Today we’d like to introduce you to Ting Lin.
Hi Ting, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I am a corporate professional and a creative entrepreneur. By day, I work as an executive assistant to the chairman of a prominent law firm in DC. By night and weekend, I am a fashion consultant, singer-songwriter, and Zumba instructor. I am passionate about fashion, music, dance, and many other types of creative mediums.
My journey started with music and dance in Southern China. I was taking classical piano lessons and ballet classes at four years old. Then when I got to high school in Southern California, I took up vocal lessons. When it came time to decide on a major in college, I chose fashion design. When I graduated college, I felt like I must go to New York, the fashion capital of the world, to pursue fashion. After working in fashion retail for some time, I decided to go into corporate and started working as an EA for executives in home textile and wholesale fashion companies. I got to understand the whole operation of a creative business from an idea to having a product on the shelf.
After that, I moved to DC to work in the legal area of the creative business involving trademarks, copyrights, regulations, and other issues. I also started my fashion consulting business where I help people develop their signature styles, organize their closets, get their clothing shopping done, and look their best at photoshoots. Aside from that, I have grown as a musician and have released multiple originals in different genres, and languages, and about different important social issues. Zumba is my most recent undertaking. I have been teaching and connecting with people from all around the world through fitness and dance.
I would say that I have had a pretty interesting career path and life journey. And the future is yet to be written.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has definitely not been a smooth road. There are many different kinds of challenges and struggles.
There is the cultural challenge where I constantly have to battle between Chinese and American cultures. The Chinese culture is all about conforming to peer, parental, and societal pressure and the American culture is all about individualism and self-expression. Both affect not only my career decisions but life ones as well. I really try to take the best of both worlds and stay true to myself.
There is also the economic challenge. As much as I would love to be a full-time creative, I have yet to find a way to sustain myself with just that. That’s why I rely on the corporate job to provide the security and means to support my own businesses.
Another obstacle is that my time, energy, and effort are somewhat limited, so after my day job, I can only do so much for my other ventures. I wish I can dedicate everything to pursuing my passion. The way it is, I don’t really have time off because I have jumped from one thing to another.
Lastly, I think our society is still a pretty harsh place for creatives, artists, small business owners, and entrepreneurs. There’s still a lack of resources, funding, mentorship, and opportunities for them, on top of the lack of support from families, friends, and social networks as well.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
For fashion, I specialize in consulting while I do some designing and modeling as well. As a fashion consultant, I treat my clients as friends and unique individuals. I get to know them, establish trust, understand their needs, and make our experiences together enjoyable. To me, styling is more than just about clothes.
I help my clients develop healthy self-images, positive attitudes, and a better understanding of their relationship with fashion. I provide tools that my clients can hold onto so that eventually they can style themselves well. I want my clients to use fashion to express themselves, boost their confidence, and conquer the world. I am honored to have been featured in DCist, Voice of America, Washington City Paper, and Washingtonian Magazine.
For music, I am a singer-songwriter. I have written songs in English, Cantonese, Mandarin, and Spanish. I like to promote cultural diversity through my music. I also like to experiment with different genres: Pop, Latin, Hip Hop, Rap, RnB, Electronic, etc. I want to bring something different to the music industry. I want to talk about important social issues or share my personal experiences to inspire action and change.
I have gotten the amazing opportunity to sing the National Anthem for The Washington Wizards, to be nominated for the Wammie Awards, to have my songs played on the WERA 96.7 FM radio, to perform at the #RockAgainstHate concert hosted by The Slants Foundation and for the National Museum of Women In The Arts, to have won a Telly Award!
So maybe we end by discussing what matters most to you and why.
To explore my potential and live life to the fullest so that I can help others do the same. I have heard too many stories and seen firsthand how reality crushes people’s dreams.
Most are weighed down by responsibilities, stress, routines, and expectations. I want to encourage them to pursue their passion and live on their own terms.
I also want to fill the world with authenticity, creativity, and artistry as I think it will be a more pleasant place for all of us to live in.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.tinglinfashion.com/, https://www.tinglinmusic.com/
- Instagram: @thetingtimes, @tinglinfashion, @tinglinmusic
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thetingtimes, https://www.facebook.com/tinglinfashion, https://www.facebook.com/tinglinmusic
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/thetingtimes
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheTingTimes
- Other: https://tinglinmusic.bandcamp.com/
Image Credits
Nick Moreland & Robert Golightly
