Meet Siyi Wang

We were lucky to catch up with Siyi Wang recently and have shared our conversation below.

Siyi, 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 feel like I am a pair of shoes shoved into the wrong shoebox.” This is what I thought about myself when I was 17.

From the age of 15, I left China alone and started my high school life alone in a small town in Ontario, Canada, and came to New York studying art. Throughout my adolescence, my natural looks, my cultural background, my past experiences, and my way of thinking have been a constant reminder of how different I am from others. This, coupled with the missing of my parents around to take care of me, multiplied the stress of having to start thinking about a lot of things I hadn’t thought about before. So, as a teenager at the time, this difference was something I despised and desperately wanted to get rid of, and I wished to blend in with the crowd.

The turning point from this state of extreme aversion to my own uniqueness to my current openness to using my own traits in an effective and inclusive way was the courage to learn to get to the root of my insecurities and to communicate sincerity (both inwardly and outwardly).

During my final year of high school, I returned to my hometown to take classes remotely due to the pandemic. Although it appeared that I was at last back in my own place, I had lost most of the connection with the people I used to have here. As a result, I spent most of my time by myself in my room, staying up late for my online class.

It could be the long period of solitude that I started to think and deconstruct my thoughts. I began to wonder why I felt so insecure and anxious about being the only person in the room: the desire to belong to a group with which I had grown up made me instinctively want to fit in.

After identifying the sources of my deepest insecurities, I began to actively encourage myself to view my differences as “strengths,” characteristics that set me apart from others. After entering college, I consciously incorporated my unique cultural background and childhood experiences into my work, letting them be my inspiration.

The second point is sincere communication. When I feel uncomfortable and alone in a specific situation, I will honestly tell myself that I may not be able to deal with it and will choose whether to resolve it or avoid it for the time being, depending on my situation. I am also honest about my background when interacting with others. For example, when I first met my current roommate, I was upfront about the fact that English is my second language and the fact that I cannot speak it fluently and asked if it would be possible for the two of us to speak at a slower pace. Well, I got the friendliest response, and now we are very close roommates and friends.

Please play to your strengths as “the only person in the room”. These unique, different, alternative qualities are what have shaped you, so try to embrace your differences as well!

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

I am an illustrator and artist. Born in Suzhou, China, I am presently enrolled at the School of Visual Arts in New York to complete my BFA in illustration. I grew up reading fairy tales and folklore from all over the world and was greatly influenced by Japanese manga, animations, and the 80s Chinese animation movie when I was a teenager. So I like to incorporate children’s picture books and conceptual narrative compositions into my work.

I am very interested in all printing techniques and crafts. I’m always passionate about learning new skills (riso printing, silkscreen, bookmaking, etc.) and designing and selling fanart merchandise in my free time. I enjoy the process of creating stuff from scratch, and I always look forward to seeing the joy in the audience’s eyes when they hold it in their hands.

I currently am managing my personal social media accounts and collaborate with my school club members on online role-playing drawing projects, which involve establishing a worldview and plot and inviting others to participate by creating their own characters to engage with and construct their own worldviews.

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?

Initiative, independence, and communication are the three traits and skills that have influenced my life the most.
Before entering college, I was always a passive person; many times I was either pushed by others to make decisions or missed out on many interesting opportunities because of my passive personality. However, after entering college, I started to take the initiative, discovered many abilities that I never thought I would have, and made friends with many different people. Yes, it’s a bit painful at first, but the surprises you get when you take a step forward can be unexpected. Additionally, being independent has helped me feel more at ease. I can calm down and organize my thoughts by myself. I can also learn to manage a lot of tasks by myself. It could be big as applying for a visa or school or small as dying my own hair. Knowing that I can do it on my own has made me more relaxed and calm when dealing with problems. Communication is an important way for me to connect with others, and it’s important to be able to express myself clearly and to think differently, be a listener.

Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?

I would choose to express my emotions first, then rethink the problem; sometimes I could see the way to solving the problem after I released the emotions.

I am sort of a sensitive person, and my emotions are always rich and delicate. The stress of feeling overwhelmed can also easily fluctuate my emotions and affect my decision-making. Therefore, I always try to release my emotions by doing some activities, which to me is watching movies. I will purposely choose to watch a bit sad but heartwarming movies. My emotions would flow along with the plot of the movie, and I would either be happy for them or shed tears. I can concentrate on the movie without thinking about anything else for 2 hours, and after I cry (yes, I often cry at movies), I feel clearer in my head. Of course, movies often have great compositions and colors that I can learn from, and this can also be a good opportunity to build up inspiration.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://pepeko-siyi.com/
• Instagram: @pepeko.siyi

Image Credits

Siyi Wang