In the quiet of her Georgia bedroom, a young woman’s fingers dance across her keyboard, uploading her latest musical creation to Spotify. Miles away, in the bustling heart of New York City, another woman carefully arranges art supplies on a picnic table at Columbus Park Playground, preparing for a community workshop. These scenes, though vastly different, share a common thread: the forging of community.

Across the United States, Asian American women are weaving intricate tapestries of connection, each thread representing a unique approach to building bonds. From the digital realm of social media to the physical spaces of urban neighborhoods, these women are proving that community knows no bounds. Their stories paint a vibrant picture of creativity, resilience, and the power of shared experiences.

Ritika Sharma: Harmonizing Online and Offline Communities Through Music

Ritika Sharma was 10 years old when she wrote her first song. It was through piano lessons that she developed a deep appreciation for composition and classical music at a young age. But Sharma was more interested in creating something of her own. 

“I would always show my teacher pieces I made instead of learning pieces,” Sharma said.

This creativity persisted throughout the years. When COVID hit during her senior year of high school, Sharma wrote a song a day — ”It was a practice I wanted to invest in, I knew it would pay off” — and was able to hone in on her production skills and the “craft of music.”  

Drawing inspiration from artists like Lizzie McAlpine and Billie Eilish, Sharma likes “creating atmospheres” in her music. She is deeply inspired by nature, but also just the “little things” in the world around her.

“I like writing about literally anything in front of me and turning it into something bigger,” Sharma said.

Sharma graduated from the University of Georgia earlier this year, and released her first self-produced song “For the Fish” during her sophomore year. She continues to release music online through Spotify and TikTok, but also in person through live performances around her college town of Athens.  

“I feel like it’s kind of cool, I have a separate physical and online community,” Sharma said. 

As a South Asian artist, she views her identity as both a strength — ”It’s cool being South Asian in this industry” — and a means of building community. 

“I’ll be scrolling [on TikTok] and I’ll see someone who’s South Asian and I’ll give them a listen because I want to support the culture and make sure that there is a community of South Asians making music,” Sharma said. “I used to think there were just [no South Asians] making music but I found there’s so many making music; they’re just not highlighted.” 

Sharma recognizes the importance of uplifting fellow South Asian artists online, and also loves when people interact with her music, whether through comments or other creative outlets. 

“Recently, people have been making art from my art, which I love so much,” Sharma said. “I’ve had a couple instances where people paint my song and I think that’s really cool because they’re creating something off of something I created, and I think that’s what it’s all about really.”

Though she is still in the early stages of performing on stage, she also relishes the physicality of a live audience and the shift in perspective it offers her from the digital sphere. 

“When I’m playing shows, I can physically see the people,” Sharma said. “When I post a TikTok I’ll be like ‘oh, only a hundred people liked it,’ but a hundred people in a room is kind of insane.” 

Her favorite part of performing is always watching people react to her lyrics in person. 

“I talk about this all the time, but I really think music is the best connection to people,” Sharma said. “I think it transcends language. It’s a universal thing that people enjoy.”

Sharma has made many friends just by playing shows and going to concerts, connecting with people in the audience and those working behind the scenes through a shared love of music.

“I worked at a festival and now some of my best friends are the people I met at the festival,” Sharma said. “I don’t think that would’ve happened without music.”

Sofia Mathew: Cultivating a Digital Safe Haven Through YouTube Aesthetics

The best way Sofia Mathew can describe her Youtube channel is “like a book club, or really any kind of club based on any sort of aesthetic.” 

Whether that be fashion, books, baking, or decorating — among many other things — Mathew hopes that people can find something they resonate with on her channel and join her growing online community.  

“I want to create a space where people feel comfortable and where they can express their passions and hobbies, like a girls’ corner where we can give each other advice, support, and just involve ourselves in the arts and the beauty of things,” Mathew said.  

When she was younger, Mathew admired how some of her favorite creators like Zoe Sugg and Bethany Mota managed to amass an authentic and supportive community through Youtube, and hoped to do the same with her channel. She posted her very first video (now long archived) back in 2017 and has gradually been building up a community of her own. 

“In the past month, I feel like people have been starting to comment in a way that makes me feel like they’re real people that like my content and come back for it,” Mathew said. “Before that, I kind of felt like I was talking to no one — which is part of the process — but I’m so happy that more things are happening now.” 

Mathew admits that at times, the algorithms dictating social media spaces have felt discouraging. Though she enjoys incorporating parts of her South Asian culture and identity into her content, she is also aware how that doesn’t always feed into the algorithm.

