The Impermanence of Thoughts: TALKING SHIFT with Lynn Chen (Actress, Filmmaker, and Blogger)
Her best tip on self-love, how to make your own karaoke bar, the best books on her shelf, and more in our reinvigorated profile series, TALKING SHIFT
Hi friends —
Back when WANT first began, I featured someone at least once a month on the site in a series we called WANT Women. The online editorial landscape has changed a lot since WANT launched in 2015, and even more since I first began writing on the internet in the early 2000s.
Blogging and online journalism back in those days have been referred to as “the wild wild west.” But I like to think back on that time period as more of an “anything goes” landscape. The wild wild west was violent. People played dirty. It’s not like that wasn’t happening…but overall, the early blogging community was The actual Good Place.
It was kind. Supportive. Grainy-photo’d-sans-judgement. People would host giveaways and share about things they loved and it didn’t occur to most of us that maybe there should be some rules and restrictions around this (the FTC cracked down on that in 2010). You could find your people, and they could find you — and you could all hang out in the comments sections and really get to know one another.
People still want to find their people online in 2024. And for the most part, I get the sense that the majority of us share with good intentions. CONNECTION was, and still is, at the core of why we read people’s work online — and why we write our own as well.
I realized a few months back that while I love (love!) writing and researching, there’s something I really miss about the old WANT format and the “Anything Goes” days of blogging: the unbridled hyping-up of other people doing amazing things, in a way that feels fun, fresh, and free.
So in the spirit of community — and of 2009 blogging — I’m bringing it back!
INTRODUCING: TALKING SHIFT
TALKING SHIFT is our new interview series on WANT, connecting you with artists, activists, founders, CEOs, and all-around badasses who inspire me to make shift happen in my life — and who I think will inspire you to do the same.
In this installment of TALKING SHIFT, I’m so excited to introduce you to !!!
Lynn is an actress, filmmaker, and blogger. She’s also one of my long-time blogging friends from back in 2009, and a WANT cheerleader since its earliest days.
You might know Lynn from her Substack publications,
(for those who still don’t know what they want to be when they grow up, even if they’re over the age of 40) and (a newsletter recommending Asian/Asian-American films, music, writing, and other inspiration).Or you might know her as Dr. Michelle Lin on Grey’s Anatomy. You might know her from her audiobook narration of Crazy Rich Asians, or her role as Vivian in the cult classic Saving Face.
(And if you were at the WANT YOUR SELF Los Angeles launch party, you know her as one of the best moderators ever. This is not bias, it’s simply fact.)
Now, I’m so excited to be featuring her here on WANT’s new series, so you’ll know her as a friend.
For this new TALKING SHIFT series, I’ve chosen a “24 Questions With” format style, just like my favorite features in the magazines I’d read as a teen. And to keep you reading, maybe I’ll add in a vintage photo from Ye Olde Blogging Days...
Here’s Lynn…
TALKING SHIFT: 24 Questions with Lynn Chen
Name: Lynn Chen
How you’d know me (occupation or role): Actress, Filmmaker, Blogger
What I love about myself (and why): I make things happen, even if it’s not happening “perfectly.”
What is your definition of “positivity?” Gentleness and care when dealing with less-than ideal situations.
When did you start to love yourself - did you have a self-love “turning point?” I think it was when I fell in love with my partner, who I met in 1997. I learned what a healthy relationship looked like and I applied a lot of those lessons to my relationship with myself.
How/where negative talk shows up in my life: Usually when I’m continually getting rejected and find out someone I know personally got what I wanted. This happens quite often. It’s gotten easier over the years, but I’ve had to re-examine the voice that is screaming unhelpful comparisons. I hate feeling jealous, it’s one of my least favorite emotions, and I have a lot of negative talk come up about being a jealous person, too. Vicious cycle!
When I talk negatively about myself, it’s usually... …when I feel uninspired and unmotivated.
