Life is still a playground of possibilities – Kay Ross
I met Kay when I was photographing the first HK Green Is the New Black Conscious Festival in 2018. She was speaking on her most well-known project The Playground of Possibilities a deck of 52 cards, each asking the reader a question. Each card is designed to inspire the reader to seek out the good, flip the narrative, and find a light in the dark.
Diminutive is an overused word, but in Kay’s case, it is true. She is petite in a way that belies the power and energy her tiny being holds. Like a seed, or more aptly – a chakkar cracker.
We have met in her home of 23 years. It is an orderly, intimate space. Everything has meaning, and everything is in its right place. She has a collection of plants and a small garden fairy on her window sill, which she greets every morning.
Kay wears a floral coat – it is a favourite. It appears in many of her portraits. I think of it as a talismanic uniform. It is so intrinsic to her brand I can’t imagine her wearing anything else for our time together. A stalwart on the Hong Kong performance scene for decades. Though the common thread across her many skills is storytelling, she is a marketing consultant, performer, writer, and healer.
“I moved here in 1993, before the Handover. We were all born in Scotland. Five kids. I was born in Glasgow. My family migrated to Adelaide when I was three years old. My mom died when I was six, so the rug got pulled out of any certainty of safety in life.” It seems Kay has pivoted coping with uncertainty into a life skill. She lives with the motto “Yes and…” when approaching the unknown, delighting in improv with People’s Liberation Improv, drum jams and most recently, writers jams.
Her commitment to The Playground of Possibilities is ceaseless.
J: You’re very diligent on social media. It seems you post a question (from the card deck) every day?
“Almost. Almost every day. I sit in front of my computer and say, “Okay universe, what’s the question for us today?” and something will pop in.
J: How do you keep that up?
“I keep thinking of new questions. It may be 2 in the morning, or, I’m reading something, hear something, or something happens in my life. Sometimes, I’ll just sit in front of my computer and say, “Okay universe, what’s the question for us today?” and something will pop in. (I may) repeat a previous question that I‘ve used that’s still valid. Still useful. There’s an infinite supply of questions”.
The concept of Playground of Possibilities was conceived in 2013, and after raising funds via Next Chapter, the deck was released in 2017.
J Where did the title come from?
“Someone was talking about the universe. Someone used the phrase about the universe and they didn’t use the word possibility. But then the next day, I was sitting right here, pondering and suddenly, this phrase popped into my head out of the blue. I had never heard it before and I really liked it. I immediately thought, “Ah yes! Life is a playground of possibilities.” And then I thought, I want to make a card deck because I’m fascinated by psychology and why people behave the way they do. That’s why I’m interested in marketing as well. I wanted to make a card deck with 52 cards, with 52 questions to ask yourself. I know that I have unhelpful, limiting thoughts and beliefs and stories about myself, so the questions challenge you, prompt you to change. I immediately grabbed a pen and paper and clip board and just started taking dictation from the universe and started writing 52 “what would be possible for me if I...” questions. And I keep thinking of new ones every day.”
“Every day, I sit at my computer and say “Okay universe, what’s the question for us today?”
Kay’s self-reliance is notorious. But on April 8, 2019, that was taken out of her hands. She slipped, fell and fractured her right kneecap.
“The patella cracked in two. I heard it break. The instant it happened, I realized, "Oh, this is pretty serious," I thought, “This is an invitation to slow down, be patient, and ask for and accept help. Some days I can do that and other days I get very fucking impatient especially because I had no idea how long the healing process would take. I was immediately taken to hospital and had surgery two days later so there’s still a wire inside my knee. And then I’d been having physiotherapy. And some days are better than others. I get impatient with the pace of the healing”
J: You are so fiercely independent – did you have moments of rage?
“Sure! Not self-pity. Not “why did this happen to me?” Just… annoyed at how much it’s affected my life”.
Kay’s injury, which she is still recovering from, coincided with six months of civil unrest in Hong Kong. She is working hard to keep her apartment, her career and the life she has known for over a quarter of a century.
J: 2019 went from a moment of solidarity and people coming together and being supportive, to being a city divided, with so much uncertainty. What is your dream for this year? Both personal and for the part of Hong Kong.
“My goal for this year is to just get over this difficult time. Whether I stay here or go but, I want to thrive. And for Hong Kong, I want peace”.
