Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Yiyun Wang. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Yiyun, thank you so much for taking the time to share your lessons learned with us and we’re sure your wisdom will help many. So, one question that comes up often and that we’re hoping you can shed some light on is keeping creativity alive over long stretches – how do you keep your creativity alive?
I keep my creativity alive in three main ways:
First, I have many unconscious moments of daydreaming or getting lost in thought, I start making small sketches without any planning—just letting my emotions and instincts guide me. I keep these sketches, and when I feel creatively stuck, I revisit them. Often, they reignite the emotions or memories from that moment, giving me fresh creative energy and emotional connection.
Second, I live with obsessive thoughts, which means I tend to have excessive “deep thinking.” These ideas are not always complete or rational—sometimes they’re even strange or controversial—but whenever they overwhelm me or feel unresolved, I write them down. This happens often, so my pool of ideas is almost endless. As a narrative-oriented artist, I enjoy letting these ideas sit for a while, then weaving them into my work, almost like telling a story through visual form.
Lastly, I have an endless curiosity for experimentation. For example, if I see a beautiful collision of two colors on the street, I might try that combination in my own work, layering other colors to explore the atmosphere and emotions they create. As a multi-disciplinary artist, I work across painting, printmaking, ceramics, and sculpture, and I love combining them—recently, I’ve been merging ceramics with printmaking. Each medium offers endless avenues for discovery: in ceramics, different glazes and kiln temperatures; in painting and printmaking, various techniques and textures. Every experiment helps me grow and brings me new inspiration.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I am Yiyun Wang, a multidisciplinary artist working across painting, printmaking, ceramics, and sculpture. My work begins from a first-person perspective, using personal experiences as a lens to explore human nature and the shared connections between people.
Art is my way of confronting the difficulties and absurdities of life, reflecting on both myself and others. Influenced by psychology, philosophy, and surrealism, I create visual narratives that balance unity and difference, leaving space for open interpretation. I believe that different perspectives only enrich the meaning of my work, sparking new stories and reflections in the viewer’s mind.
Recently, I have been experimenting with combining ceramics and printmaking, exploring how materials, colors, and textures can merge to create both visual and emotional resonance. My goal is to create work that not only expresses my own growth and worldview but also offers the audience a shared space for emotional exchange.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
The three most important qualities in my journey have been curiosity, openness, and self-awareness. Curiosity drives me to experiment with new materials, techniques, and mediums, seeing each attempt as a learning opportunity. Openness to different perspectives allows my work to grow through diverse interpretations and influences. Self-awareness and reflection guide me to begin from my own experiences and gradually build towards broader narratives.
Do you think it’s better to go all in on our strengths or to try to be more well-rounded by investing effort on improving areas you aren’t as strong in?
I believe it’s important to lead with our strengths while steadily improving the areas we’re less confident in, rather than trying to be equally strong in everything. There’s an old story in China I resonate with—it’s about a butcher who could carve up an ox without dulling his knife. His secret was following the natural grain of the meat and the structure of the bones, working with what was already there.
To me, life works the same way. We should observe ourselves closely, understand our own talents and passions, and focus our energy where it flows most naturally. At the same time, addressing weaker areas can open new possibilities and make our core strengths even stronger.
In my own practice, my strengths lie in narrative-driven concepts and multidisciplinary experimentation. These guide the direction of my work, but learning new technical skills—such as advanced glazing in ceramics or unfamiliar printmaking techniques—has allowed me to expand my visual language. Building on what I’m already good at while staying curious about what I don’t yet know keeps my process both grounded and open-ended.
Contact Info:
- Website: Website currently in progress
- Instagram: ohgass_（currently personal content, artwork updates coming soon)
