We recently connected with Ziwei Liu and have shared our conversation below.
Ziwei, 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?
For an animator or an artist, creativity is a crucial skill. I describe this ability simply as the process of capturing a sense of freshness and putting it into practice. To maintain this ability, the key is to preserve that sense of freshness. For me, I do this in two ways.
The first is to go outside frequently and record what I see—whether it’s interesting or not—simply based on whether I feel like recording it. The second is to abandon overthinking everything I see and instead follow my initial, instinctive reaction.
The first part is easy to understand: these observations become part of my creative resources. As I record them, they naturally transform into part of my thoughts. The second part, however, is more challenging, especially in an era where overthinking is the norm. Nowadays, every action or artwork seems to require a special meaning, and people gradually abandon meaningless things. But meaninglessness can actually be a powerful trigger for creativity. You don’t need to overanalyze—just follow your initial feeling when you see something and record it accordingly. This approach often leads to many interesting creative processes.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I am currently a graduate student. My undergraduate major was related to curation, but for my graduate studies, I made a cross-disciplinary shift to animation. So, I suppose I am now an animator.
This transition has been quite interesting—I know more about other disciplines than most animation students, and at the same time, I understand animation better than most curators. I enjoy exploring different fields, dabbling in graphic design, film, and more. I believe that all forms of art influence and advance each other.
I am particularly interested in the psychological impact of large-scale objects, dinosaurs, and miniature models on humans. Right now, I am preparing for my graduation project and actively looking for job opportunities.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
I believe the first key is to stay humble and composed, the second is perseverance, and the third is to have confidence in your work—at least during the creative process.
In artistic creation, it’s difficult for artists to avoid periods of stagnation, but what matters is not to fall into excessive self-doubt or anxiety because these phases are a natural part of the process. During these times, all you can do is keep working at your own pace. Whether you produce more or less doesn’t matter much—slow progress will still get you to the finish line. This is what I mean by staying humble and persevering.
As for confidence, as an artist, you must always maintain strong faith in your work, at least while you’re creating it. However, this confidence does not mean arrogance or complacency. Instead, it means being loyal to and trusting your own work. You need to believe that what you create represents your current thoughts and abilities rather than doubting yourself.
Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?
My parents have always been quite supportive of my decisions, from pursuing art to studying abroad. However, one sentence from my mother has stuck with me for a long time. She once told me, “If you want to change society, you must first adapt to it, and then choose to influence it subtly.”
When I first heard this, I was still young and didn’t quite understand what it meant—I just thought it was an interesting idea. But as I grew older, I realized how true it is. Artists often place ideals above reality, seeking spiritual fulfillment even when they lack financial stability. However, humans are social beings, and when struggling to survive, it may not be wise to strongly criticize society without first securing a stable footing—it could lead to more loss than gain.
Many great satirical artworks criticizing society were created by artists who had already gained recognition and success. They had adapted well to society, which gave them the energy and resources to challenge it. That’s why this sentence always pulls me back whenever I find myself drifting too far from reality.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://captainwwang.wixsite.com/wangwang
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ziweiliu.wang?igsh=enB3eTE0eXVsNXFj&utm_source=qr
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ziwei-liu-805898337?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ziweiliu-wang
Image Credits
Ziwei Liu（Wangwang）
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