Regina Linke Helps Children Answer Existential Questions

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Dr. Stephanie J. Wong (0:37): Welcome to the Color Success Podcast. I'm your host, Doctor. Stephanie J. Wong. Many of us are feeling a wide range of emotions, sadness, anger, fear, sometimes hopelessness, and helplessness.

Dr. Stephanie J. Wong (0:51): This season, we will be exploring all the feelings and ways to empower each other to take action. So let's go. Game on.

Regina Linke (1:04): Regina Link is a Taiwanese American artist specializing in contemporary Chinese Gongbi painting, using both traditional ink and wash techniques and digital painting to create truly enchanting illustrations. Little Helper features the main character from her debut picture book, Big Enough, and her well loved inspirational book for adults, The Ox Herd Boy, Parables of Love, compassion, and community. After living in Taiwan, Regina moved to Rhode Island with her husband and young son who inspires her every day as a real life Oxford boy. Hi, Regina. Thank you so much for joining me on Color of Success today.

Unknown Speaker (1:46): Hi, Stephanie, it's good to see you.

Regina Linke (1:49): So exciting news is that and you sent me this beautiful book, Little Helper, and I'm wondering if we can talk a little bit more about it because the illustrations are gorgeous and this is a mental health podcast. So really talking about the value of community. What inspired you with this children's book?

Regina Linke (2:09): Sure. So the book that, Stephanie, you just hold up is a picture book called Little Helper, and it's illustrated in a traditional Chinese brush painting style called gongbi. And it's an original modern fable, but I'd say it reads kind of like a classic. I don't know if you would agree. And so basically, the story is about a young boy who has really clear ideas on how he wants to spend his day, but, there are a bunch of obstacles in his way because members of his community are concerned with challenges in their own lives.

Regina Linke (2:51): And so it's about how someone can find the right opportunity to, basically step in and help in some small way, in a manner that sets off a cascade of solutions, and ultimately, everyone ends up with a tidy ending and gets what they want.

Regina Linke (3:13): Absolutely, and I wanted to show one of my favorite pictures in here. Look at this cute face everyone! I know if you're watching this on YouTube. There's just so many wonderful things. There is a traditional aspect to it, of course, with the illustration, but it is a really relatable story.

Regina Linke (3:39): What do you think was key in terms of the different characters that you created to really take this boy through the journey of his day?

Regina Linke (3:51): So, the boy, the main protagonist in the story, really came from a previous, book of mine called The Oxford Boy, and he in that story represents one of the three harmonious teachings of traditional classical Chinese scholarship. And so he represents Taoism, and the ox who also appears in Little Helper is his friend, and the ox represents Buddhism, and then there's a rabbit who's more of a Confucian bent. And so all of these characters throughout different stories in The Oxford Boy, Big Enough, and now Little Helper present a way of looking at the world. And so for The Boy in Little Helper, it's about the Taoist philosophy of effortless action. So he comes across a lot of obstacles, but and he recognizes them as such, but he doesn't tackle them by himself head on.

Regina Linke (4:56): And instead, he bides his time. He accepts that there are things standing in his way and of his plans, but, in slowing down and observing what's going on around him, he's able to pinpoint that perfect opportunity for him to help his community in a way in which the community can ultimately help itself achieve all the things that they want to get done. And so the additional characters that appear in his community are his family members, his neighbors, and his friends. And it's just a way of conveying to a young audience as well as a grownup who's reading the book with them is just how interconnected our lives really are and what opportunities we have to help one another out.

Regina Linke (5:41): And I really wish I had something like Little Helper when I was a kid because I mean the story that I can parallel to is Caps for Sale and just that idea of distress tolerance. I mean obviously it's a slightly different approach and at the same time, why was it important for you to have this representation in children's books?

