The start of my artistic journey
I was 18, doing an exchange year in the Washington state.
When my host mom, Peggy, asked me if I wanted to take an art class in the public high school.
I was like ‘Alright, I will try but I’m not sure if it’s my thing’.
Thanks to her, it was my very first time learning basic techniques and I was surprised to find myself getting lost in the process and the finished pieces kinda emerged out of my free hands like a wonder.
At the end of the exchange year, she even commissioned me to do my very first large canvases to hang at her dance studio,
which I think you can still see them at the studio now!
Why was I surprised to find I could do pretty good art?
Growing up in an Asian society, studying was always the one and only thing a good student should do. And I was a VERY GOOD student. Often I’d say to my mom I didn’t have time to do art homework because I was too busy studying and needed to be focused. Poor mom would then do it for me instead. (Thank you, Mom! And how could I ignore my true calling like that?) I guess I got a little inspired when I saw her drawing a banana with pastels for my assignment and I still remember the way she blended the colors and added shades.
However,
I stopped arting after I came back from the states at 19 because I was busy facing the reality of a new life going into the university in Taiwan, back to listening to society’s demands. I ignored and suppressed the true calling in me. Instead, I was listening to what others wanted me to be or do. Chasing after things that were never meant for me, like pursuing a fashion buyer dream. The notorious consumerism world with no real meanings and connections. I didn’t know how to be happy and satisfied anymore. The darkest 10 years of my life followed by abandoning art. Very dramatically similar to the movie, The Devil Wears Prada, I quit my job and never looked back again after the last buying trip to Milan.
The dance between darkness and light will always remain.
The LIGHT of hope always comes from the darkest pain. Ten years later, during those insomnia nights because of job hunting, I picked up my paint brushes again. This time, I realized how much I needed art to heal me and keep me sane, both when I was feeling lonely, studying in the states and when I was trying to survive those job hunting nights, not knowing what the future holds. I haven’t stopped painting ever since and I NEVER will again.
Ironically,
Only until lately, I realized that I was busy chasing after the trends created by other designers. While now, I’m actually creating my own trends with my own aesthetics. I want to offer you something with real meanings and positive connections. I want to share the beauty I sense with the world, with YOU ALL. I hope I’ve explained myself well enough to let you understand why my art matters in the world. Thank you for reading my long essays and hope you enjoyed my lush online space here.
