Why I swiped right on Shannon: "Her bio was simple, too, but she didn't say anything about what she does, just: "Nature, art, festivals, spicy food, whisky, talking, exploring." And I like all of those things. Despite my aforementioned rule, I was relieved to get a simple message from her and allow it to blossom naturally from there. I suppose the most ironic thing about welcoming a generic opening line from Shannon was that we have so many specifics in common. We connected immediately about our desire to make art about the policies and issues that shape society. The simple fact that we are both queer women of color allowed ease in our conversation, but the point that she was also committed to using art to communicate these deeper issues made it that much more powerful. We talked about Black Lives Matter, the sexual agency of immigrant women, gentrification, de facto segregation in our hometowns, teaching music as a tool for healing intergenerational trauma, and more. Swoon."