Artist, storyteller, and creative Alex Wong walks us through a case study of his latest project, Permission Parties, along with a vision defining exercise to help us see what we’re capable of creating.
A visionary morning of song, collaboration, and creativity, artist, storyteller, and creative Alex Wong takes us on a journey through the creative process and taking our visions from the realm of thought into the real world. Through his current mediums of music and food, Alex explored identity and his vision of the self. Feeling between cultures, this exploration led to the Permission Party, a multi sensory experience that served as an on ramp to his cultural memory, pairing songs on an album he created with a Chinese inspired dish as part of a six course meal. This is all started as a dream, an unencumbered by the “how”—this is where ur biggest ideas come from. We can often encounter barriers to manifesting our visions, and through this case study of his Permission Parties, Alex shares not only some of the most common ones, but ways that he breaks through them to the other side. With further thoughts on the power of collaboration from his wife and favorite collaborator/producer Leah Light, this talk gets us a little closer to executing our visions—for ideas in the real world are more powerful and valuable than when they’re stuck in our heads.
About the speaker
Alex Wong is a Latin GRAMMY-nominated artist, producer and activist who creates music to empower everyone, especially those on the margins, to take up space with their stories.
In 2021 Alex established The Quiet Voice non-profit, and in 2024 he received a Cultural Week of Action grant to create the Show Yourself Festival, activating marginalized communities to fight for change within and outside of the political system and normalizing BIPOC artist visibility to Nashville audiences. The Quiet Voice has raised over $27,000 for APA charities.
In 2023 he launched The Permission Parties, a multi-sensory experience where each track from his upcoming album Permission is paired with a Chinese-inspired dish that shares a common emotion.
“Growing up in the US as a second-generation Chinese American, I struggled to feel permission to take up space. Movies and media told me I was allowed to be a buddy, a punchline, or a decoration, but there was not enough space for my story in the center of the room. By sharing the emotions connecting my music, food, and identity, I hope to empower everyone, especially those on the margins, to feel permission to take up space with their stories.”
In 2024 Alex, along with fellow artist Vienna Teng, created the Multitudes Gathering, a 4 day music and social change festival/retreat in the Smoky mountains. It sold out in 38 minutes. Alex was also a 2024 Falcon Ridge Folk Festival emerging songwriter and a Kerrville NewFolk Finalist in 2024 and 2020.
His music has appeared in "The Last Song,” "The Lincoln Lawyer," "True Blood,” and "Ray Donovan,” He’s been a featured artist on NPR’s Mountain Stage, SXSW, 30A, AmericanaFest, and Musicians Corner, performed at Coachella, Stagecoach, Outside Lands, and produced albums for Delta Rae, Ari Hest, and Vienna Teng, among others.
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