Project Exhibition: What It Means to Be An Artist, Irene Zhang

PROJECT NAME
What It Means to Be An Artist, 当艺术家的意义 (Dāng yìshùjiā de yìyì)

STUDENT
Irene Zhang, 张无忌 (Zhāng Wújì), She/her

  • 4th year
  • Sauder School of Business, Majoring in Commerce
  • Courses: CHIN 241, CHIN 243

 

INTERVIEW


Q1: In what ways has this project, and CHIN243 in general, strengthened your relationship with your heritage and self-identity?

CHIN 243 brought me face-to-face with my Chinese heritage and provided me with a safe and welcoming environment to explore that part of my identity. In a classroom with other peers who had shared experiences of growing up as a Chinese-Canadian, I was able to confront both the comfortable and uncomfortable parts of my identity.


Q2: How did you decide on the theme you chose for this final project and what was the most challenging part of completing this project?

Final projects are a way for me to challenge myself creatively and “level up” my skills. Animatics (i.e. series of images played in sequence or an animated storyboard) are something that I’ve always been interested in, and I wanted to take this final project opportunity to give it a try. Accordingly, it felt fitting to choose my artist identity as the theme. Time crunch and effort aside, the most challenging part of completing this project was writing the script and figuring out what message I wanted to impart.

A lot of Asian kids have the shared experience of being creative when they were young but being pressured or feeling obligated to take a “conventional” academic or career path. Consequently, we may end up ignoring our creative side and going with the flow in order to meet external expectations. However, in recent years, there’s been an explosion of creativity in the Asian community, and it’s been wonderful to see so many people embracing their talents and passions. Seeing this momentum inspired me to choose the theme of “What It Means To Be An Artist” for my final project, which shares a lot of parallels with our Chinese heritage identities. Apart from sharing my own story of self-identity, I hope that my final project will also inspire others to embrace their creative identities.


Q3: If you could go back in time and give some advice to yourself who is entering 200 level Chinese, what is something you would tell to your younger self?

CHIN 241 and 243 will challenge you on so much more than just an academic level. In less than a year, you will be able to write essays in Chinese, read a short novel in Chinese, and do class presentations in Chinese. More importantly, you’ll gain a better understanding of your feelings about your Chinese heritage and find a community of people who have shared those experiences.


Q4: How do you plan on expanding your Mandarin learning journey in the future?

This year, I’m taking CHIN 341 and 343, which are a continuation of the 200-level Chinese courses. I’m also hoping to join the UBC CLP as a Work Learn student and give back to the program that has helped so many Chinese heritage students. Lastly, I’m working on communicating more with my family in Chinese — whether it be conversing in Mandarin or texting in Chinese through WeChat, these small things have made all the difference in my relationships and self-identity.