Meet Yuwei Li

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Yuwei Li a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Yuwei, we are so appreciative of you taking the time to open up about the extremely important, albeit personal, topic of mental health. Can you talk to us about your journey and how you were able to overcome the challenges related to mental issues? For readers, please note this is not medical advice, we are not doctors, you should always consult professionals for advice and that this is merely one person sharing their story and experience.

I believe it is my passion and dedication to my career that have enabled me to overcome all difficulties and achieve my own goals. It is easy to complete a task, but it is extremely challenging to persist in doing one thing all the time. Of course, this includes both mental and physical issues. However, my attitude towards work and life is to be relaxed and disciplined, which helps me adjust my working state so that I can keep going and complete the work I want to do. But the most important thing is still love and dedication to painting. I have always been seeking better ways of artistic expression, so I have been trying different painting techniques, themes and materials, which makes me enjoy it. Also, the recognition of my works by collectors from different countries and regions always gives me a supportive force, allowing me to persist on this creative path.

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 have been engaged in the field of painting all along, such as block print, oil painting, acrylic painting and Chinese painting. My works are usually based on modern themes. My Bar series and Tibet series of paintings have been highly recognized by many collectors and the market. In my works, I like to explore the spiritual cleansing brought by religion and some life interests in modern life. I am still creating the Bar series now, in which I will recombine many seemingly unrelated elements to bring new visual impact and thinking. These semi-abstract and semi-figurative symbolic expressions will trigger new thoughts in different viewers. I think this is the charm of art. Recently, I have been making some new attempts, combining traditional Chinese ink elements with Western figures. This fusion is a new breakthrough for me.

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?

First and foremost, it’s about passion and enthusiasm. Discovering what you love and devoting yourself to it is a very important thing, because enjoying the process is a very happy thing. Secondly, it’s about persisting in what you choose. I think not only in career but in any aspect of life, it should be like this. To persist in yourself is a very cool thing. Finally, there is another factor, which is to be your own support. Use your courage to push yourself forward. Don’t be afraid of failure and setbacks. They are all the scenery before reaching the destination. Keep moving forward, and you will surely see the light.

We’ve all got limited resources, time, energy, focus etc – so if you had to choose between going all in on your strengths or working on areas where you aren’t as strong, what would you choose?

I don’t think these two viewpoints are in conflict. First of all, it’s important to find the field you love. Then, by delving deeper into it, you may discover more possibilities. What I mean is that even in a field you are good at, you will encounter aspects you are not good at. For instance, oil painting materials and block print materials are both ways of expression in the field of painting, but they are completely different. However, I like both, so I will try to master the use of these two materials and express my different feelings through these two media. Start from one point, and other aspects will naturally converge. In the process of imperceptible learning of new skills, I think this is the best way to improve oneself.

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