Natalie Khuen is a scenic and graphic designer originally from DeKalb, Illinois. She received her BA in theatre & fine art from Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota and her MFA in scenic design from UC San Diego. After grad school Natalie moved to Los Angeles and worked as a freelance designer, primarily at the Universal Studios Hollywood theme park. This summer she relocated to Boston and is continuing to freelance. 

You can read and see more of her work at: www.nataliekhuen.com

Where is you family from? 
Most of my family lives in the Chicago area, where I grew up. I have German, Irish and French on my mom's side but they've been in northern Illinois for quite a few generations. My dad's side is a little mysterious: my paternal grandfather was adopted so we don't really know anything about his family history. My paternal grandmother was born on a Chippewa reservation in Minnesota.

If you could choose one ancestor to have dinner with who would it be?
I'd love to have dinner with my maternal grandpa. He died of a heart attack when I was a young kid so I never had a real relationship with him. He fought in WWII, had 8 kids, and decided to move away from the city and become a farmer in the middle of his life. I'm certain he'd have some good stories.

Where do you feel most at home?
This is an interesting question since I'm in a bit of a transition phase right now. I just moved from Los Angeles to Boston. I'd say my old apartment in LA still feels the most like home—with my view of the San Gabriel mountains and palm trees out my window—but it's not my apartment anymore! I'm enjoying the east coast a lot but still getting used to the change.

The SISU is in the Heart project team has a new member! 

I'm pleased to welcome Nelli Palvo, a Los Angeles based actress, on board as a Project Assistant. We met at a Finnish Creative Industries networking event last year, and since then Nelli  and I have stayed in contact about the project and acting work in LA. She is currently pursuing a career in film and television and taking comedy classes! 

Over the next few months, Nelli will assist Saara Wacklin and I with production logistics as we prepare for the U.S. premiere in Fairport Harbor, Ohio. This includes everything from posting on Facebook, to researching ancestry organizations, and creating marketing materials. 

We're thrilled to have her join us, and we hope you'll take the time to read her answers to the three questions below.

-PC

Where is your family from? 
I was born and raised in Helsinki till I was  about 18 years old, when I moved to London.  My mom was born in Merikarvia and my dad in Merikarvia, both of my them have lived most of their adult lives in Helsinki. My maternal great-grandfather left Finland in the early 1920's and located in Chicago with 26 dollars in his pocket and a dream of a new life in there. Not much is known about his life after that.

Where do you feel most at "home"?
I feel most at home in Los Angeles by the beach. 

What does SISU mean to you?
Sisu to me means "not giving up".  It helps me to get through tough times in life and it helps me to keep focus. It also holds a historical meaning for me; without sisu of the brave men and women (like my grandparents) we would not be celebrating the fact that we have been independent country for almost 98 years. Those people showed and used sisu every single day, in situation that at the time seemed horrible and hopeless. I like to think that that is where we have learned sisu.

About two weeks ago the SISU is in the Heart team traveled to Fairport Harbor, Ohio to continue the development process for an original play involving local stories and personal ancestry. This trip marks the one year point for the project and concludes the research and development activities funded by Finlandia Foundation National (a huge "kiitos" for their support!). Our project team has grown throughout the year and now includes Park Cofield, Project Director; Saara Wacklin, Community Manager; Nina Sallinen, Actor, Jeffrey Allen Sneed, Actor; and Gene Cofield, Park's Father/Production Assistant. 

We started our trip with a nice dinner at the Fairport Family Restaurant, with the board members of our community partner, the Finnish Heritage Museum. I think we all ordered the fresh grouper! It was a lovely opportunity to introduce the museum to our new team members, to catch them up with the recent development for the project, and to hear about all of the snow that covered Fairport this past winter! 

The following day, we gathered at Fairport Harding High School for a reading of the first draft of the play. We had a great turn out and many of the people who joined us were the same individuals who participated and shared their stories in the story circles we hosted in Fairport last May. We assigned everyone who wanted to participate a part and casually read the script together from start to finish. The play is fictional, but there are a few parts inspired by specific people's ancestors-- so we made sure those people got to read those lines! It was an incredible experience to be surrounded by so many familiar faces and to hear the play out loud for the first time. 

Following the reading, we had a discussion about the play. We asked the community-- What parts did you like? What sticks with you?  What did we get right? What is still confusing? What is missing?  Which character did you like best? Who is the villain? The feedback we got was largely positive and the play was enthusiastically embraced. People responded to the visual images, the personal journey of the main character, and the references to local businesses, buildings, and landmarks. One particular participant referred to the play as a "Finnish Our Town"-- what a compliment! A second draft of the play will follow to include the community's feedback in order to correct some of the confusion about a dream sequence that didn't quite make sense, and to add more voices from the youth in the community. 

