In this episode I interview the fourth guest on the show, Dan Moen. He is a musician, performer, photographer, graphic designer, and activist living in Detroit, Michigan. Dan also paints and draws primarily with acrylics with an impressionist style. With these skills, Dan utilizes them in many non-profits as well as his personal business, Dijuri Media. He is also the Brand and Content Coordinator for a non-profit called the Chaldean Community Foundation. Dan is a transcultural adoptee who was adopted from the Philippines at 8 months old. Growing up Dan had an internal struggle with the adoption and used this struggle in all his creations from music to art. Dan is deeply aware of and well-versed in discussing the intersectionality of the many aspects of identity, including being a transcultural adoptee, member of LBTQIA+ and BIPOC communities.
In this episode, we explore…
☆ His foundational creative roots of drawing and painting
☆ His passion and purpose to amplify the voices of adoptees
☆ His process of embracing and reclaiming his identity as a Filipino-American
☆ Shame in the adoptee experience
☆ How he utilizes music and visual art to process the complicated layers of his experience as a transcultural adoptee, as well as the other aspects of his identity
☆ How eras in history and styles of painting inspire him to share his memories through his creative expression
☆ The ways in which he processes the intersectionality of aspects of his identity
☆ His secret places in the woods that inspired him creatively during the pandemic
☆ The interactions between his visual art and music-making
☆ How he honors the ebbs and flows of his creative process
☆ The role of burnout and hustling as a creative professional, which led him into learning to set boundaries and limits
☆ His message around compensating and valuing creative professionals
☆ His journey to reuniting with his biological family and reconnecting with his birthmother, the emotions he navigated through, and special considerations he has to offer for other adoptees interested in reunion
☆ The wisdom he shares around learning to embrace all the parts of our identity, especially those that have been marginalized
☆ The power of continually asking “who am I?’
Recommended resources:
★ PBS documentary link
★ Claude Debussy, French Composer
★ On Spotify, search for “Dijuri” to hear his music
★ We are not minorities, we have been minoritized. We are not underrepresented, we have been historically excluded. Language matters. - @janelcabbage on Twitter
Connect with Dan: Are you interested in learning more about Dan and his work?
★ Instagram: @dijurimedia
★ Website: www.dijurimedia.com
★ Spotify: search Dijuri, to hear his music (also available on pandora and amazon)
★ View his art around being an adoptee: https://intercountryadopteevoices.com/tag/dan-r-moen/
Subscribe:
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This podcast is intended for educational and entertainment purposes only. Statements expressed in the podcast by the host or the guest are our own and do not represent that of our places of work, unless stated otherwise. Please seek out professionals in the mental health field if you need those services. This podcast also should not be used in any legal capacity whatsoever, including but not limited to establishing “standard of care” in a legal sense or as a basis for expert witness testimony.