Today we’d like to introduce you to Grace Wang.
Hi Grace, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I was born in the coastal city of San Francisco and spent my childhood growing up in a warm, lemon yellow Queen Anne wrapped with white trimmings. The dry summers were spent outside feeding seagulls every Sunday at Golden Gate Park with my parents. The misty winters were spent indoors, using markers to draw all over the carpet, the roof of the car, and on every reflective surface. My parents were not quite happy with my newfound creative outlets. I was like a puppy that had opposable thumbs. Instead of marking my territory, I’d leave a scribble wherever I went. Soon I was in a new home inside a much quieter neighborhood where I had my own room with a terrifying attic attached and a backyard filled with plants, ample grass, and fruit trees. I started sketching, painting, and creating with whatever little scraps of material I got my hands on. I delved into fine art, ceramics, illustration, then ultimately advertising. Although I was interested in a plethora of subjects, my aspirations laid within the design world. I went to New York for a semester; until frankly, it became unsustainable financially then transferred to Los Angeles, where I had an almost full-ride scholarship and hopped from apartment to couch and apartment again for the duration of my college career.
Eleven roommates, many tears, sleepless nights, and a gross number of energy drinks later, I graduated from college on December 2019 with an abundance of offers from a variety of companies and a shiny new path clear in front of me. We got news that my dad was diagnosed with late stage cancer just a couple of days later. I thought about the little lemon yellow house where I grew up, where my dad taught me how to ride a bike, capture unsuspecting seagulls, and headed back home. This pandemic was heartbreaking and challenging, with more lows than highs. From pressures in limited job availabilities to navigating health issues within our family; life was not forgiving this year, but sometimes all you can do is make the best decisions of all existing paths you have. Every day is hard, but it’s easier with a loving support system, and you will be surprised to find out how much strength you have and how much pain you can bear. My current aspirations lie in delivering genuine meaning and value through art direction and creating with intent.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Professionally, my determination and acknowledgment of failure pushes me to do any role to the best of my abilities. Failure plays an important role in the process of designing. It takes countless trials and errors in order to ‘perfect’ something. Being able to recognize the reality of it helps brings clarity and better concentration while working on projects. Oftentimes, I find myself getting tunnel-vision, leading to more problems than solutions. In those cases, the best thing to do might be to scrap everything and start over. The problem is that we become so afraid of failure that we refuse to see our problems from a new perspective. Persistence and patience is the end goal. Easier said than done!
Personally, my parents suffer from a myriad of health issues – with the most recent and devastating one being stage four cancer. Both of them had been through surgeries to help ease their pain. It’s an unfortunate effect of having older parents. Even so, this only lends more appreciation for the time I have left with them; it took a lot of lukewarm showers and gazing distantly into walls before I wrapped my head around that. It’s a lot to cope with, but life must be hard for everyone right now. I try not to feel so alone or isolate myself. With so much shared hurt going around the world, it’s become easier to connect with people to share the pain and ease our collective burdens. Currently, I’m just trying as hard as I can to stay happy and make something good happen for myself!
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am an aspiring junior art director in the advertising industry. My professional experiences vary with roles in multi-media advertising campaigns, branding with intent and awareness, and color design; essentially, solving problems through creative solutions. I’ve worked on a colorful Venmo campaign about its ability to split anything and a Poppin campaign featuring how office supplies can have the ability to brighten your workspace. A notable assignment would be Wounded Warrior Project, where I depicted real veteran soldiers as green army toys. I don’t have a linear or defined career goal. I only strive to be surrounded by people who inspire and think diversely while overcoming impossibilities that come my way. I don’t execute briefs through only one medium – I try to attack problems from every angle and constantly challenge myself to incorporate other forms of art, whether they be: illustrations, graphics, fashion, photography, or video. The details can make your work stand out. If I decide to do something, it’s going to be done, and it’s going to be done with the best of my abilities.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
Risk implies the possibility of failure or loss; it is shrouded in uncertainty. Advertising was a risk to me. ‘Only 3% of creative directors are women’ Currently, it sits at 11%. I vividly remember hearing this in High School. It didn’t sound real. There was no way women made up such a small percentage of the design/entertainment industry. The reality of the gender imbalance in my desired field is definitely hard to swallow, but it only makes me all more determined to change the tides. It is so valuable to see diversity reflected and for workplaces to foster a progressive, welcoming, and safe environment. I hope I can provide that as a designer, art director, and creative director.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: http://cultofgrace.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cult_of_grace/
Image Credits
Grace Wang