We spent the following afternoon working with a group drama students. We made newspaper "pauper statue" puppets based on large wooden figures that will be manipulated by puppeteers in the final performance. The students came up with some really personable characters and then learned the three basic principals of puppetry -- gravity, focus and breath.  After a quick puppet training session, we spent the rest of the time getting to know the students, learning about their favorite spots in the village, and their visions for the future of their community. We wanted to know what they thought should be included in a play and if they thought it was important to learn about their ancestors. Much of what they shared will help inspire two new scenes. Plus-- we learned that there is a ton of natural artistic talent in the room that we can put to use when we come back to present the play in the fall.  

It was a quick trip, but an important one.  The visit also allowed us to get to know some of the local business owners, touch base with Discover Fairport Harbor, and to meet some of our other project partners for the first time including the Fairport Harbor Historical Society and Kathie Pohl the village's new Economic Development Director.

We're looking forward to coming back in August for community auditions, followed by a three month residency this fall to rehearse and present the play for the community!  More details coming soon. Until then, please enjoy this gallery with some other fun photos from our visit! 

-Park

Next week, the project team for SISU is in the Heart will travel to Fairport Harbor, Ohio to read the play with the community for the first time. Joining us are two professional actors - Nina Sallinen (Los Angeles, California), and Jeffrey Allen Sneed (Parma, Ohio). You can read more about them below! 

If you'd like to join us for the reading, you can find all of the details here.  We need lots of people to participate and to let us know what we got right and what still needs work!  

-Park

Nina Sallinen  is a professional actress from Helsinki, Finland. She received her Masters Degree from the Theater Academy of Finland. Nina has performed in more than 70 shows, including productions at the Finnish National Theater, Tampere City Theater, Q-theater, Theater Little Finland, and Theater Jurkka.  She has performed at festivals in France, Italy, Norway, Macedonia and in  U.S in Chicago IL and Santa Barbara CA. She also starred in two TV shows as a series regular. Nina lived in Chicago and started a theater company called The Walk About Theater, where she developed her one woman show,
Poor Poor Lear . In Los Angeles, Nina earned a nomination as Best Supporting Actress from L.A Weekly for the Odyssey Theater production of Conquest of the South Pole in the role of Frankie Boy. ​

Where is your family from?
My family is from Eastern Finland originally, both of my parents. My mom is originally from Enonkoski and my dad is from Savonranta. Both small towns not too far from Savonlinna.

If you could choose one family member to spend time with right now who would it be?
I want to see my grandmother, she's 92.

What does "sisu" means to you?
It's funny but I think that's how I most identify myself as a Finn. I think us Finns believe that we are the only ones who have sisu, I know it's not true, but we like to think so. Sisu is the secret ingredient for getting through hard times, obstacles ,or for even winning. I think everyone has it, you just have to be willing or know how to access it.

Want to know more? Check out this interview with Nina on the Finland Center website! 

Jeffrey Allen Sneed was born and raised in Parma, Ohio just outside of Cleveland. He is a graduate of Bowling Green State University with a BAC in Acting and Directing and while there was President of the Theatre Fraternity Honorary Theta Alpha Phi. Since then, he has been seen in New Jersey, New York, and many parts of Ohio in both professional and educational capacities. Most recently he was seen in "The Devil's Disciple" with the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey and " 'Tis Pity She's a Whore" with Rubber City Shakespeare. 

How far back can you trace your family tree? 
I wish I could trace it back further! We just have spots of the family tree here and there. Recent endeavors suggest that our ancestors may have been English and the surname was spelled Snead. 

What is your favorite family tradition? 
I grew up with only my immediate family and as such our traditions are really our own. One of my favorites, and the one I cannot explain, is every Thanksgiving my family sits down and watches "King Kong"!

Describe a time when you had to exhibit "sisu" in your life.
Graduating from a small liberal arts school with a degree no one has heard of and in a field that has a large failure rate left me in a terrible state. For a long time, I was not able to find any work and unable to fulfill any of my ambitions. I went into depression and my personal life fell apart. Eventually, I knew I couldn't give up because this is what I needed to do. I pushed myself out of the doldrums and made a promise to make myself as hard the person I wanted to be. Due to my taking action, I overcame that hard time in my life and am walking a brave and happy road. 

The SISU is in the Heart project continues to grow! 

I am pleased to announce that Pelastakaa Vaivaisukot Ry or the "Society to Save the Wooden Paupers" has officially become a project partner and will help lead the efforts to plan the first exhibit of vaivaisukot figures in the United States! 

