We were lucky to catch up with Crystal 佳音 Ren 任 recently and have shared our conversation below.
Crystal 佳音, thank you so much for joining us. You are such a positive person and it’s something we really admire and so we wanted to start by asking you where you think your optimism comes from?
In my personal view, optimism is an attitude towards dealing with the events in life. From a secular perspective, I don’t consider myself an optimistic person. However, people around me often describe me as someone who always has high energy and faces challenges positively. As more people expressed this view, I began to seriously reflect on why I received such judgments. Summarizing my relatively short life experiences, I found that I have always had a perception of external things that surpasses my peers.
Firstly, I am a Chinese girl, born as the eldest daughter of a large family of merchants. As the eldest son and daughter in their respective families, my parents worked hard to support their families from scratch. They took care of their parents and led their younger siblings. In the 1980s, they went from earning 800 RMB per month to now being able to send my brother and me abroad for further education. They deeply understand the hardships of struggling in society. Though their educational level is not high, they have their unique philosophy of life. When I first developed my consciousness and memory, around the age of 7 or 8, my parents discussed all matters, big or small, with me. Whether it was business setbacks, the intricacies of interpersonal relationships, or trivial matters within our large family, they would explain everything to me. There is a Chinese proverb, “拔苗助长” (pulling up seedlings to help them grow), which implies that impatience can lead to premature interference and undesirable outcomes. It seems to apply to my situation.
Nowadays, I do not blame my parents and am grateful for their educational approach. Because of the exposure to such information during my childhood, I was early on aware of the realities and hardships of society and mentally prepared to find solutions. I now know that my problems or difficulties are minor, and everything can be resolved. Furthermore, due to my parents’ busy schedules, I was sent to a full-time boarding school at the age of 5, where I quickly adapted to independent living and group life. This helped me develop an attitude to face new environments and situations early on. As a result of this long-term lifestyle, I decided at the age of 15 to leave the familiar culture and environment to study abroad, challenging myself in a new country and educational system. Before reaching adulthood, I had already mastered different approaches to problem-solving in Chinese and American cultures, giving me a more comprehensive perspective on things.
After graduating from university and gaining some work experience in the United States, I returned to school to pursue further goals, which has shaped me into a more composed and confident person when facing challenges. It is therefore not surprising that people perceive me as positive and energetic.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
The reason I pursue a career in the arts and creative industries is that I am more interested in self-dialogue and expressing my feelings about external matters. Although my parents initially preferred that I study finance or law, they supported my dream and did not hinder me from pursuing art. Their support, tolerance, trust, and love have allowed me to freely release my energy and do what I love. However, if I trace back to why I became connected with art, I must thank my life partner, who is now my husband. We met in high school in the United States; he had a similar study-abroad experience to mine, as he was also a Chinese student studying alone in the U.S. However, he had a different family background and childhood experience than mine. My husband was born into a highly educated family with a strong artistic and creative background. From a young age, he had his unique insights into creation and design. In high school, he already knew his career path and pursued it with determination.
At that time, I was still unsure about my goals and interests. Since he was a year ahead of me and entered the Rhode Island School of Design before I did, I had the opportunity to observe how people lived in an artistic environment. This inspired me to want to become part of that community. Although we both attended the Rhode Island School of Design, my husband and I have very different career plans and ideas. He graduated with a degree in Industrial Design, focusing on consumers and the market, while I chose a fine arts program, aiming to express my connection with the outside world.
Reviewing my past works, or rather, works that are not yet fully completed, I would like to introduce myself as a multimedia installation artist and performance artist. The diversity of media and the topics and functions it can extend has always been the cornerstone of my work. I like to let my media and the investigation into the media guide the theme of the work and think about how to perfect my final expression. For example, the projection effect of the glass itself allows me to project my inner emotions. Thus, it becomes a canvas for refracting light and shadow in my installation works.
As a multimedia installation artist, I believe the most important step is to come into contact with and learn about as many different media as possible. For instance, knitted fabric, sound, light and shadow, film, video, glass, ceramics, wood, and other materials familiar to the public can become outstanding media if used properly. Once the media is chosen, how to utilize it becomes the starting point for an artist to tell different stories.
Due to my background and experiences, I tend to tell stories about small characters in a large environment. I start with my own story and then think about how my story connects with others or how it differs. Finally, how to tell this story to my audience becomes my main creative method.
Another passion of mine is observing the environment and others. Why do they have such behaviors and reactions, what is reflected behind them, is it the environment that creates people, or people that create the environment, or are both created by something else? I love exploring such topics because it allows my mind to settle and brew more possibilities.
As a growing new multimedia artist, I believe that obstacles and difficulties in the future are inevitable. But I do not think I will give up. Perhaps one day, my works will be remembered and resonate with my audience.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
confidence, not afraid of challenge, humble
What’s been one of your main areas of growth this year?
Last year was the most transformative year of my life. After graduating from university, I worked at a design firm for two years. Under the guidance of my mentors, I learned a lot of valuable industry knowledge and rules. However, such a predictable life, though stable, lacked excitement. I prefer a changing environment and complex situations, and I wanted to set my own rules. So, I decisively chose to return to school for further studies. Upon receiving the acceptance letter from the Rhode Island School of Design, I resigned and moved from Boston to Rhode Island. It has been exactly a year today. I still love and firmly believe in the choice I made at that time.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://crystalren.com/
- Instagram: renren_ner
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jiayin-crystal-ren/
Image Credits
Jeff Shen
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