Dichotomy Project

Dichotomy is defined as “a division or contrast between two things that are, or are represented as being, opposed or entirely different.” But for me, it represents balance, tension, and growth.

I’ve always carried multitudes of interests that often feel in dissonance with each other. As someone still growing into themselves, these contrasts can be confusing — it sometimes feels like I’m being pulled in opposing directions. Yet I’ve come to believe that duality is the foundation of life. Nothing is ever purely black or white; meaning exists in the gray.

This project was born from the realization that two or more things can differ and still coexist — and that both can be true. I’ve always been drawn to the word “dichotomy” because my very identity is one. My mother is Vietnamese, and my father is African American: two distinct cultures blended into one. That mix has shaped how I see the world, and why I’ve never felt grounded in just one space — because I am not just one thing.

As I’ve grown older, I’ve seen this same tension play out in other aspects of my life. I’ve studied biomedical sciences, staying up memorizing pathways and formulas, yet I chase creativity through the pursuit of writing, journaling, and storytelling. I crave the stability of home and routine, yet I’m always moving towards embracing the unknown and traversing the world through travel. I’ve worked late nights in nightlife, serving drinks until 2 AM, only to wake up a few hours later to lace up my shoes and train for long runs. 

For a long time, these contradictions made me feel scattered, as if I had to choose only one path and abandon the rest. But the more I reflect, I see that these opposites don’t cancel each other out — they create depth and shape me. They make me layered, giving texture to my story. 

You’ve probably heard the phrase, “a jack of all trades is a master of none.” What’s often left out is the full line: “a jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one.” Embracing multiple passions is never a weakness — it’s the very thing that allows us to live fully. It is everything I am striving for in life, and what I hope this space will soon emulate. 

For a long time, I thought my contradictions were flaws. Now, I see them as my truth. Life isn’t either/or — it’s both/and. The tension is what creates meaning. 

That’s why I started the Dichotomy Project.

This is a space to explore intersections: where ambition meets burnout, where travel meets stillness, where creativity meets discipline, where identity is not either/or but something in between. It’s both a personal blog and a professional portfolio. A place to share my reflections on travel, mental health, fashion, and creativity — and a platform to showcase my writing voice as I move toward a career in publishing, copywriting, and medical sales.

I’m launching the Dichotomy Project now because I’m standing at the threshold of change — finishing my degree, preparing for a new career, and dreaming of moving to Europe. I wanted a space big enough to hold the multitudes of it all: the messy process of growth, the stories of travel and self-discovery, and the writing that one day will shape my professional future.

What you’ll find here won’t be perfection. It won’t be polished “answers” to life’s big questions. Instead, it will be messy explorations: essays, reflections, stories, and projects that document what it means to live in the gray.

I do not know exactly what this project will grow into — and that’s the point. It will shift and evolve just as I do. What I can always promise is honesty: not always polished, not always pretty, but always real. There will be stories of travel and reflections on mental health, essays on creativity and identity, and glimpses of both the small escapes and the bigger dream of moving to Europe. I’ll reflect on the challenges of balance: between work and life, ambition and rest, solitude and connection. Some pieces will be deeply personal, others more practical, but all will be fragments of the same journey — an exploration of how contradictions shape a life lived in contrast.

This isn’t just a blog. It’s a project — an ongoing attempt to capture what it means to hold multiple truths at once. It’s a living, breathing entity that will change and mutate just as we do as humans.

This is the basis of my story, but I hope that it becomes more than that — a place where others can see themselves reflected, where it grows into the story of us. 

If you’ve ever felt suspended between worlds — between cultures, passions, or even versions of yourself — I hope you’ll feel at home here. Contradictions don’t divide us; they expand us.  This space begins with my story, but it isn’t meant to end there. 

Welcome to the Dichotomy Project — the beginning of something I’d be grateful to have you alongside for as it unfolds.