The proposed gallery exhibition will run in tandem with SISU is in the Heart activities starting in 2015. First beginning with a preview exhibition of framed photographs, prints, and design sketches for the vaivaisukot puppets built for the performance. Pending funding, a full exhibition with 4-5 vaivaisukot figures will be presented in 2017 in tandem with activities celebrating the 100th anniversary of Finland's Independence along with screenings of two documentary films following the project. 

Pelastakaa Vaivaisukot Ry (Save the Wooden Paupers) includes:

Seppo Seitsalo, professor, Chair of the Association 
Sirpa Viljanen, liaison manager, vice chair of the association 
Ville Vauhkonen, pastor, treasurer of association 
Otso Kantokorpi, critic, curator of exhibition 

Stay tuned for more details about this exciting partnership and the proposed exhibit! 

-Park

Today, Febraury 28th, is "Day of SISIU - 2015"!  What is "SISU"? Well, it's hard to say exactly. There are a lot of ways of putting it, a lot of interpretations, and even some disagreement about what it means. Most people say that is it something that is uniquely Finnish, but if you ask me, I've seen it in people of all nationalities!

To celebrate,  I am sharing a list of all of the definitions I have collected over the past year in my attempt to better understand this word and how it relates to what I am made of and who I am. The definitions below are shared in no particular order and were provided by teens, adults, and seniors in Fairport Harbor (Ohio), as well as Lapua, Kauhava, Helsinki and Turku (Finland), as a part of story circles and interviews. Some were even collected on the backs of little red wooden houses in honor of my mom. You can read her story here.

The "Day of SISU" is part of a global initiative called "Year of SISU" spearheaded by Emilia Lahti of SISU LAB. She is a brilliant researcher who has been writing about "sisu" in terms of psychological capacity. She is leading an inaugural event in Helsinki today at Korjaamo that will put "sisu" on the Finnish calendar for the first time in 500 years! She has also encouraged people to host sisuesque gatherings all over the world. If you are in Los Angeles, please join us tonight at Chekov Studio International for a story circle about "sisu" and the creative process. And,  if you really get into the concept (which I hope you will) there will also be an "Hour of SISU" on March 10th during which Emilia encourages you to do one thing that you know would benefit you, but which you have been putting off. 

Persistence
Perseverance
Relentlessness
Guts!
Determination
Not being a sissy
Bravery
"Never give up, even when things go wrong"
Temperament
Grit
TRUE GRIT
Mental and physical strength (2x)
Salmiaki (a brand of Finnish licorice candy, see photo example below)
"Do what you want and you don’t have to listen to other people’s opinions"
Resilience
One who never quits when the pressure is on
"Uh. . . something to do with the Winter War"
Stubbornness
"Sisu = to survive from war" 
"The gap between waking up and making coffee"
Not giving up
Ganbaru
Courage no matter what
"Go" (from Google Translate)
Unyielding
"Finnish  Strong"
Being afraid but saddling up anyway...
"Keep on going"
Salvation
elama on kuolema ja kuolema on elama  (Finnish for  - Life is death,  and death is a life)
Having a tough it out mentality
It's a way to say - "Hide your feelings, don't cry, harden yourself. . . and other equally stupid things. No wonder [Finland is] at the top of the suicide list. . ."
Finnish heavy metal
Overcoming all odds / Persevering against the odds
"It’s like discovering that you have a jetpack on your back when you are on your way down"
A sparkle of belief that I can get through anything
Power from within
"Crossing the ocean and starting a new life"
"4 against 400"
"All my feelings reflected in a crooked hat"
Gumption
"What an Olympic athlete has"
Spunk
"When you decide something needs to be done"
Internal fortitude*
Being strong at the face of weakness
"To a child it is almost like a superpower, to an adult it becomes a way of life"
"The letters on my license plate"
Walking 12 miles to work
"Having the courage and determination to overcome obstacles that you never thought were possible"
Sitkeys (Finnish word for "staying power")
"Coping with whatever comes up 'cause you never know what surprises are around the corner"
Taking what life hands you
"It's a word runners know very well"
"Being afraid of going into battle but doing it anyways. . ."
"A yellow bird toy found in the streets of Turku on November"
"Pushing a plow through the hard ground whether it is clay or sand"
"My late father"
Working until the work is done
"S = See and strive for your I = Inner S= Strength and U = Use it"
Tenacity of purpose
"That glimmer from within that drives you to juggle more than you ever dreamed imaginable, with and open  heart and a smile"
"Similar to Churchill's - Keep Calm and Carry On"
"That raw strength you draw from so that no matter what may lay ahead, stopping is not an option until you have given all that is within . . . "
"In a way it is patriotic. It shows pride, belonging, it implies for the "good" and leans toward success or accomplishment, although I'm not sure it matters if success is achieved, so much as that the integrity of purpose is upheld and honor is retained"
"It is what pushes humanity forward in our darkest hour, blazing new trails where once all we could see were insurmountable obstacles" (from Saad, Emilia's better half, who also adds - "To me Sisu holds a special place because it is embodied by a special human being, one who I am honored to call my wife")
"Deep inner yearning and drive to not only persevere through challenges, but through life itself"
"It's what my husband has - he is Afghan"
"Digging deep to find the inner resources and strength to get the job done"
Potato picking spirit - a female arm wrestler with the ability to pick potatoes for hours without giving up.

