Meet Evelyn Wong

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Evelyn Wong. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Evelyn, so good to have you with us today. We’ve got so much planned, so let’s jump right into it. We live in such a diverse world, and in many ways the world is getting better and more understanding but it’s far from perfect. There are so many times where folks find themselves in rooms or situations where they are the only ones that look like them – that might mean being the only woman of color in the room or the only person who grew up in a certain environment etc. Can you talk to us about how you’ve managed to thrive even in situations where you were the only one in the room?

I have been the only one in the room that looks like me for the majority of my life! I have not had other Chinese American role models growing up, and it was definitely a challenge to feel like I could be as accomplished, as cool, or as confident as my peers or the people I did look up to. I still often don’t feel like I am any of those things!

It’s tricky, I think a lot of young people who are in the same position I was in probably also felt like me–I wasn’t confident, always looking for approval and validation from others, my success was defined by praise from others. But you also learn over time that it doesn’t really build you up to constantly work for approval from others, you’re always going to be compared to someone else–and in my case, someone else never looked like me.

But maybe it’s because I have always looked different anyway, that I learned that I would always need to forge my own way forward and figure out what it means to feel like I was successful at something. I had to define that for me, I had to set my own goals, and I had to be happy and know that I could keep going and growing. I stopped looking for approval and instead I started looking for ways to build others up, to give them the tools to build themselves up.

Being a practicing artist and a teaching artist has really given me many opportunities to do this, and what I’ve been able to give my community has shown me: This is what success looks like.

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

I am extremely fortunate to be a full-time practicing artist who also is able to teach in the community and beyond. I work at Maine College of Art & Design as an adjunct professor of Printmaking and Foundations, and I also teach in various community spaces throughout Maine where I offer arts and crafts workshops and classes, and occasionally book arts and bookbinding workshops at North Bennet Street School in Boston as well. Outside of teaching, I have a brand, Fireball Bookbindery, that is focused on hand-crafted gifts and stationery, hand-pulled prints, and handbound books and journals. With Fireball Bookbindery, I celebrate what it means to be Asian American with art and design. In the studio, I create all kinds of fun handmade things under the brand, while also constantly working on artwork for future exhibitions and shows.

I’m excited about the coming weeks and all of the events I have coming up in the next couple of weeks, and you can find me at these events by following me @fireballbookbindery on Instagram!

November 15 Elm City Small Press Fest in Waterville, Maine
November 22 Nor’Geekster in Portland, Maine
November 23 Queer Makers Market in South Portland, Maine
December 5-6 Maine College of Art & Design Annual Holiday Sale in Portland, Maine
December 12-15 Print Crawl at Pickwick Independent Press in Portland, Maine

I also have to shout out my students at Maine College of Art & Design, who will be hosting a Merry Magical Market pop-up shop at 49 Oak Street in Portland, Maine from December 1-7. We’ve been working really hard to put together artworks for this pop-up event and are excited to have an opening reception in the evening on Thursday, December 4.

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

Being resilient and ready to be adaptable has been vital to not only survival during tough times, but also as a creative person. Some days are more difficult than others, and some days it’s hard to just want to get up and go, and even harder to find it in me to be creative. In those times it’s ok to be not-ok! I’ve learned to take time to be with my feelings, and then to know that it does take work, but that things will get better when I am ready to get there.

I have also found that the community you choose to build around you is what will sustain you. I’ve found that it is so important to have built friendships with people in my community who love me for who I am, who enjoy the weirdness I bring into their lives, who want me to be with them and whom I want to be with.

I also have found it to be so important to be with other people who share similar creative interests. Working in an artist collective like Pickwick Independent Press, I’ve met so many other creative people in various parts of their printmaking journey and they inspire me all the time. I love being able to talk to different people at Pickwick about things ranging from art critique, to teaching, to business, to process and technique, and everything in between. It’s so valuable to learn from people who love doing a creative thing as much as you do, and it’s so important to be able to share space with them. I feel like that keeps knowledge, passion, and creativity alive!

How can folks who want to work with you connect?

I love collaborating with others and am always looking for other creative minds to work with! Currently, I am looking for Chinese American artists (a challenge in Maine!) who are working in printmaking, installation art, and multi- or interdisciplinary art who would want to engage in ideas around print, social practice, or other art forms. I would even love to start small and work toward imagining bigger–let’s start with a critique group! Let’s make prints around a central theme! Let’s do an exhibition together! All of these are possibilities that I want to explore ideas with folks who might have had experiences growing up as a part of immigrant families, being first or second generation Americans, who value Chinese culture and traditions, who are hanging onto our last threads of language and food recipes…

I’d love to hear from folks who are also navigating these things while also being artists! If you are one of these folks, please reach out to me on my Instagram @fireballbookbindery because I’d love to get to know you!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://evelynwongartist.com
• Instagram: @fireballbookbindery

Image Credits

The photographers have asked to not be credited for the photos that were not taken by me in the 4-8 photos!

The single studio shot (me sitting on floor beside papers and fabrics) is by DM Witman