Meet Yetong Xin

We recently connected with Yetong Xin and have shared our conversation below.

Yetong, we’re so excited for our community to get to know you and learn from your journey and the wisdom you’ve acquired over time. Let’s kick things off with a discussion on self-confidence and self-esteem. How did you develop yours?
I really enjoy using a sense of achievement to cultivate my confidence and self-esteem. Whenever I put my heart and soul into completing a piece of work, publish it online, or submit it to film festivals, awards, or exhibitions, I often receive encouragement and praise from others. At first, these accolades were only a small fraction, but even if just a few people appreciated my work, I cherished their compliments and used them as motivation to move forward. As such motivation increases, my trust in myself also grows day by day.

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 am a 3D digital artist from China, currently studying at Harvard University in the United States. I am proficient in motion capture, dynamic graphics, 3D and XR technologies, projection, and interactive media. My portfolio spans a range of fields, including animation, film, gaming, advertising, immersive exhibitions, and architectural projections. Before coming to Harvard for advanced studies, I worked as a freelancer providing design services for various companies and studios, and I was also invited as an artist to participate in art exhibitions in locations such as Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, and New York. Currently, I am researching how to integrate AIGC as a creative tool into the workflow of 3D artistic creation. I aim to expand the boundaries of my work, combining it with more media carriers, such as AIGC, machine learning, and XR, to present more beautiful visual art.

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?
The three qualities that have most significantly influenced my journey are perseverance, passion, and responsibility.

In my studies, work, and creative process, “perseverance” is the most essential quality. The process of creating art and design projects is often filled with difficulties and changes, and may also face tight schedules and high pressure. In such an environment, perseverance is indispensable. Moreover, to possess deep expertise and a unique skill in the field of art and design, I must consistently practice and learn, ensuring I am not left behind by trends.

Passion is also a crucial quality; without it, there is no love for creation. Passion can be directed towards things or people; having passion for things means loving what one does, leading to more heartfelt completion of each work. Passion for people creates sincerity and friendliness, allowing one to make more like-minded friends, which is essential for sustaining creative endeavors.

Lastly, responsibility is a virtue every creator should uphold. We must be accountable for our work and our clients, but most importantly, for ourselves. We need to continuously refine our work to our satisfaction.

For students just embarking on their creative journey, I believe it’s important to first find where their passion lies and clarify in which area they wish to develop long-term. Once they have a goal, they should cultivate a sense of responsibility and a resilient spirit, delving deeply into their field until they find their own style and rhythm.

What would you advise – going all in on your strengths or investing on areas where you aren’t as strong to be more well-rounded?
In my view, when people discover their passion, understand what they are good at, and know what they enjoy, they should fully leverage their strengths in that niche. They should delve deeply into their field until their expertise surpasses most others, becoming an irreplaceable skill. This is because, in the context of modern society’s division of labor, specialized skills are in high demand. Focusing too much on areas where one is not skilled can lead to loss of confidence due to setbacks and potentially result in losing core competitive strength in one’s field.

During my time as a freelancer, I found that clients valued the cohesion and technicality in my work more than the number of technologies I knew. As designers, we often need a core skill or piece of work that shows clients it meets their needs. Therefore, I am in favor of fully capitalizing on one’s strengths.

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