* This is the one that would always make my mom laugh every time, and I'm pretty sure she would have also loved the one about the jet pack! 

If you have a definition or an idea about "sisu" that isn't on the list, I'd love to hear it. Please add it in the comment section below or send an email to: SISUisintheHeart@gmail.com. I'll also be crafting a post in the near future titled, "Where I get my SISU", in order to share some of the longer reflections that were sent it. Many thanks to everyone who participated! 

Much love and sisu to all of you today, 

-Park

Which one of these photos best describes sisu?
A) Finnish candy
B) Park's first time in a cold lake after a sauna with his great long lost uncle, Antti.

It is my pleasure to welcome a new person to the SISU is in the Heart family!  Saara Wacklin and I met a few weeks prior to my trip to Finland at a Finnish Creative Industries networking event in Santa Monica. Ever since our first conversation, I knew that her skills and interest in community based art  would make her a perfect project collaborator. She will act as the  Community Manager, directly engaging and connecting with communities of Finns in Los Angeles, CA and Fairport Harbor, Ohio. 

You'll be hearing lots more from her in the months to come, but if you'd like to reach out and say hello, you can drop her an email at: saara@SISUisintheHeart.com.

Tervetuloa, Saara!

-Park

A couple of weeks ago, I became acquainted with Emilia Lahti, a researcher whose work revolves around understanding how individuals, groups and organizations grow from challenges and come out of hardships with a newly discovered sense of strength, purpose and adaptability.  She is a scholar of "sisu" and seeks answers to many of the same questions I  am posing with the SISU is in the Heart project. 
 
In ten days, Emilia will spearhead a global event titled, "Day of Sisu" in order to recognize and celebrate the strength that resides in all of us. The event will kick off at Korjaamo in Helsinki on Saturday, February 28th, and comes with an open invitation for people to host their own sisuesque events all over the world. You can check out more of the details here and learn how to set up an event in your community. This event officially adds "sisu" to the Finnish calendar for the first time in its 500 year history and will continue to grow in future years-- it's quite the undertaking and pretty awesome if you ask me!

On Tuesday, March 10th, there will also be a global challenge called the "Hour of Sisu". Between 3 PM and 4 PM (your local time) Emilia is encouraging you to do one thing that you know will benefit you, but is something that you have been putting off. Maybe it’s something scares you but which will help you push your boundaries in a healthy, empowering way. The goal is to turn these boundaries (e.g. fear, uncertainty, complacency or desire for comfort) into frontiers.

So, what will I be doing to participate on the 28th? Two things! 

1) I'll be sharing a blog post compiling all of the definitions for "sisu" that I have gathered over the past year of research for the play. Want to contribute? There's still plenty of time. Send an email to: SISUisintheHeart@gmail.com with the answers to these two questions: What does sisu mean to you? Where do you get your sisu?  and I'll add your response to the list! 

2) I'm hosting a small personal gathering in Los Angeles, CA in partnership with Chekov Studio International and Helsinki West to dig a little deeper and to hear more stories from the Finnish American community and to hone in a little more closely on what it means to have "sisu" as an artist. Click HERE for more information and to RSVP. After the session, I'll share a re-cap with some thoughts (and possibly some video) from the session. 

If you've just found yourself on my site for the first time, please check out ABOUT THE PROJECT to learn more about the play I am writing about my family and my mom, who had more "sisu" than anyone I have ever met.

-PC 

P.S. Want to know more about sisu and how Emilia defines it? Check out her recent talk from TEDx Turku!

SISU in the Heart is hiring! The project is growing in size and I'm looking for people to join my team. Please take a look at the job descriptions below by clicking the title of each position. Resumes, cover letters, and questions should be emailed to SISUisintheHeart@gmail.com by the deadline listed.  

Available Positions

• Crowd Funding Manager - submission deadline extended to 2/25/15
• Actors - submission deadline extended to 2/25/15
  
  

I'm also looking for volunteers and/or interns to assist with the following duties:

Fundraising
Video Editing
Event Management
Exhibition Planning
Cold Calls
Photography
Transcribing

If you are interested, please send an email to SISUisintheHeart@gmail.com and explain why you are interested in working on the project and your availability. 

Come be part of an exciting international community-based project, meet great people, and connect with Finns all over the country! Read more about the project HERE.