We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Xue DiMaggio a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Xue, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. One of our favorite things to hear about is stories around the nicest thing someone has done for someone else – what’s the nicest thing someone has ever done for you?
The kindest thing anyone has ever done for me, especially in regard to my creativity, was to believe in me. It might sound trite but truthfully, having those who were always in my creative corner helped me build the confidence and freedom to continue creating without the weight of all the “what ifs”. As someone who has long struggled with feelings of enough-ness and worth, it truly filled my cup to hear and see my loved ones so strongly advocate for my art and accept it as something that is simply a part of me – an extension of self. Judgement always feels scary and as a person who can easily slip back into pleasing others over prioritizing myself it was an integral step for me to boldly and unapologetically create what I wanted to. I also think back to my formative years of growing up in grade school, when adults would ask, “what do you want to be when you grow up?”. I used to enthusiastically say “an artist!!” but as I continued to grow, I internalized a lot of those adults responses to me saying an artist. Comments like “get ready to be a poor artist” or “oh but you’re so smart you should do ___instead.” made me feel like I was somehow wrong and that my dream was wrong. A lot of doubt and judgement and negative opinions about being an artist shamed me into feeling like being an artist wasn’t enough. That shame led me to pursue other studies that society deems more “impressive” or “valuable”, which ultimately prolonged my internal battle of identity and perception of self. I think that a lot of what individuating and building who you are and want to be involves re-constructing what worth is to you – regardless of the environmental, societal, cultural beliefs that might surround you. I am incredibly grateful for all the kindness that people in my life have provided that has given me the power and bravery to continue building toward my authentic self, to be unapologetically me. As humans we yearn for understanding, for belonging, to be seen in all of our messy glory and for me, art is the truest form of my truth. I think back on younger me, eager for approval and for care, and thank all those in my life who gave me the love and encouragement to express whatever I needed to. If everyone was given the encouragement to do what fills them with the most joy, I think the world would be a happier, more authentic place filled with humans who follow their hearts a little more and listen to other’s opinions on their lives a little less.
Xue, 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 name is Xue DiMaggio, I grew up on the Central Coast of California and now reside in Los Angeles. I manage a website platform for my art, [www.xuedimaggioart.com] as well as a newly formed shop called Squiggly [www.squiggly.me]. My paintings and drawings are featured primarily on my personal website whereas Squiggly is home to specific goods & products that feature my creativity (such as colorful beeswax candles & t-shirts).
What I believe to be the most striking in my art is my use of color. My friends fondly call me a “color wizard” and I can’t help but feel like my color palette is my magic and my paintbrushes are my wand. For me color speaks in ways that words cannot. For me color is a feeling, a cloud of energy, emotion in motion. My creative work reflects my environment growing up, colorful movement and pattern with a strong tethering to the intangible power and presence of nature and how we interact with organic forms. Sitting by the ocean and watching the waves crash during a sunset were constants in my childhood and my first creative influences. Since then I’ve sought to capture the nebulous currents of life in all of my colorful creations.
Along with color, my creations highlight human forms amidst what I call mental landscapes. These mental landscapes are like gardens of the mind, dreamscapes studded with botanical foliage, celestial markings and the occasional hint of a human. Part of my ongoing creative challenge is expressing what cannot be contained in words. I want people to feel something when they look at my art. Like life, subjectivity is an integral part of my creations. I like when each person can see and interpret different things in each piece because it demonstrates the positionality and various perspectives that we all carry with us and how they impact our perceptions. My art are slides of my mind, materialized in a way that invites the viewer in, a moment of reflection, a creation of connection.
What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?
Being an artist in today’s society is both a gift and a challenge. Given the capitalist, productivity-driven lives we are expected to live, de-coupling worth and productivity is essential in any creative pursuits. I think that the linearity we are taught at a young age to live by is a disservice to the planet as a whole as well as our own individual wellbeing. It’s a very Western, Euro-centric train of thought that progress is linear and that ‘development’ as a vague end-goal means the erasure of more cyclical, holistic practices of thought. By being taught that achievement and productivity is what gives you more standing in society, we have forgotten what it means to be sustainable, on personal levels as well as a society as a whole.
Thinking of the arts as an ecosystem means that time and production should no longer be the measurement of value, but rather the whole journey and process of being you that led to a creation. As the saying goes, the journey is the destination. Given all of the things that compete for our attention these days and the constant pressure to be ‘doing’, it’s no wonder that a lot of us are overworked, tired and burnt out. I believe that a sustainable, thriving creative community requires a 1) personal commitment to non-judgement and self-care of one’s body and mind as well as 2) an overall shift in perspective on what gives our lives meaning. For some pursuing wealth or status is what gives people meaning but at what cost? I think that connecting with each other and examining our own metrics of success can help us all reframe what it is to be human.
Art has been a vehicle for expression for as long as humanity has existed and I hope that it continues to be. However, the divides between us all continue to deepen as inequities reproduce and wealth and wellness disparities increase. These inequalities privilege some over others & that privilege influences what kind of art is created, shared and shown to the world. Especially as technology proceeds and new platforms emerge, the lives of creatives have shifted a lot in the face of online sharing. As the art world continues to evolve, I believe it is essential to support your fellow creatives in any form you can (like, comment, share etc!) as well as support creative arts programs and opportunities in your communities and schools. Creative arts are often the first sectors to get cut out when weighed and measured and that lack of access and opportunity for all communities is the first indicator of how we value our creative arts and artists as a whole. I believe that showing up as a proud artist and giving young people the tools and space to explore their creativity is essential in cultivating a thriving creative ecosystem. My goal is to live like the example my younger, insecure artist self needed and if all aspiring creatives could have that kind of modeling I think that the creative community would be better for it.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is being surrounded by art. We take in so much information from our surroundings and what we immerse ourselves in. By being an artist, I inadvertently find myself drawn to other creatives. I find it endlessly exciting and inspiring to see my journey reflected in other’s creativity and finding kindred creative spirits is the fuel my soul needs. I perceive everything around me as art and that kind of perspective makes living extremely beautiful, striking, poignant and magical. Looking at a tree and seeing the shades of yellows, greens, browns, where the branches create shadows and contrast, the way the leafs wiggle in the wind, everything is fodder for creation. This point of view also lends a compassion and understanding that everything and everyone is art, a stunning work in progress, layers and layers of life and living, beautiful proof of life and trying. Knowing the pathways I take to create a piece gives me a framework of grace to live by. Creating is never linear for me and my creative inclinations dip and bob with shifting ideas and thoughts. I am most often led by my intuition and valuing that internal voice has benefited me in all aspects of my life. Being an artist makes me be painfully present sometimes, and working through a piece often makes me confront my attachment to a certain outcome or expectation. Working through the fear of ‘messing something up’ or anxiety of making the wrong choice is a parallel to my personal life but through creating it becomes clear that nothing is a mistake, and permanence is a facade of control. Creating becomes less about “what is it?” and more about the fact that it just is. I am a creative combustion of energy and thought and I love being able to share that existence with the world.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.xuedimaggioart.com & www.squiggly.me
- Instagram: @xuedimaggioart
Image Credits
Photos by Xue DiMaggio