“It is sometimes disheartening to hear that the algorithm prefers very Western, sometimes white perspectives,” Mathew said. “I’ve seen different creators talk about how if they weren’t brown then they would probably be more famous or be more relatable.”

Despite these obstacles, Mathew is proud of the community she’s managed to build over the years, her channel now just under 6,000 followers. 

But to Mathew, it’s not all about numbers. She still gets giddy reading comments or seeing people interact with her videos, and loves answering questions and forming bonds with her viewers virtually. 

Her motto is documenting “the beauty in everyday life,” and sharing these moments on her channel makes Mathew feel as though she is interacting with her viewers in a very personal way. 

“I’m hoping that I can share what I see through my eyes with my viewers,” Mathew said. “I feel like there’s a sort of intimacy with that, like you’re seeing me go on this trip, but from my lens — I saw that and thought you should look at the same thing as me.” 

Though Mathew has found a community of like-minded individuals in her small corner of the internet, her ultimate goal is for her channel to be a refuge from day-to-day life, an online space where someone can come to relax. 

“I really want to be someone’s safe place,” Mathew said. “That existed for me, so I want to create that for others, too.”

The W.O.W. Project: Empowering Chinatown’s Community Through Art and Activism

Sophia Kschwendt and Coco Kitagawa first got involved with the W.O.W. Project when they were in high school. The experience was transformative, teaching them about the power of community and art. Now both sophomores in college, they returned to W.O.W. once more this past summer as program coordinators. 

Created in 2016 by Mei Lum, the W.O.W. Project is a community-based initiative located in Manhattan’s Chinatown that “connects the history of Chinatown with its future,” fostering culture and intergenerational community through art and activism. 

What keeps Kschwendt and Kitagawa coming back is the “community care” they feel with the people working at the W.O.W. Project. Whether that be going out to basketball games or cooking meals for each other, Kschwendt says that the environment feels “very grounded in care.” 

“We do have busy days where we’re all working, but we also take the time and space to check in with each other, get food, and make art, which I feel is very nourishing in a way that you can’t really find anywhere else,” Kitagawa said.

And that sense of collaboration and community care extends to the work they do around Chinatown. This past June, Kschwendt and Kitagawa helped facilitate a workshop called Pins, Patchwork, and Power, which resulted in a collective banner of patchwork squares crafted by members of the community. 

“That [workshop] was really special because it felt like people from all around the community, different ages, different backgrounds, were coming together to create one piece of art, and when you look at the banner it’s really beautiful,” Kschwendt said. “There’s a sonic element — there’s bells, there’s different colors, different textures, and I think that’s representative of the community here in Chinatown.” 

This workshop was one of many that were led by resident artists at W.O.W. in order to create communal pieces for the “Springs From Below” parade. Held across the proposed Mega Jail site in Chinatown, the parade was a response to the borough-based jails system, connecting it to the global movement for liberation.

In the evening, the parade transitioned into a space for poetry readings, musical performances, and projections, allowing the community to “reflect on all the things that we were pondering on,” Kitagawa said.

“We had a flutist from Chinatown play during some projections, and just having a sonic element combined with a visual element, it felt like different aspects from the community were coming together to create something — which is a theme at W.O.W. — but it was really beautiful to see,” Kschwendt said.

Though Kschwendt and Kitagawa have finished up their internships and are now back in college, they know that they will always be involved with W.O.W. in the future. If not working with the team, Kitagawa says she will still definitely attend their events and stay connected with the community.

“I think we’ll always be welcome here, which is really special,” Kschwendt said. 

In a world where creativity and connection intertwine, the stories of Ritika Sharma, Sofia Mathew, and the W.O.W. Project exemplify the profound impact of community among Asian American women. Through music, digital platforms, and grassroots activism, these individuals not only express their identities but also foster supportive spaces that encourage others to engage with their passions. Their journeys highlight the importance of collaboration, cultural pride, and the transformative power of art in building lasting connections. 

As they continue to inspire and uplift those around them, it becomes clear that community is not just a place but a shared experience — one that thrives on creativity, care, and the celebration of diverse voices.

You can follow Sofia Mathew on Youtube at @sofloaf, listen to Ritika Sharma’s music on Spotify here, and follow the W.O.W. Project at @wowprojectnyc. 

Cover: Marching at the “Springs From Below” Parade. Courtesy of the W.O.W. Project