Tell us a bit about who you are and your creative work
I am a queer, 25-year-old local artist, designer and passionate creative! I like to create cute, whimsical artwork and handmade creations including watercolour papercut artworks, digital illustrations and crochet pieces.
When I'm not dreaming up my next creative project or getting lost in bringing my whimsical ideas to life, I also work as a graphic designer in the world of science education for primary school kids, creating fun and educational learning content for hands-on science experiences.
Where do you find your creative ideas? Who or what inspires you?
I'm often inspired by the little things in life that may seem mundane, and also nature and environmental scenes as I love to spend time outdoors. I draw a lot of inspiration from experiences in everyday life and recreate them in a playful way. My art is also deeply influenced by Japan - I have a great interest in Japanese language and culture and lived there for a year in university.
How does your personal history, culture or experience inform your creative work?
My creative work often centres around my personal experiences in life, from being queer, to my Chinese cultural background. I find a lot of inspiration in Chinese stories and legends, especially ones my grandparents told me growing up, and places from my family's hometowns.
Do you use any special processes, techniques or tools?
I use a mix of digital and traditional approaches to making my art, and really enjoy creating multi-media pieces and experimenting with different mediums. For my layered watercolour papercut artworks, I was inspired by paper theatres and shadow boxes. I first illustrate my concept digitally, then cut the pieces by machine or by hand, and then paint and layer them together to create my final artwork.
What creative project are you working on at the moment?
I'm currently working on a watercolour paper-cut piece of West Lake in Hangzhou, located in the province in China where my family is from. I've been looking to create more of these kinds of pieces this year as I really enjoy bringing them to life.
Do you have any top tips for emerging artists and creatives just starting out?
I always thought that I had to do something more "real" and that being an artist wasn't a "real job". But the desire to create never went away, so I thought I'd just give it a shot, and here I am! My advice is to just keep going at it and do what you love. It will take you to places, whether it's just your happy place or as a full-time thing! For me, I split my time doing graphic design and my own creative practices, and that currently makes me very happy :)
