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

Zhenzi, appreciate you joining us today. Was there an experience or lesson you learned at a previous job that’s benefited your career afterwards?

When I was in high school, I confided in my older sister about how I had felt insecure and lacking in self-worth since I was a child. I was constantly worried about how others perceived me—whether they looked down on me, or whether I had done something wrong. I was always trying to “read the air,” afraid of upsetting my friends. I rarely dared to go after what I wanted and never saw myself as someone who stood out in a crowd. I was clumsy and made many mistakes, and my name was rarely associated with praise or excellence. Back then, I really didn’t like myself.

At that time, my sister said something that has stayed with me ever since:
“True security doesn’t come from others—it comes from within. It’s built by repeatedly challenging yourself to do the things you believe you’re not good at. Every time you break through those limits and redefine your self-image, you gain real confidence. When you realize you can do whatever you set your mind to, you’ll naturally feel secure.”

From that moment on, I started to live by her words. I began to take on things I once thought were impossible for me. For example, I used to think I had no talent for languages—my English was poor—but I worked hard to study Japanese and eventually passed the highest level of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (N1). Now, while studying abroad in Japan, I can communicate with native speakers with little difficulty in most situations.

I also once believed that driving was incredibly difficult, but when I committed to learning it, I passed the test. Now, being able to steer the wheel and take myself wherever I want gives me a sense of empowerment I deeply cherish. The same goes for cooking, sewing, and many other things I once feared. I began to like myself more and more.

But more importantly, I realized that no matter what happens, the one person who will always stand by me—is me. That’s why I have to love this person who will never leave me under any circumstance. In a sense, only we can build that eternal relationship with ourselves.

Because of this realization, I found the courage to move to a foreign country alone and start over. I learned to endure pain and hardship—to observe it, accept it, and live with it. I also learned to be strong. At this point, I feel I have acquired nearly all the virtues of a protagonist on an adventure: courage, resilience, self-love, and mindfulness toward everything that life brings.

I truly believe that no matter what happens, I will overcome it. I will grow stronger—together with myself.

This experience has deeply shaped the foundation of who I am. Because before I am a creator, a student, or anything else—I am first and foremost a human being. That’s why I chose to share this precious part of my life with you.

Zhenzi, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’m a glass artist originally from Xi’an, China — a city known for its deep historical and cultural roots. While many around me stayed grounded in tradition, I was drawn to the unknown and wanted to experience life beyond what I was familiar with. That desire, along with my dissatisfaction with purely conceptual creation, led me to Japan. I longed to work with tangible materials and refine my craft through precise, hand-based processes.

After studying sculpture in China, where I worked with wood, metal, and resin, I became fascinated by glass for its fragility, transparency, and poetic tension between strength and vulnerability. To me, glass is more than a material — it’s a medium deeply connected to human emotions. Its transparency, reflection, and ability to shape light make it uniquely suited to visualize inner landscapes, memories, and emotional nuance.

I graduated from Toyama City Institute of Glass Art and am currently pursuing my MFA at Tama Art University. My creative research explores how to translate inner emotions and personal memory into symbolic glass works that resonate universally. I’m interested in the invisible boundaries between people — like the transparent yet isolating surface of a glass vessel — and how we hold space for our private thoughts and histories.

In my practice, I incorporate a wide range of materials beyond glass — including rusted metal, bone, fabric, and objects that carry time or memory — to build narrative-driven pieces. My aim is to evoke a sense of warmth, nostalgia, or silent reflection. I often draw inspiration from my own emotional journey: from struggling with self-worth to gradually gaining confidence through challenging myself. I believe this emotional honesty shapes not only who I am, but also the soul of my work.

What sets my work apart is its emotional subtlety and symbolic layering. I see my pieces as quiet vessels that hold fragments of the past, encouraging viewers to pause and reconnect with their own hidden memories. Through glass, I aim to create gentle yet powerful spaces of emotional resonance.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

In the past, I might have seen being an artist as a way to achieve personal validation. Growing up in China, I was taught that I had to be useful and valuable to be loved. Although my perspective has evolved with time, a part of me still holds onto the desire to prove that I’m capable — and that’s why I’ve chosen to dedicate myself deeply to this field.

Even if my initial motivations weren’t entirely pure, the journey has brought me rich rewards. Through creating artworks that I’m truly proud of, I’ve learned to affirm myself and gradually grow to like who I am. I believe self-acceptance is one of the most important themes in life. Art has become a tool for me to explore my inner world — to understand my past wounds, my temperament, and to eventually make peace with myself. Often, things that I cannot express through words find their way out through my work.

Sharing my creations with others also allows me to gain new perspectives. When viewers respond to my work, they often reflect back insights I hadn’t noticed before. In this way, I not only understand myself more deeply, but I also grow as a creator.

Most rewarding of all is when someone resonates with my work — when what I’ve expressed for myself also speaks to someone else’s unspoken emotions. In those moments, the meaning of creation becomes clear: as I heal myself through making, I may also offer healing to others.

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?

One thing I wish more people — both creatives and non-creatives — understood is that once a work is completed, it no longer belongs solely to the artist. I believe this is something fundamental: every viewer, regardless of their background or whether they work in the arts, has the right to interpret a piece through their own experiences. As long as we are human and live in this world, our perspectives hold value.

I genuinely enjoy hearing how different people respond to my work. Sometimes, their interpretations reveal aspects of the piece that I hadn’t even been aware of myself. For example, one of my favorite works to date is titled “The Unseen Corner.” When I created it, I couldn’t quite explain why I loved it so much — it just felt very personal. Later, through a conversation with one of my teachers, I realized that the work was actually about the parts of my past self that I’ve discarded or left behind. It embodied my complex emotions toward who I used to be. That realization brought the work into sharper focus, and helped me understand myself a little more.

This is why I find conversations with others — regardless of who they are or what field they come from — to be so valuable. Each exchange offers a new lens, and through those lenses, I discover new dimensions of both my work and myself. Art, to me, is not a monologue. It’s a space for dialogue, transformation, and shared meaning.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: zhenzi0709
• Other: If anyone wants to know more about me, I share some glimpses of my work as a model on Xiaohongshu.👇
  https://www.xiaohongshu.com/user/profile/56622356589de37ba563806c?xsec_token=YBHclYnJUpjiSgrJAK_-Rar0476PlqmTu3a5UrrGhIVcQ=&xsec_source=app_share&xhsshare=CopyLink&appuid=56622356589de37ba563806c&apptime=1746074265&share_id=e1f28859278b40c8a42161223d79f2e4