We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Mercedes Ng. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Mercedes below.
Mercedes, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. The first dollar you earn is always exciting – it’s like the start of a new chapter and so we’d love to hear about the first time you sold or generated revenue from your creative work?
“Am I ever going to make it as an artist?” That’s the question I have asked myself daily since I was in college. The answer had always been, “Maybe someday.” This worry plagued me for a long time.
I graduated from university in December 2020 and have been trying to grow and expose my artwork through social media. In 2021, I made tons and tons of paintings. For fun as well as for future shows, hoping somebody would start buying my work. But at that point, there was very little success.
I learned how to make Instagram reels and started posting time-lapse videos of my painting processes. One day, I posted a time-lapse of my grapefruit painting. There seemed to be little difference between this one and all the others I had made previously. To my surprise, someone reached out and said they wanted to buy this grapefruit painting! The funny thing was, she was an acquaintance of an acquaintance and had heard about me that way. Regardless, I was utterly ecstatic to earn my first $65 dollars and was utterly grateful that my hard work was finally being noticed. The start was absolutely scary, and I had no idea how it would turn out. But since then, I have never stopped learning and applying. I apply for everything, every show that catches my eye, every grant I think I could handle, every doable residency; in order to continue to put myself out there. Because I was willing to take chances, numerous people have reached out to me for commissions and I was able to get my art off the ground.
Making it as a fine artist has been a slow process for me. I love the quote by American painter, Wayne Thiebaud, “I haven’t the slightest idea what art is, but to be a painter is something of which you have to prove. Art is not delivered like the morning paper; it has to be stolen from Mount Olympus.” I am constantly reminding myself to be patient and to celebrate each achievement I make.
Mercedes, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
My full name is Mercedes Nok Yi Ng (吳諾怡). I am a Hong Kong-born fine artist and oil painter. I have always wanted to be an artist since I was a little child, and I feel like it’s a miracle and privilege that I am making that dream happen. I started as a Painting student at the University of Utah and then transferred to Brigham Young University to finish my Bachelor of Art, in Arts.
What sets my paintings apart from others is my subject matter. Here in Utah, I see a lot of paintings of arches and American landscapes (buffalo and the like). Not that there’s anything wrong with those, many of them are quite good. I just feel that my art shines in its contrast. My oil paintings display my fascination with the grand skyline of Hong Kong and my identity as a BIPOC artist. I want to share with others my story growing up in Hong Kong and what it’s like being a person of color here.
I provide original oil paintings and prints for sale in markets and on my online shop. I also do commissions of still lifes and landscapes. Numerous people have told me to charge much more for my work. But I am proud to offer my works at a price that younger generations like me can afford and put up on their walls. I understand the struggles of getting wages that don’t match up to inflation. It really sucks trying to save up, only to find what we want is once again out of our reach. Many people struggle to keep a roof over their heads. I like to think my art can brighten up a room without evicting people from it. I always price my works high enough to pay myself and low enough for others to buy.
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?
Non-creatives tend to see art as recreation instead of a real job because they believe in the myth that all artists are starving unless you make it to the MoMA (Museum of Modern Art[The big fancy one in New York]). What many struggle to understand is that artists are serious creators who are constantly making new works and putting themselves out there. Some artists even operate as small business owners where they sell works at art fairs and markets or even online. Spending hours painting and even more setting up booths, websites, and packages is how I spend most of my time. We don’t do it as a leisure activity. It’s a serious business.
There’s this big concept of the “starving artist.” Someone who lives their lives couchsurfing, struggling to make any ends meet. Sure, the first few years were really hard. But just like any start-up business, you start with little more than a couple hundred bucks in your bank account and maybe a pretty piece of paper saying you’re qualified, and you go from there. It’s all about managing your time and expenses. For the first two years, if all I did was art I might have fallen into that “starving artist” stereotype. So I worked. I worked several part-time jobs to keep myself afloat; all the while while making art whenever I had a spare moment. Unlike a startup business, people don’t just throw money at you as an “investment.” But there are other options. I am always applying for grants and exhibitions to get my works in the public eye. As I’ve been attending more shows and art fairs, I have been receiving more and more attention. Then come the commission requests and increased sales.
Non-creatives may call me a “starving artist;” I don’t agree. Artists are resourceful. And if I need to work extra hours at my non-art jobs, I will do so for the sake of art, and not starving. Sometimes I am judged as not good enough because my career doesn’t come with the traditional 9-5 benefits, like 401ks or health insurance. This doesn’t mean I’m struggling or am some poor helpless artist bound by the chains of artistic creation. It means I’m a fighter. I’m an entrepreneur. I may not be famous or listed in the Fortune 500. But I am happy to do what I love and am grateful to do it while not starving or broke.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
I love what I do, and I think that’s more than enough reason for me to be an artist. It’s my happy place and where I go to find peace. After I graduated, I was so caught up in building a successful artist career. I cared so much about numbers, for instance: How many followers and likes I had on social media. How much money I made. How many paintings I could make in a month. I forgot how to enjoy the process and just be happy with doing it. It’s rewarding to create something out of a blank space. It’s really all for me. I love to think my art can help, educate, and empower others. But, I do it mainly because I enjoy it.
I would still choose to be painting in my studio every spare minute I have, even if I were not making any money or had zero followers. I also acknowledge that it is a privilege to be making art. Not everyone who wants to be an artist stays being an artist. I know I am the happiest in my studio, and that itself is rewarding.
Contact Info:
- Website: mercedesng.com
- Instagram: mercedesng_art