Regina Linke (6:08): I think that in a lot of ways, are perspectives on life that we accumulate, whether through our upbringing, through just our formal education, through school, through our peers, and now, you know, through social media and just the continuous connectivity that we face. I mean, we're constantly being influenced and consuming ideas at a constant rate. And for kids to be able to draw on a deeper and richer and more contemplative way of looking at the world can offer them an additional tool in that toolbox when they confront a particular life challenge or when they come to a particular life crosswords. I'm not saying that Little Helper or Chinese philosophy in general has all the solutions, but I feel like the more tools that kids have in their toolbox to have that kind of Eastern contemplative wisdom represented in the tools that they can use, ultimately can, open up a child's abilities to, face whatever it is they're going through in life.

Regina Linke (7:34): What are your thoughts on how to get this book as well as other books that have these different perspectives, or at least these variants of perspectives, to putting it in the hands of children that aren't necessarily exposed to Asian faces, for example?

Regina Linke (7:52): Yeah. I think this is where schools and libraries are such an important facet in kids' lives because teachers, educators, librarians, they are constantly on the lookout for material to expand a child's perspective and to and they have kind of that personal one on one relationship in a learning environment with all the kids in their schools, in their communities to best curate, books like Little Helper and any other, more thought provoking, more contemplative topics that would be relevant to that particular child. And so it's not a one size fits all thing. I think it takes a personal relationship to really understand, you know, is the right book that a child needs at this moment in time? And I think that, you know, schools, teachers, librarians play a big role in that.

Regina Linke (8:57): I think that parents definitely have a huge opportunity to influence how their kids see the world. And I feel like a lot of that responsibility is being surrendered to, you know, online media and to, especially as a kid grows older, to their peers who, I don't know, that, you know, they have the experience or the, you know, the lived wisdom to guide each other and shepherd each other through some of the difficulties and challenges that each one is facing. And so think that guardianship is a huge part of getting the right resources into the right hands.

Regina Linke (9:38): What are some thought questions that you would want teachers to ask children if they're reading this in the classroom or even librarians that are facilitating story time?

Regina Linke (9:48): Yeah, so for Little Helpla particularly, I think that the question of what it means to help someone is a really it's a really accessible question because, you know, kids starting from, you know, ages two to three want to help grown ups and want to have this, you know, sense of confidence that they can do all the things that they want to do. And I think especially in The States, there's this encouragement and this painting, an image of opportunity where like, oh, well, if you work hard and apply yourself, you can really achieve anything you want. At least that was the mantra when I was growing up in the '90s. And so this kind of like can do attitude, this assertiveness, is, I think, like a very Western perspective. But I think that that perspective can also do a lot of harm when someone has not actually looked at the landscape, understood the needs, understood the people who they are purporting to help.

Regina Linke (10:59): And there are also a lot of things, you know, actions taken with good intentions that ultimately did not pan out positively for the person and for the group of people. And so the question of how can you help is a very relevant topic to explore with kids. And then also, you know, like we were talking about before, you know, what is the appropriate way in which you can help someone? You know, in the story, Afua wants to do, the boy wants to do, like, all these things that, quite honestly, like, he's either, one, not actually able to do or, like, would be dangerous for him to do. And so it's about being honest about, like, where you are, your position, your role, what you're actually capable of, and finding the the appropriate opportunity to actually step in and take an action that does not ultimately create more problems down the road and actually creates more of a cycle of good.

Regina Linke (12:05): Well, and I'd like to learn a little bit more about your background. What led you to create these stories and be able to share them with other people?

Regina Linke (12:18): So I started writing and illustrating as kind of like a second career, so I didn't actually start taking painting lessons until I was like 35 or 36. That's inspiring. Yeah. So it's never too late to pick up another skill for sure. But my husband and I and our son, who was two at the time, we ended up moving to Taiwan.

Regina Linke (12:48): And when I was there, I took the opportunity of starting to take some painting lessons at local studios. And, my son by the time I started working on the Oxford Boy, my son was around four and asking a lot of life questions, not just about like, not just existential questions about like life and death and kind of what happens in that scenario, but also like very strange things like, oh, where's my reflection go when I walk away from a mirror? And like all these things that, you know, it forced me to reflect on like, what is the best way to actually like respond to some of these questions in ways, you know, like there are things that like I cannot explain necessarily very clearly to a four or five year old. And so I started combining the painting with some of these explorations and relying a little bit more on my Taiwanese, Chinese heritage upbringing and looking at what the classics, how they discuss these topics. And it was really a project and a way for me to introduce at least little by little these ideas and also this art form to a younger, probably more Western and modern audience.

