Because of the unique grain and tone of negative films, I had a feeling I was going to be taking photographs. Once, I submitted my entry to a photo contest I heard about during class, the 37th Annual College & High School Photography Contest, but I didn’t expect to be a finalist. When I received the collection book, I still couldn’t believe my photo was published in the photo book. Transferring to CalArts, I was a recipient of Lillian Disney Scholarship. Somehow, there was a voice encouraging me to keep photographing. Since then I started to notice my talent in art. As an introverted person, I enjoy being a bystander while watching the world and collecting information. This made me highly sensitive and delicate to my surroundings.
This year I worked with a local dental clinic, Homecare, in my home town Taiyuan. I made videos to promote their brand value. My introverted character made me a very good listener and empathized with my client. I could understand and integrate their needs into my work. Trust was quickly established, and communication between us was greatly improved. I realized that when I solved difficulties one after another, I unintentionally overcame the anxiety that bothered my early years. Now I am very interested in positive psychology and some ancient Asian philosophical concepts, which helped me a lot as I went through it. Now I'm thinking about how to incorporate them into art.
Only having fragmental ideas and good wishes is far away from a mature project. Ideas need to be supported by strong logical reason and precise visual language. UW is a comprehensive university where I could take advantage of different fields of knowledge. By continuing studying and training, I want to figure out how to develop thoughts through valid research and gather more knowledge to deepen the conception of artwork. The second thing I want to get from the MFA program is to develop a proper visual language with different media. My current work stays in inkjet photo prints, and I want to be bold. Understanding the narrative capacity and having the ability to handle multiple media is crucial, and can lead me to the next level.
Also, as a contemporary artist, work interdisciplinary is unavoidable. Building close relationships with cohorts immensely broadens the possibility and gives more options to achieve the result. I believe after the study for MFA I could have more control over expressing abstract and emotional sentiments. With a precise and accurate presentation, I wish my art could heal and comfort more people from unnoticeable psychological subhealth.