It baffles me that people still... …wear dirty shoes indoors, and especially on beds and couches!!! ESPECIALLY AFTER THE PANDEMIC!!!
I wish that more people... …took a deep breath and think before they react or speak (myself included).
My favorite way to shift a negative into a positive: I remember that we are all going to die, that it’s inevitable, and choose to appreciate this life I get to live right now.
My top role models: Nigella Lawson helped me when I was deep in my eating disorder and taught me how to cook. I’ve been rewatching her BBC series lately and I still think she’s incredible. I also love Michelle Obama — I just feel like the world is going to be okay whenever I hear her speak or read her books. As an actress, I really admire Kathryn Hahn. She makes wonderful, interesting choices and is always so fun to watch.
Favorite negativity-busting activity: Taking a little drive with my dog. We did this a lot during the pandemic. I also like to just wander drugstores by myself — not to buy anything, just to look and listen to the (usually) 80’s/90’s pop songs they always seem to be playing.
Fave self-love ritual: I try to get a massage every month. I’m never not in the mood to get one.
Favorite feel-good food(s): Plain roasted sweet potato. Especially purple Japanese ones.
Favorite movies/TV shows/social media to watch when I’m feeling down: Anything Muppets before the year 1985. Yoga with Adriene on YouTube for a little stretch break. Old Hitchcock movies (the ones in Tehcnicolor) are fun to get lost in too, when I’m needing an escape.
Favorite book(s) on my shelf: Peanuts and Calvin and Hobbes comic books from my childhood. A Dictionary of Color Combinations — a Japanese book about just that, beautiful color combos based on Sanza Wada’s work. My high school yearbook.
My feel-good song, artist, or playlist: Here is my Apple Music profile, where I make lists of all the music I’m discovering (and re-discovering) every year. But my all-time favorite song to make me happy is Nina Simone’s “My Baby Just Cares For Me.”
3 random things making my life better right now:
Karaoke marathons with my husband [Katie’s note: hot tip from Lynn is to use Apple Music Sing to DIY your own karaoke bar at home. BRILLIANT!]
Seeing movies during the day in a mostly- empty theater
Linda Barry’s book SYLLABUS.
Advice I would give my…
...4 year old self: Speak more Mandarin and (in a few years) learn to read/write it too.
...14 year-old self: Wear sunscreen.
...24 year old self: You don’t need to stretch the truth to make people like you. You’re enough. (But maybe stretch your body a little more...)
When I truly love all of myself... I want to dance down the street and sing, like Janet Jackson in her “When I Think of You” video. I’ve felt this way since I was ten and first saw it. (Later, I found out some scenes were staged by my husband’s Great Uncle, the choreographer Michael Kidd!!!)
Right now, I am most excited about... Cuddling with my dog on the couch and eating dinner.
Three words to describe me: Curious, Nostalgic, Comfortable
Current mantra: It’s not a mantra, but my word for 2024 is “perfume” - I’ve been wearing more of it and being conscious of my pulse points. I love that scent has the power to change your entire mood and environment — but also that it dissipates and fades — a great reminder that all the good/bad thoughts I’m constantly having aren’t forever.
Bio:
is an actress and filmmaker. Her directorial and screenwriting feature film debut “I Will Make You Mine” was an Official Selection of the 2020 SXSW Film Festival and is streaming everywhere. She has acted in movies (“Saving Face”) TV shows (“Grey’s Anatomy”) audiobooks (“Crazy Rich Asians”) and video games (“Call of Duty:Black Ops III & IV”). Lynn is the founder of two Substacks, and (a Substack 2023 Featured Publication). She is also the co- founder of the award-winning blog "Thick Dumpling Skin." Lynn has served on the Film Fatales Advisory Circle as well as the Board of Miry’s List. She is currently a Rideback Rise Circle member. Find Lynn on Substack at and , at lynnchen.com, and on Instagram @mslynnchen
This made me very happy ❤️❤️
Such a fun read!! I feel like I just got to have lunch with you two - what a nice boost ☺️