Today we’d like to introduce you to Xuezhu Jenny Wang
Hi Xuezhu Jenny, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I studied art and architectural history in college and quickly became interested in writing, especially art criticism, as it translates the history and sometimes opaque theories behind art into digestible forms.
When I met editor and curator Anna Mikaela Ekstrand, who publishes Cultbytes and organizes a biennial called The Immigrant Artist Biennial, she generously invited me to be the writer-in-residence for the biennial’s 2023 run. The writing residency gave me the opportunity to interview artists from over 35 different countries. It offered a truly international perspective that allowed me to see what each artist, with different backgrounds and migration journeys, brought into this vibrant art scene. That’s when I started wanting to highlight the stories of international migrants, especially those working in creative fields.
This year, with the socio-political changes that are happening, I decided: it’s now or never. I started IMPULSE Magazine to publish art criticism, interviews, personal essays, and opinion essays that revolve around culture and social justice discourses. We have so far welcomed over 60 contributors hailing from different parts of the world. IMPULSE Magazine has now become a place where art and culture are talked about in personal, anthropological, and nuanced ways.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
No, but it’s been an amazing learning process. The biggest challenge was understanding editorial work and publishing as a business. In order to keep everything afloat, it’s really important to establish a realistic budget and have a revenue model. Unfortunately, publishing and journalism are not known to be a lucrative field; of course, we could do advertising and PR, but there’s a certain threshold as to how much “PR-ism” can be included until it starts to dilute the kind of content we really want to spotlight.
Another challenge is understanding the limitations of my own research and knowledge. Since I spend a lot of time in New York and LA, sometimes it’s hard to cover a wide geographic range and assign global stories to IMPULSE writers. Fortunately, I have been working with a team of experienced writers who can always come up with fascinating story ideas. It’s truly a matter of trusting your colleagues and intentionally opening up your perspective.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I spend most of my time writing, editing, and publishing articles now. Writing art reviews and conducting artist interviews have constantly challenged me to think outside the box and understand the art world through the perspective of a listener and interpreter. I’ve also gotten to explore how art intersects with complex social causes, such as feminism, gender rights, and environmentalism.
Since incorporating editing into my work, I realized that writing teaches me how to be better at editing, and vice versa. Through writing, I learned the importance of preserving each writer’s unique voice and respecting individual opinions. On the other hand, editing taught me so much about concision, organization, and prioritizing clarity as a writer.
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
It’s really important to be open-minded and receptive to other people’s opinions. I’ve been so blessed to have collaborators, friends, and colleagues who are extremely outspoken, opinionated, and assertive. I love that. They help me identify my weaknesses and keep me in check. It doesn’t hurt to try doing things a bit differently than the norm.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://impulsemagazine.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/impulse_magazine_/
Image Credits
Photos by Eris Spirollari
