We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Winnie Chiu a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Winnie thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. I’m sure there have been days where the challenges of being an artist or creative force you to think about what it would be like to just have a regular job. When’s the last time you felt that way? Did you have any insights from the experience?
I am thrilled as an artist and a creative person. I can share the world from my perspective. At this stage, I am creating work for me and no one else. Yes, I do collaborations and commissions. All the paintings I create are for me and the value of my work is based on how much time I put into each work.
Art is my vocation and I’m aspiring to become a full-time artist. Like any job, the salary is the drug that keeps you there. While I do not have a 9-5, I do bartend a couple of days a week. It’s so much fun and is way more flexible than a traditional job which allows me more time to paint. I love the social aspect of bartending and getting to meet all kinds of different people. This is a big contrast to being alone in my own world when I’m painting in my studio.
The thought of having a traditional job is dreadful. It’s only in moments of weakness or comparison do I think about having a more traditional corporate job. When I let the judgments of others affect me, it’s when I doubt my artistic career the most. Whether that’s from friends with corporate careers or comments from a judgemental Auntie. These almost backhanded comments chip away at one’s inner child and the desire to keep going.
Winnie, 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?
I am an abstract painter. I see the world through shapes, colors and feelings. I use these shapes to abstract the people and places around me. Exploring their relationship to each other. It’s almost like a puzzle of my emotions. Trying to find the right pieces to fit the composition.
Art for me is about feelings, but business is about logic. This is the hard part about being an artist. I’ve had to learn my lessons the hard way through mistakes and trial and error, but unlike a canvas, financial mistakes are more costly and less forgiving.
In our digital culture, it can feel like the only way to stand out is to make videos or post content online. I feel conflicted about making videos of my art. It feels like a barrier between me and my art. One extra thing to think about. However, no one is going to know or discover me if I do not promote the work and social media is the name of the game when it comes to promotion. It adds another step in the process that adds time and mental energy.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
I think the most rewarding part of being an artist is being able to share your collection and knowledge with the world. Even if it’s just a few people, it is also sharing. I think being a painter is a very lonely process. nobody knows how many sketches or plans you go through to reach the final, nobody knows the number of changes you’ve made to get to a point that you’re satisfied. You are capturing the unknown on canvas. The amount of unfinished paintings I have is kinda crazy, the in-between of the finish but not is a weird stage. It is very rewarding to share it with others and have a discussion about it, even if it’s only a short amount of time. It not only gives me motivation, it also shifts my perspectives.
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?
I think the hardest thing for non-creatives to understand is the broader lifestyle required to produce great art. They often see a finished painting in a gallery or museam and think to themselves “I could do that”. But what they fail to see is the hours of sketching, the books read, the experiences that came together to form the idea of that painting. Paintings are not one offs, no matter how different it may be from an artists other works. They are the compounded result of all their life and experiences. It can be really discouraging when they dismiss this process. I think they would really see the world in a different way if they put themselves in the shoes of an artist’s life.
Non-creatives sometimes think that the only way to support an artist is to collect their work. While that is always appreciated, promoting liking or sharing our work is always helpful. Like recommending your favourite local restaurant, sometimes a kind word or comment goes a long way. Contributions can be emotional, not only financial. Sharing connections or relationships or offering spaces to showcase work are others ways one can support their artist friends.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://winniechiuart.com
- Instagram: @wiinnnniiee
