We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Cindy Lam. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Cindy below.

Cindy, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your creative career sooner or later?

I became a full-time artist a few years ago after careers in different industries specializing in marketing and sales. Growing up in an immigrant family I was subtlety deterred from pursuing a career in art. I say subtlety as my parents never forbade me from participating in art but they often told the story about an uncle who was an artist and the outcast of the family. This infamous uncle constantly struggled financially and was always borrowing money from family and friends as he never had a “normal” job. He was shunned and cast as the black sheep in the family. As a child I quickly equated that being an artist would only lead to being ostracized and that it was a negative path to pursue. My parents believed anything art related should be a hobby rather than something one pursued as a career. I do sometimes wonder how much further along I would be in my art career if they had been a bit more supportive as they did recognize my early interest and signs of possible talent. However, I also understand they felt they were trying to protect me from taking a potentially challenging path.

Even though I always performed quite well in my jobs as my parents instilled a strong work ethic in me, I constantly felt something was missing. I did try to fill the creative void by pursuing creative practices such as painting, photography, and jewellery making in my spare time but the more I did creative things on the side the more I craved for it to be my full-time focus. I did not want art to just be a hobby. Luckily, my husband was very supportive and encouraged me to pursue art full time. He saw how happy I was whenever I was covered in paint splotches! I resigned from a corporate sales job a few years ago and have not looked back. In addition to making art full time, I also went back to school 1.5 years ago to pursue an Master of Fine Art degree. I am currently in the final stages of the program. There’s a part of me that wished I was brave enough to pursue art as a career earlier. Sometimes I feel like I am playing catch up but I also know because I was in unfulfilling jobs in the past, I appreciate and treasure what I am doing now so much more.

Cindy, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am a visual artist based in Toronto Canada and am primarily a painter but I also work with different mediums including film, photography, textiles and with the process of papermaking by hand to create mixed media pieces. My most recent works are a departure from my paintings on canvas in that they feature paper as a primary medium which is combined with stitching, watercolours and various inks.

Paper is often viewed as an ubiquitous everyday material and when it comes to art, traditionally paper is only recognized as a surface for two dimensional paintings and drawings but I work with it differently. I make paper the star of the show! As a seemingly ordinary material, paper carries historical, cultural, social, and economic weight and can be used to explore a variety of modern day political and social issues. I really enjoy working with paper as a medium as it is a very versatile and tactical medium.

My latest stitched paper works have been exhibited at various art fairs and shows. The response to them has been very positive. People often remark that they have never seen anything like them and the pieces makes them look at paper in a different light. I am really happy that I have developed these works that simultaneously encapsulates my conceptual concerns and allow me to work with a medium in a very tactical way. In highly a digital age where faster is often deemed better and where we spend hours in front of screens, I believe that paper’s “slowness” helps to reset and replenish what the digital may have taken away. Due to all the layers and details in my works it encourages viewers to look at them slowly, creating moments of stillness and perhaps leading to reflection. I have been told they are calming and spark curiosity at the same time.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is I get to learn something new every day. There is always a technique or medium or history and social ties to different forms of art that is new to me. I’m like a giant sponge, constantly eager and excited to soak it all in. As mentioned before because I was in unfulfilling jobs before I am really thankful that I finally get to do what I love everyday. I used to count the hours (sometimes minutes!) before I could stop working but now time just whizzes by and I’m completely engrossed in the process of creating art. It’s very cliche but when you’re doing what you really enjoy it does not feel like work at all.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

Some non-creative friends and family struggle to understand what I “do” all day but they may not realize that there is a lot of reflection, research and planning in the execution of my work. Like many other artists I refer to my work as a practice, as it is constantly evolving and because art is subjective there is no state of perfection. For me it a constant opportunity for reflection and growth.

In addition, from a commercial stand point there is a lot of administrative, marketing, and logistical work involved in finding exhibiting opportunities and towards the selling of my work. I’m essentially running a small business (while being a student too at the moment) and trying to balance creating art that is commercially appealing but also has meaning behind it which is very important to me. It’s a bit of a balancing act but also very fulfilling when it all comes together.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.cylstudios.ca
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cylam_art/?hl=en