Meet Yangqi Deng

We recently connected with Yangqi Deng and have shared our conversation below.

Yangqi, thank you so much for joining us and offering your lessons and wisdom for our readers. One of the things we most admire about you is your generosity and so we’d love if you could talk to us about where you think your generosity comes from.

I believe a significant part of my generosity stems from others who have shared their generosity with me. This has inspired me to pay it forward in my work and interactions. In my projects, I’m interested in collective approaches that inherently require and foster generosity among participants. I’m blessed with supportive friends and family who want to share their thoughts, feedback, and materials—all of which contribute significantly to my work.

My turtle project exemplifies this collective generosity in action. It began with materials shared freely on the internet. As the project evolved, more people joined the turtle net, sending me fascinating turtle-related materials. Now, whenever someone encounters a turtle, they think of my project, creating a web of shared experiences and contributions.

This cycle of giving and receiving has become a driving force, not just in my work, but in my approach to life.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

As a mixed media artist and visual designer, my artistic practice rooted in curiosity and playfulness, has evolved to focus on collective contribution as a means of weaving together diverse perspectives. I’m exploring new ways to facilitate artistic dialogue.

My recent projects have become platforms for collective storytelling, where individual narratives converge to form a rich tapestry of experiences. I view my work as a catalyst for collaboration, inviting viewers to join in a shared journey of creation and interpretation. Each interaction adds a new layer of meaning, transforming my initial concepts into living, breathing entities that reflect the collective consciousness of those who engage with them.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

A friend did a tarot reading and told me that I need to make my own decisions and stop asking others what they think or letting what they think influence me. So here I would say that thinking independently is just as important as being persistent with the decisions. Looking back, I think that in many ways, knowing myself better as a form of knowledge had the biggest impact on me.

Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?

To take a walk by the water and get some fresh air in nature. I used to live by the ocean during undergrad, so whenever I feel overwhelmed, I go for a walk on the beach to clear my mind by throwing all my negativity into the waves. There are probably someone on the other end of the wave who feels the same way. Also bubble tea is one of the strategies.

• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yangqideng/