Maya Hsu: Art for Good
A senior at OHS, Maya Hsu has started an organization that strives to bring joy into the lives of pediatric hospital patients through art. Fatima Rahim (contributor and Social Editor) learns more about Maya's noble cause.
Pixel Journal: What exactly do you do?
Maya Hsu: I draw Disney and Pixar characters for kids and teens in hospitals and clinics, sometimes upon request. The best is when they can have their absolute favorite movie or TV character, because they’re familiar and comforting and kind of like friends.
So far, they’ve mostly been for kids with cancer, though I’d like to send my art to kids with other challenges too, like mental illnesses. In the future I’d also like to send origami decorations like butterflies to weave around walls, like I have in my room. I think it's just so nice to see color and art and familiar faces in unexpected places.
PJ: What is the goal of your organization?
MH: My ultimate goal is to brighten hospital and clinic walls, and make kids feel less alone and scared while receiving treatment. I think it’s so unfair how much some kids have to face, and I’d like to think that they can feel comforted and less alone when times are hard if they have a picture of their favorite movie character to keep them company.
I’d like to continue drawing and sending pictures in college, and forever afterwards. I’d also like to involve other artists around the world. I want artists from everywhere to make colorful pictures or crafts for hospitals and for the kids who have to spend so much time in them. That’s why I call my project Community Crafts, because I want it to be a community thing where anyone can get involved and contribute.
PJ: What inspired you to start it?
MH: I’ve always enjoyed art and crafty things. I used to be really into origami in middle school. I’d fold all kinds of pieces, like slithering snakes and flower bouquets and often times I’d give them away to my parents and grandparents as gifts. They always seemed to like them, which was really nice of them, because some of them were quite bad. I think that’s when I started to get the idea of giving art away. After my origami phase ended and I started drawing, I’d make pictures for my friends and family from their favorite movies, and sometimes add a line that their favorite character said, and it just kind of grew from there.
PJ: What motivates you to keep doing it?
MH: My first project was through an organization called Family Reach where they gave me names and addresses of four children across the US with cancer. I sent them each a drawing and a letter, and they actually responded which was super cool. Their parents sent emails and pictures of their kids holding the drawings and one 6 year old girl even wrote me to say thank you and tell me about her story. I was really inspired by the strength the kids had, and moved by how much they appreciated the pictures. After that I worked with a few other organizations and hospitals, and recently volunteered at the Ronald McDonald house to serve lunch and meet some of the families. It was so much fun and I got some drawing requests from some of the children there, which I’m currently working on. I’m motivated by how excited the kids get when they see my drawings and the idea that their time in treatment will be a little brighter and comforting.
PJ: Do you have any stories or experiences with your organization that you’d like to share?
MH: Aside from my amazing experience with Family Reach, I’ve also had the incredible opportunity to collaborate with a childhood cancer organization through a fellow OHS'er (Shannon Madden). She’s president of the organization, called Angel34, and I drew 30 pictures for 30 teens heading into treatment this year. It was really cool to get connected to a community across the nation, which is my dream for Community Crafts— to connect all over the world.
To learn more, please visit the Community Crafts Facebook page, or email Maya at: mayascommunitycrafts@gmail.com