Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Xinyi Leng. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Xinyi thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

I have been interested in art since high school. However, at that time I didn’t consider it a career. Because it is risky for me at that time. I went to America for one year to study in Pennsylvania. After that, I come back to China. I have little time to prepare for the National Art Test and National College Entrance Examination in my country at the same time. Since I do well in other subjects, to go to a better college, I sacrifice the chance to learn art as an undergraduate.

I couldn’t give up on my dream of being an artist. In college, I engaged with a group of people who were serious and passionate about art and film. I start to seriously consider pursuing an art career.

I have been lost in college about whether to pursue an art career. One day in the quarantine, when COVID-19 was severe, I walked in the garden of my dormitory. A sound in my head said, “YYou only live once. If you are not going for it, you will regret it.” After that, I make the decision.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am now graduating from the Royal College of Art as a master. I have done an undergraduate in international business. I am a freelancer working in art and business.  I am co-running a start-up in Hong Kong. I am familiar with the Chinese market, advertising, social media, and finance industry. I also have a keen understanding of global contemporary art history and film history.

I have received education in America, Britain, and China. I have lived in different countries and know about the market and culture. I have experience in management and service design. I can help clients in America and Britain to enter the Chinese market. Or clients in China to enter American and British markets. I can do a consultation on international business. Feel free to consult me on the market, product, social media, finance, or the art market.

I am a generalist with much knowledge in business and art. I am always open to new areas of work and knowledge. To this point, my art and design work are mainly in contemporary art, writing, and service design.

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I have been lost in college about whether to pursue an art career. One day in the quarantine, when COVID-19 was severe, I walked in the garden of my dormitory. A sound in my head said, “You only live once. If you are not going for it, you will regret it.” After that, I make the decision.

Alright – so here’s a fun one. What do you think about NFTs?

I have a neutral opinion on NFTs. I have created some NFTs and managed to sell two of them. It is good to merchandise digital and manual artwork. It is also convenient for investors who are interested in the Web 3.0 market. However, there are lots of scams on the Internet about NFTs aimed at artists. Here are the signals of some frauds.
1. Give you a very high price, way over the market price.
2. Ask you to enter information into an untrustworthy website.
3. Seize to get information on your crypto wallet and bank information. This could happen in different forms.
If you want to enter the NFT market. I suggest you get a lot of information on the Internet and from friends. And be extra careful.  Since Web 3.0 is a financial market with very high risk, If you are a personal investor, I suggest you diversify your investment and put less money into it.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is that you can be yourself and express yourself. Through this, you communicate with the world deeply.
When you do another kind of work, it is always hard to express yourself and value your experience and emotions. Being an artist also connects your voice with others’ experiences. Since my MBTI is infp, I love to connect to others emotionally. I am an idealist and dreamer at heart. Creative work makes me express myself, escape from reality for a while, and connect with like-minded people.

I can also make my life experience more valuable through creative work. I write an essay to record and mourn the happiness and sorrows in life. And also to record and investigate into society.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lenglenglittleflame?igsh=MTI2czJhMGxiZ2dycQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/xinyi-leng-3aa7822ab?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app

Image Credits

All the photos are created by me. Not allow for commercial usage and secondary creation.