Debbie Millman has an ongoing project at PRINT titled “What Matters.” This is an effort to understand the interior life of artists, designers, and creative thinkers. This facet of the project is a request of each invited respondent to answer ten identical questions and submit a nonprofessional photograph.
Phuong Nguyen is the managing director of client services at Minds + Assembly, a full-service, design-centric agency and commercialization platform focused on the healthcare sector.
What is the thing you like doing most in the world?
I love spending time with the people I love the most, eating our favorite meals together, or sitting around talking about anything and everything. I especially enjoy watching my two-year-old niece and five-year-old nephew. I continue to learn so much from them.
What is the first memory you have of being creative?
I remember my third-grade teacher having these folders with blank sheets of paper inside where we could take as many as we wanted to write stories. I was SO excited. At the time, I was still learning English, so I don’t know what I wrote or drew, but I remember the feeling it gave me. Looking back, I think this creative activity may have played a role in my learning English because the next year, I was no longer in ESL.
What is your biggest regret?
I don’t look at things as regrets, but rather as learning opportunities—so I try to appreciate the lesson that the universe needed to teach me at that time. Those lessons help me become stronger, smarter, kinder, and overall, a better person.
How have you gotten over heartbreak?
I think sometimes it’s okay to take the time to feel the pain, sadness, and anguish. We are human; we’re meant to feel and experience emotions. Understanding and feeling all of the “challenging” emotions has taught me to be more empathetic and more appreciative of the life I’m living.
What makes you cry?
The scene in the movie The Blind Side where Michael says he’s never had his own bed. My siblings tease me all of the time, but that scene really gets to me. Kids who are brought into this world in terrible situations and who are unprotected upsets me. On the flip side, when I’m trying to tell the people who are supportive of me and express their kindness that I love them, I can’t help but get emotional.
How long does the pride and joy of accomplishing something last for you?
It lasts forever. I replay certain moments in my head over and over again like the day I graduated and received an internship in NYC—to see how proud my parents were still sticks with me to this day. Another fond memory of mine is the day I made the decision to come to Minds + Assembly. That was truly based on a feeling I had, an intuition, and every day I’m grateful.
Do you believe in an afterlife, and if so, what does that look like to you?
I don’t know if I believe in an afterlife, but if there is one, I plan to come back and haunt specific people.
What do you hate most about yourself?
Ouch. I wouldn’t say HATE, but sometimes I’m hard on myself. I’ll ask, “Did you really have to do or say that?” or “Why are you so embarrassing?” I normally just do a love and kindness meditation after asking these questions, and I come to the realization to just be grateful for my flaws. They are gifts.
What do you love most about yourself?
I try to be appreciative of the life I have, the people around me, and the possibilities in front of me. My parents, aunts, and uncles were Vietnamese refugee immigrants who have done so much to make sure that their children could have more—and I try never to take that for granted. To be the best I can be for them, I aim to stay curious, be open, and be honest with who I am.
What is your absolute favorite meal?
My mom’s Vietnamese duck curry or really anything my mom cooks. She teased me once because apparently I’d say, “Wow ma, this is my favorite!” for almost every meal she’d cook.