Q & A with Chae

1. What is it that you do at Éli Alexander Salon?

Though I’ve been a friend of the salon for over 20 years, I’ll now be welcoming you at the front desk. Ready, with a smile, to check you in or schedule an appointment .

2. What are you most passionate about?

Besides family, design, and space operatic speculative fiction with metaphysical philosophic undertones - lol… nothing sets my heart to racing like TRAVELING! Ever since I was 13 and my father sent me on my first study abroad program (Indonesia), I’ve been struck with wanderlust. I’m eager to replan my cancelled trip to visit the beautiful tribes of Papua New Guinea in Southeast Asia sometime soon.

3. What’s your favorite childhood memory?

I always love this question because it transports me right back. Waking up in my parents’ bed in San Francisco as a child, their indentations on either side of me while they’re downstairs making breakfast with the aroma wafting in, morning light spilling over my face like warm golden honey, and the wistful distant hum of a plane flying overhead (to this day one of my favorite sounds) - but the memory itself is an embodiment of comfort, happiness, and love.

4. Describe yourself in five words.

Your Thoughts Create Your Reality, my guiding life principle (or “I want the whole world,” - Veruca Salt, in Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory, depending on my mood)

5. Which actor/actress do you most identify with?

Hmmm… One that stands out is Issa Rae. She comes from a diverse household, also went to Stanford University, and her HBO hit ‘Insecure’ is based on her web-series ‘Mis-Adventures of An Awkward Black Girl’ which depicts a semi-autobiographical contemporary life full of humorous situations (with me identifying with my own foray into the entertainment industry.)

6. What are your aspirations in life?

To enjoy my family as much as possible, to explore as much of the world as possible, and to start my own design firm crafting immersive experiences (themed boutique hotels, interactive fine art across media platforms, and stylized residential/commercial spaces)