Meet Vida Liu

We were lucky to catch up with Vida Liu recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Vida , really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?

I discovered that I can contribute my life to benefit my community

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

The Whimsical Journey of a “Future” Investor – by Vida Liu

How many of us have dreamed to be like their childhood heroes, and have actually fulfilled their dreams? Probably not too many of us – I was one of these sad cases. I have loved drawing and painting since I had a memory. Although I did not understand Picasso’s paintings, but the four Picasso prints my dad hung on our dinning room’s wall had mesmerized me since I first saw them. My childhood dream was to be an artist when I grew up – just like my hero, Picasso. Sadly, that dream was shattered to pieces when I shared it with my Cousin Mary. I was only 5 years old. Mary misinformed me by saying that “Picasso died of starvation prematurely. His life was a miserable failure,” she said. I cried myself to sleep that night, and never dared to mention my dream ever again.

Fast forward to the start of college when I was making a decision on what to major in. Being ignorant, lacking courage, and not having Google for research, I majored in Business Administration with an emphasis in Finance. That education was a ticket to a generously paid banking job for 20 years. I successfully helped countless clients with their investments. Then one day, I suddenly realized that there was a huge void in my life — This void had led to a severe chronic migraine headache. Happy time was over. Doctors thought I was getting a brain tumor.

Art had always been my sustained passion, but as a fulltime working mother and a wife, I had to let it go. I was actually sick due to missing art so much. However, it was almost impossible to add art back into my life. Slowly, I was dying inside. What to do? One day, I had a serious conversation with my husband, JM. We tried to find out why my health was deteriorating. As a man of wisdom, JM discovered that I needed to add arts back to my life before it was too late.

During the next six years, I quitted my high pay bank job, returned to school, graduated with a Magna Cum Laude and got my Master of Fine Arts in Studio Arts degree. Subsequently, I became an adjunct faculty teaching studio arts and art education courses at my Alma Mater.

Fast forward further to 10 years later. Instead of helping clients to invest their money, I now help my students to invest their time and energy for a bright future. I am now a professional oil painter, an adjunct professor, and an avid art volunteer. During the weekdays, I teach two to three art classes at my university. On my free time, I love to create oil paintings and to attend art openings. Once or twice a month, and during the university vacations, I volunteer to teach arts to different demographics: little children, teenagers, and senior citizens at convalescent homes and hospitals. I also donate my time to teach arts in charities and non-profit organizations.

I am fortunate to be teaching arts to university students. I love to see the smiles on their beautiful faces when they finish their master pieces. I tell all my students that they will not be a starving artist if they put in their best effort. An art major can go on to have a very fulfilling career. I find that arts can touch people in many different ways. Sadly, for some communities, art lessons can be expensive and may even be un-attainable. My goal is to bring arts to anyone and everyone. Especially to those who cannot afford art lessons, or those in under-privileged communities.

There are several organizations I volunteer at — Hospitals, senior homes, children charities, and art festivals. If your organization needs an art workshop, please contact me via email. Please send me the information of your organization, the reason why you need an art workshop, and the number of attendants. I will evaluate your needs, and I can bring in volunteers to help out for a good cause.

I am in gratitude to my advisors, my mentors, and are many who helped me to get to where I am now. I have never been so fulfilled in my life, and it is my duty to help make this world a better place. I would love to spreading the joy of art making to everyone because I strongly believe that arts has a whimsical power to enhance higher quality of life.

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

1. Be truthful to yourself while selecting a major or making an important decisions in life:
Ask yourself what your true passion is when selecting a major at the university. Do not only look at the job outcome to determine what major you should choose. You need to be honest to yourself. Ask yourself what YOU want to be when you grow up. Remember this: “If you love the job you do, you don’t work a day at all!”

2. Do not depend solely on other’s opinion:
After all, it is YOU, who is doing your job, not the people your asked. When I was making a decision on my major, I made a huge mistake by seeking advice from my cousins only. I wanted to be an art major, but they said that it would be impossible to find a job with an art degree. I would waste all my parents’ hard-earned money and end up being a burden to my parents. I was here alone renting a room from them. I thought that money-hungry cousins were my only go-to while I was making major decisions. I should have done more research and not just depend on one single source.

3. Do not be afraid of changes. Plan ahead if you want to change your career:
I was at the point of getting physically sick of my old job. By the grace of God, I have accumulated a small saving while I was a banker. Just enough money to sustain me to take art classes for one year. Thereafter, I worked part time and got a loan. Because I did not take any art classes during my B.S. degree in Business Administration, I had to returned to school to satisfy all my studio arts classes requirements. I bit the bullet and persevered all the way through graduate school. During that time, I had to plan my finance extremely carefully – to have enough fund for the 6 years art education. I strongly believe that it is worthwhile to re-invest myself because I am very satisfied with my new career.

Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?

My husband, JM, and my daughter, Janelle helped me when my health was deteriorating due to extreme stress from my banking job, JM reminded me that my life passion was art. With JM and Janelle’s encouragement and support, I quit my well-paid banking job cold turkey. After being a banker for 20 years, I returned to school to pursue my art career. That was my first stepping stone to become an artist.

During my graduate art program, my advisors, Professor Samantha Fields, Professor Lesley Krane, and Professor Christian Tedeschi, taught me all that I needed to convert from an experienced banker to a humble art student. The process was painful. I was broke. However, with their selfless love and encouragement, I finally graduated with honors and earned my Master of Fine Arts in Studio Arts.

An MFA allowed me to teach at universities. After graduation, my mentors, Dr. Edie Pistolesi, Professor Ron Petrosky, and Professor Ronn Davis, told me to apply to teach at my Alma Mater. I was afraid to be teaching alongside my professors, but they saw my potential, and insisted that I submit my application. I got the job as an adjunct faculty, This was a life changing experience. It has been ten years now, since I started teaching studio arts and art education classes, and I love every moment being an art instructor.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.vidaliu.org
• Facebook: Vida Liu
• Other: email address: [email protected]

Image Credits

Professor Ron Petrosky
Professor Jia-ming Liu