Today we’d like to introduce you to Zixuan Chen.
Hi Zixuan, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
When I was a child, if you asked me what my least favorite subject was, I would have answered mathematics, and if you asked me what my favorite was, I would have said drawing. However, it seems that life often has its own plans. In college, I ended up majoring in finance, spending my days with the very “numbers” and “rational logic” I despised. I tried to find various reasons to envision a brighter future: perhaps once I started earning money, my “likes” would no longer feel out of reach. I often found myself pushed in a certain direction, filled with a sense of resignation.
However, one day during my third year of college, I suddenly felt that maybe all I needed was a little courage. So, at the age of 19, armed with that courage, I made a life-changing decision—to pursue a Master’s degree in graphic design, crossing over from my original major.
Looking back today, my life has unfolded naturally since that decision: I continued to draw the comics I secretly doodled during high school classes, used visual art to explore the music I loved, designed logos and posters for brands, created a graduation project featuring my beloved dolls, and even had my work exhibited.
You might ask if the road after that decision was free of challenges? Of course not. In fact, in comparison, the difficulties I faced at the age of 19 seem like just another ordinary stop in my life’s journey. However, I will always remember the courage I had back then – it was the wellspring of strength that allowed me to face each new challenge with composure.
Now, as you can see, I am a graphic designer, illustrator, comic enthusiast, and doll collector, striving to become the character in my dreams—preferably with a cat by my side.
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?
I have encountered many challenges, such as being in a foreign country with a completely new language and cultural environment. As an introverted person, I struggled with expressing myself and faced numerous difficulties in areas like socializing and job hunting. However, I am grateful for the understanding and tolerance shown by my teachers, classmates, colleagues, and friends, as well as my family; they have truly provided me with a lot of encouragement.
On the flip side, immersing myself in a new field, exploring design concepts, and developing my own style has come with challenges. But, it has also come with growth and evolution.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a graphic designer, illustrator, comic enthusiast, and toy collector.
I pride myself on consistently finding a unique language in my designs that allows for a deep exploration of my hobbies, including whistling, vaporwave music, memes, comics, and toys. This approach facilitates the expression of my reflections on life and my attitudes towards it.
Consider my graduation project “Beneath the Shell” as an example. In this project, I drew inspiration from my passion for toys and animation. I portrayed my fantasies about objects as living entities, capturing my quest for meaning and interconnectedness. These fantasies aren’t mere daydreams; they act as rituals to resurrect and safeguard emotions that are often overlooked or repressed. The term ‘shell’ denotes the object’s outer surface, under which a spiritual world exists. This inner world is defined by both aimlessness and earnestness, offering rewards beyond the tangible. It represents emotions in an age dominated by rapid information exchange and intense pressures, an era where the subtle allure of spiritual fantasies can appear superfluous.
As the Chinese philosopher Zhuangzi once stated, “People know the benefits of being useful, but nobody understands the benefits of being useless.” Through this project, I aspire to inspire others to seek meaning and to spotlight hidden yet significant emotions.
Recently, “Beneath the Shell” was exhibited at the Elephant Room Gallery in Chicago, which was incredibly encouraging!
Additionally, my fascination with dolls inspired me to create an Instagram account, taishouzuiye, which showcases the daily lives of my ‘creepy’ dolls. I habitually bring my dolls along on my travels, making them indispensable companions on my journeys.
Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
When I was in elementary school, I lived in a small community named Zhangling in Ankang City, Shaanxi Province, China. This community was built on a mountain, so the roads were unevenly laid out across various elevations. At the foot of the mountain flowed the Han River.
Every day after school, instead of taking the main roads, I would take a unique route back home by climbing over walls. This route went as follows: from the elementary school, I would climb over the wall to the high school, then from the high school to the post office, from the post office over another wall to a garden, and from the garden, I would climb along a water pipe to reach the ground, and then finally head home. This made my journey home twice as long, but I truly enjoyed it.
Another memory I have is of finding a piece of glass under my apartment building, which I thought was as beautiful as a crystal. I treasured it so much that I buried it in the soil beneath my building. Fifteen years later, I returned to the same spot to dig it up, but it had disappeared.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://tarotaro.info/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chendazhuang__?igsh=MW5qajg2NWFhM2Jkaw%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
- Linkedin: http://linkedin.com/in/zixuan-c-326b11276
