We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Yongbo Hayden a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Yongbo, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?
One of the most meaningful projects I worked on was my Senior thesis collection “This Was Meant to Be”, consisting of 6 paintings and 4–for the lack of a better term–sculptures. While in my last year of undergrad, I was heavily exploring my cultural identity in relation to my queer identity. This project all started with a research-opinion paper that I wrote analyzing the consumption Asian lgbtq+ media and its perceptions on the lgbtq+ Asian community. I had an amazing mentor who over saw the project and I spent several months watching films, reading papers, and culminating thoughts. The paper was the start of my artistic collection as it inspired me to make art which sheds light positively on the Asian lgbtq+ community. Also in my research, I uncovered the rich and nuanced history of gender and sexuality in imperial China which is not talked about much. There are several misconceptions and generalizations when it comes to viewing other countries and cultures in the context of gender and sexual equality. It is important to recognize that multiple things can be true: that queer existence is fiercely intrinsic while also still being a very socially- governed identity. I wanted to acknowledge the historical existence of the lgbtq+ history and by doing so it has solidified my own understanding of myself. While doing so, I also grew in my own artistic practice and explored the ways glass and metal can integrate into other mediums such as paintings. This will forever be the project that inspires me to create more, set the basis of my practice, and will be something I look back on and feel proud about.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I’m a nonbinary, Chinese American multidisciplinary artist. I’m currently an emerging independent studio artist and freelance illustrator. Drawing was always a passion of mine, and towards the end of middle school I learned that art is a career path. I studied in Illustration and Material Arts and Crafts during my undergrad at College for Creative Studies located in Detroit, Michigan. My work consists of colorful, narrative paintings that incorporate history, fiction, and nature to speak on social issues. That being said, I’m a story teller, and I like that my work can be interpreted in many ways and in many layers. I’ve worked with other small businesses in illustrating prints and other merchandise. Collaborating with others is fulfilling and continues to grow my respect for the creative and entrepreneurial scene. Creativity is the backbone of human society!
I’ve been increasingly interested in the glass and metal crafts, as I’ve practiced castings, fusing, blown, forging and a minimal amount of welding. These crafts have informed a lot of my paintings in inspirational and conceptual meaning, and it is a practice that I want to continue perfecting. The crafts challenges me and satisfies my crave for intricate details and meticulous craftsmanship. I really enjoy kiln formed glass and blown glass. I’ve made pendants and sculptural work with the kiln and I love seeing how the glass melts together and into different forms. I feel like blown glass is something that challenges me in so many ways and I will forever be looking to improve my skill set with that practice. Glass teaches you about intention and acceptance. Glass is mean sometimes and acceptance is the only way to work around mistakes and continue trying. It’s a friend that always keeps you on your toes.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.
There aren’t other artists that I know of in my family (both my parents are scientists). I think one thing that non-creatives struggle to understand is that being an artist takes time. Even the most well known artists of the Renaissance were also mathematicians, scientists, and architects outside of their craft. It is undoubtedly hard, but the artist community is not as cut throat as it may seem. Getting to know and meet other artists, they are often happy to share information about opportunities. We are a large web of connections and often times we can find a mutual from across the country. That is something I love about the art scene. It’s more social than one may think. I would say artists are just as important to society as any other study, and that creativity is a fundamental of any sort of study no matter how left-brained someone may be, they need creativity to innovate and solve problems. Artists do the same thing, just often the product is something visual.
What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?
The best thing that society can do to keep supporting artists is to continue to ingest it. Keep watching your favorite movies, keep going to local bars that feature local bands, keep reading, keep playing video games, keep having fun. Being an artist, I see the art everywhere: the design of buildings, the mural on the side of a cafe, the nuances of color in nature. We are constantly engaging with and ingesting art. There is a huge debate and a lot of fear in the art community now because of AI–rightfully so. However, human craft is something that is irreplaceable. I do believe that humans will seek out products that are made by other humans. The word “artisan” isn’t used much anymore, and there is a large discussion on the historical and conceptual meaning of “artisan” in the creative world, however I think we should begin using it more again. I believe a part of my practice is me being an artisan. Society will only do so much, but I do believe that the creativity that is inherent in humans and will always prevail. All we can keep doing is making and consuming art.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.yongbohayden.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yongbo_plume/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yongbo-hayden/
