Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Lydia Mong-Yi Wu. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Mong-Yi Wu, thank you so much for opening up with us about some important, but sometimes personal topics. One that really matters to us is overcoming Imposter Syndrome because we’ve seen how so many people are held back in life because of this and so we’d really appreciate hearing about how you overcame Imposter Syndrome.
I think this is a constant struggle as a performing artist. There is a delicate balance between the “I’m not good enough” self-talk with the “This is what I’m meant to do.” All I can really do is face what I have in front of me and do the best I can in every moment. Then the reality of being in the moment renders imposter syndrome ineffective.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
There are so many parts to what I do in my career as a musician and educator. I love to perform and collaborate with other musicians in concert. I do as much as I can of that, while still teaching in a school and privately. There are many rewards that come with what I do. Some of the more rewarding experiences are in teaching. I love the “eureka” moments when students eyes light up and get excited because they figure something out. Or how they work on a challenging piece and has overcome the technical difficulties to enjoy what they are playing, either by themselves, or in collaboration with other students. As a performer, it is extremely gratifying when my audience comes to me and tell me how they enjoy my playing, especially my tone on the piano, or how the music brought back a memory.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
I think the three qualities that are most impactful in my journey are discipline, patience, and grit. I wish someone had told me this and helped me with it when I was younger. It is the advice that I would give to young musicians and piano students. It took a long time for me course correct myself after learning about these qualities. I was not a patient kid, nor was I a disciplined one. I had some grit in me growing up as an immigrant, in the city of New York. Life was not easy. However, being a relatively smart student, schoolwork came easily to me. So when I was challenged, I backed off and gave up when I didn’t have the right answer. Still not enough grit. So, having learned much more about myself as an adult, I learned to be patient, I learned to work to the best of my abilities and accepted failure as a process. I learned to be disciplined about my practice because I am busier than ever. And these are the qualities that I try to impart to my students.
Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?
My current challenge is having so little time for the many things that I do and would like to do. I would love to be able to perform solo as well as collaborate with other musicians, artists, and more. However, much of my time is needed to make a living. However, if I only had a decade left to live, I would probably travel the world to see all the places on my bucket list. This is assuming that money is not an issue and that I am mostly healthy. In my spare time, I’d still practice and perform as much as I could.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://lydiawu.net
- Instagram: @lydiawupiano
- Facebook: http://facebook.com/lydiawupiano
- Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/lydia-wu-ab133a5
- Twitter: @lydiawupiano
- Youtube: @lydiawu4821
Image Credits
Images from Piano Texas, Sarah Compinsky Master Classes, Helen B. Kim, Sarah Wallin-Huff, and Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp.
