When I lived on the continent, people had difficulty with how to pronounce my last name, Yamanaka. As all of us do who have “different” names, I got used to it. When I was in Iowa to attend college, when I ordered pizza and was asked for the name on the order, I’d respond, “Y-M-N-K, put an A after every letter.” I know Aynessazian is a whole other kind of mouthful, which I’ve been hearing about a lot over the few days. So my friends, Sherri and Brent, and I have put together a PSA, a Public Song Announcement to address this.
Before I share our PSA with you, you might ask, “What’s a public song announcement?” Well, while a standard PSA is informative and educational, and even motivating, a Public Song Announcement takes a much more creative approach to presenting information in a way that is musical, surprising and otherwise more likely to raise awareness. So…what’s my name again and how do I pronounce it? Take a listen and find out.
Creative and/or comedic approaches to advocacy and engagement is something I love to do to bring more light into the world. Creatives approach problems very differently than those who are stuck in their heads. Creatives have a lot of trust in the process vs. a high investment in controlling the outcome. I feel that being able to trust the process – which requires faith in oneself and in the unknown – is a critical skill to have today in being able to navigate the waters of change that we find ourselves in today.