I tried to write poems in rhyme. I tried writing songs. Sometimes I jotted down a thought. I would keep a log of spontaneous thoughts.

I think there are things I can't write in English that I wish I could write in Khmer.

I am a community social psychologist and a lot of my work deals with social work and helping people overcoming addiction and trauma.

I met Mary [Hamill] in New York at my exhibition and when I told her about my oral history project she asked, "Would it be possible to incorporate visual art?" My sister stitches pillowcases, which led to Mary suggesting using cyanotype on them. I originally thought of the idea of pillowcases because when people get married, they have the bride and the groom lay their hands on each other's pillows while their relatives tie ribbons on their wrists. And then on the bed you usually have two pillows - one for yourself and one for your loved one - so when one is gone, one pillow remains.

I'm very connected to the story, the history, and the trauma people experience.

It's really hard when you read literature in a language that's not your own. There are all these cultural references you have to be born into that particular language to get.

You have to experiment with different mediums and things around you [making art].