Michelle Law: Shapes and Sounds Interview #5

Each month, Shapes and Sounds chats with a prominent Asian Australian doing great things in the world. We ask the same three questions to everyone, regardless of their background or field of work, but every month, something new and exciting emerges.

The reason why we ask the same three questions over and over again, is to highlight the difference in our narratives. The Asian Australian community is comprised of different people, with different personalities, families and stories yet we are often fed to believe that there are only a few different personas that we “should” fit into.

I hope that these interviews help to shed some light on Asian representation and help us to work through feelings of internalised racism that make us feel like we’re “not Asian” if we don’t fit into a particular stereotype.

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When I began increasing the Asian representation in my life (read about why HERE), one of the things I did was to revamp my instagram to follow the people who made me feel inspired, strong and hopeful. One of those people right back in my early days, was Michelle Law.

For many years now, Michelle has been leading the way in promoting diversity and Asian representation across all different media platforms. There’s something extremely magical about people like Michelle who can share themselves and their stories with the world in a way that is clear and unapologetic. It’s an honour to share her interview below!

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1. Could you please tell us your name, age and what it is that you do?

My name is Michelle Law, I’m 30-years-old, and I’m a writer and actor. I work in print, theatre, film and TV.

I’ve been working professionally as a writer for around ten years now. I studied creative writing at university and went on to freelance for different publications before getting into screenwriting, and then playwriting. I’ve always acted but have only been pursuing it professionally for the last couple of years.

 2. What do you do to take care of your mental health and wellbeing?

I see a psychologist once a month for a checkup/maintenance, go to the gym three times a week, and am on a low dose of anti-anxiety medication. I resisted medication for a very long time, but now I find it balances me enough in order for me to effectively use CBT and ACT exercises*.

I also have a much better work-life balance than I once did. As a freelancer, especially one in the arts, you don’t get paid holidays or sick leave, so you’re essentially working 24/7, 365 days a week, and you don’t have set hours. I try to stick to a routine of working the same hours as anyone else with a full-time job: Monday to Friday, with Saturday and Sunday (or at least one of those days) being enforced weekends, unless I’m absolutely pressed for time.

 3. Can you think of one example that demonstrates how growing up Asian in Australia has impacted you?

Growing up Asian in Australia has impacted me in every aspect of my life, but one example is the friends you end up having. I was born and grew up on the Sunshine Coast, which is a very monocultural place – mostly white. Besides my family, and one of my best friends at school, there weren’t any Asian people in my daily life—around town, on TV, in books. I grew up very resistant to ‘Chinese-ness’ and Chinese people, because I’d been taught that we weren’t the norm; we weren’t Australian.

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve naturally gravitated towards other Asian Australian people and find comfort in not having to explain things, like what and how I eat, what hobbies I enjoy, and the languages I speak. It’s a relief. 

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You can find Michelle online via:
Website: michelle-law.com
Twitter: @ms_michellelaw
Instagram: @msmichellelaw

*CBT: Cognitive Behavioural Therapy which you can read more about HERE.
ACT: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy which you can read more about HERE.