Unknown Speaker (14:13): That's great. My husband's like, when my kids are older, but like, he was like, oh, what happens after death? It's like, nobody knows. Whereas you're writing books about it, so like more power to you.

Regina Linke (14:26): No, it was actually funny because it's like, tried to present kind of a religious smorgasbord, like, this is what these people say, this is what this person believes. And I found that like, it just wasn't comforting to him to realize that like nobody has, or nobody has like, has just come together to decide like, this is what it is. And so, yeah, I guess, like, creating these characters and having them talk to one another in a way that is, like, more kid friendly, like, was kind of like a balm to, like, help heal that part of how we discussed that conversation. So yeah, it was really funny because I thought I was comforting him by giving him like a lot of options and he was just not having it.

Regina Linke (15:20): Yeah, I think sometimes maybe this having a simple comment and leaving it there and then they get to think about it because my oldest is like, You know, I don't think I want to be reincarnated I'm in the exact same family, which is really sweet. At the same time, was like, you know, these things go through their minds and you don't necessarily think that they would, but as they grow up they are asking these existential questions like, why am I here? And not in a suicidal way or anything, but like, you know, just this wonderment. And I think even obviously adults still think that too. So that does pose questions and this facilitates conversation around these questions and it's good to have them around the dinner table.

Regina Linke (16:09): Yeah, yeah, I hope so. I mean, I think that at least like as an adult, a lot of the questions that pop up now kind of demand more concrete answers. Sometimes I feel like things can be explained like more or less like, it's this or that.

Unknown Speaker (16:36): Matter of fact.

Regina Linke (16:37): Yeah, yeah. And so to have an opportunity to explore it kind of more, in a more playful way, I guess, exploratory and like less, well, is how things are is nice as a grownup too. And to have that opportunity to do that with a younger kid is, I don't know, it really opens up the world.

Regina Linke (17:04): Well, and lastly, what message, and I hope that you play this back for him, but what message would you like for your son to really take in that you're trying to transmit to him?

Regina Linke (17:19): Yeah, so I guess it's just that with my son in particular, he's very cerebral, and he loves to rationalize and think things through very slowly and kind of consume things very slowly and have multiple conversations over it. And think that that's, like, I just want want him to keep doing that, you know, no matter how old he gets, to always be curious and to be open to, I guess, a lot of different answers, and that those answers might actually change depending on how he's approaching the question at different phases in life. I think that the fluidity in which we approach life's biggest questions is something that's often overlooked. We think, Oh, we have the answer once, and this is how it must always be. That can be, like, stifling in a lot of ways, and so I would encourage him at least to continue being open to new possibilities even when confronting the same issues over time.

Regina Linke (18:38): For We have a daughter now, and she's an international adoptee. And so for her, I think the message would be to explore her place wherever she finds herself. She's, you know, gone from, you know, one living situation to a completely different one. And so, I think for her, you know, life feels like it is more in flux and maybe just encouraging her to settle in where she feels comfortable and to find places where she feels safe, I think the message that I would hope to convey to her.

Regina Linke (19:26): Absolutely. Well, Regina, thank you so much and wonderful to see all of your success and then continue to root for all of your stories because these are very much needed.

Regina Linke (19:37): Oh, thank you so much, Stephanie. It was great to chat with you.

Dr. Stephanie J. Wong (19:41): Thank you.

Dr. Stephanie J. Wong (19:42): Thank you for listening. We would love for you to subscribe to the podcast and join our community on all our socials at colorsuccesspodcast.com. Looking forward to you checking out my memoir, Cancel the Realities of a Psychologist, Podcaster, and Working Mother of Color on Amazon and wherever books are sold. I'd love to hear your cancel the filter moments.