About

Betsy Ming-Lai Lam is a multi-disciplinary visual artist, writer, and technologist. She identifies as a second-generation immigrant, biracial, queer woman.

Pulling from her experiences with trauma & recovery, motherhood and a prismatic identity, she creates drawings, paintings, stop-motion animations, and prose that explore a shifting self over space & time. She's curious about how recurring migrations from pain to solace can connect us to our core and to others. How do we navigate loss & discovery, and grief & joy? How does this spectrum of the human experience shape & reshape us? 

She studied art and journalism at The University of Iowa, and painting at The San Francisco Art Institute. She's exhibited artwork in Chicago, Iowa City, and San Francisco. Her artwork and writing has appeared in The Toast (selected by Roxane Gay), and The New York Times Bestseller Soul Pancake, edited by Rainn Wilson.

A self-taught, full-stack developer, Betsy has more than 15 years of web experience. She is the Associate Director of Development at Firebelly Design, where she builds beautiful sites alongside a team who's passionate about great design & social progress.

Betsy was a gymnast for fourteen years, competed collegiately, and still loves handstanding whenever & wherever possible. In her early 30s, she took up rock climbing - and it has taken her to beautiful places across the country and around the world. She lives in Chicago with her sweet & funny 10-year-old son and their small & curmudgeon 14-year-old pup, Mister Deuce. She has a healthy obsession with mayonnaise. 

Say hello: betsyrlam@gmail.com
Connect: Instagram,Substack,LinkedIn

Footnotes

1. She's indebted to the many co-workers from whom she learned along the way.↩