person’s experience of the world. It captures a moment in time much like a photograph does an image, but there’s life and vitality there that cannot be found in a picture because there are characters that live within the cover, that live within places which color their lives, that struggle with problems that can mirror my own or force me to see how others face their challenges. Literature draws from humanity and provides a means for me to find my own.