Meet Weiyuan Wang

We recently connected with Weiyuan Wang and have shared our conversation below.

Weiyuan, so excited to have you with us today. So much we can chat about, but one of the questions we are most interested in is how you have managed to keep your creativity alive.

I have a small habit since I was a child, I like to read every billboard text on the street. Its not just only the text, it also have many essence inside one billboard. Like the fonts, the color, composition, store owner taste, what kind of costumer orientated… etc. Sooner or later, it build up a pair of sensitive, observation eyes for me. Everyday have many information comes in our life. I have to choose “what is useful, what’s left”. In provider aspect (opposite from me), they wants to catch my eyes was possible they can. If I use these both way to examine what I want to do, it can brings me to another level of interesting.

I like humor staff, comedies, dark memes…etc. But I don’t think humor is a nature talent, I think it’s from daily life observation. And also I’m very honest to myself, sometime is cruel to me. My color plate will reflect that current emotion, or lifetime situation. Like, after I heart broke, there is a gray scale area appearing on my work. Or when I keep myself in a hyper emotion, there is a very pure, bright, big gradient color being used. I don’t insist myself to have a continuous style, because is not what I can control.

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?

Currently I’m in Pratt Institute, candidate of master of fine arts program, major in printmaking. I doing also fine art when undergrad in Taiwan, major in Chinese painting. Meanwhile as a freelance graphic designer, doing collaboration or visual design with artists, companies and record label. Including Yao Jui Chung, 2Enter, Guruguru Brain…etc. Also can interpret with Chinese, Japanese and English. Once be honer to participate as a interpret assistance with Murakami Takashi.

After I came to New York, I finally back to think about “what does artist do”. I works with both illustration and mix media. Been inspire by these publish and design working experience, I started to love the “duplicate” feature in printmaking. I like doing some experiment with material, testing the limit and border of printmaking. With a little dry humor.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Language –
Communication is important, although I’m super introvert. Specially after I came to New York, I start to learn “small talk/greeting”. It just a “Hey how’s going, what’s up”, it still took me a long while training. I found out this is a big step to Asia education background people, because we never been taught this way. So I thinks the truth of language is not about ability, or score in IELTS, IBT. It’s about “can I feel free to speak this language? ”

Ability of living in a changeable environment –
There must have many bad things that will come in my life without knocking, is not what I can control. But I can control how I would like to accept and face it. To me which is accepting everything comes in my life. My teacher once told me, I need have the consciousness to be an abnormal person, if I want to be an artist. With no stable job, no correct answer about how to get sell, hard to get people understanding, specially family. I still have to training myself everyday. I have to tell myself like…stop jealous stable relationship, stop admire 9-5 jobs, just mind my own business…

Keep doubting myself, but also sustain self comfort… –
Sometime when a series of art work has already very successful, there will have 2 way to chose what’s after. One is to keep the same direction, similar composition, similar style or material to extend more work. Another one is put the pervious one down, and start a totally different concept. I know the first way is more safe, and can establish identifiability to viewers. But I just… feel broad to bring the same thing again. Usually I will doubting myself “what else I can do”. Starting to think a new work is always the hardest part. But if I did a new work, I will feel alive. I think my star sign (Gemini) has a lot related to this part.

Too much doubting myself will cause anxiety. And is because when I doubting myself, I also compare myself to other people. That’s the hidden pressure part. So back to that motto, it’s better to mind my own business. It’s good for society, and good for my health too.

Looking back over the past 12 months or so, what do you think has been your biggest area of improvement or growth?

I think maybe is my mind, I finally can focus on myself. Currently I just made it first year in New York, and lots of changes happen.

When I was in Taiwan, I used to be a “resourceful” person. My character is like 万事屋 (yorozuya), is a store that can solve everything. In those past design projects, or art projects. I also haven’t done that before, but since they ask me, so I try. Every case is new to me, but also 本番 (honnbann). Means one is first and also last, no time to mistake. So before I came to New York, I will try my best to solve every problem. But now I’m in different place, I’m not resourceful as I do before, in Taiwan. This is a very complex situation to me. My boss and my friends they expecting me will back to work in Taiwan, which I appreciate their regards and offer. However in the same time, I already in different place. I want to focus what I should do in New York. Because I know my Visa lifetime is counting down. So I’m sorry to people who wait for me there.

Doing MFA program in New York, it is also a kind of release to me. I finally got time to truly focus on “what I want to do”. Back on myself and finding my pace, will be my biggest growth. Sounds super common… but I can say I’ve been waiting or this moment for 24 years.

This one year in New York really shape a new me. Meanwhile I still don’t know where is after, I feel strange to both New York and Taipei. Travel makes me miss the simple plain lifestyle. Like wake up with a lover beside my pillow, have a stable “lighthouse” in my mind. Now I have to stay moving, stay hyper to keep myself fresh, and happy. Hope I can find my lighthouse before 40, maybe is back to Taiwan, or lucky to stay in New York, I don’t know yet.

Thanks for this interview, wish us best luck in future!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://weiyuan0525.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/weiyuan0525/

Image Credits

Reference here :
https://weiyuan0525.com

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