About

So, in order to tell you why I named this blog “Upstream,” I have a confession to make.

My real name, the name on my birth certificate, is David Park not Minnow Park.

Minnow was a nickname given to me when I was an overweight, awkward 7th grader desperate to fit in. My Korean name Minho (민호), which is what my close friends and family called me growing up, until an older boy said it sounded like the fish, minnow, and it stuck.

I hated the name until high school when I started playing music in front of people.  David Park was too common and boring to be a stage name. Minnow was unique and rather than people wondering why I was named after a fish, the name endeared them to me and they remembered me because of my name.

Since then my name and it's aquatic theme been a well (or tank) of inspiration for my different ventures. My short-lived family photography business was called “School of Minnows” and I didn’t need a cheesy name for my wedding photography. “Weddings by Minnow Park” was unique and to the point. I never needed another username besides "minnowpark."

So "Upstream" was the suitable pun for a blog about nurturing and trusting your own intuition in a world selling us advice and best practices.

We all swim against rapids of self doubt and shame as we try and do our best work, and it's understandable we want some answers and certainty. But those telling us they have it are taking advantage of our fear and anxiety for their own profit. The truth is no one else can travel our journeys for us, nor they know the best way to go.

I'm 38 now, and it's taken me this long to realize nothing in my life has been wasted. Everything has a purpose and all of it has brought me here right where I need to be.

This blog is an encouragement to you and to me to keep swimming upstream.