Meet Xiaoqing He | illustrator and artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Xiaoqing He and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Xiaoqing, what inspires you?
My inspiration comes more from life. I like to buy lots of cute, creative lifestyle items and toys. Antiques, board games or dolls of all kinds with collectible value. I think they are my main source of inspiration. My mom used to call them little trash. Because she doesn‘t think those things are useful except to look good. Over time, my friends and I also call my collection little trash. I don’t think it’s a particularly derogatory term either. It is a general term for an attitude towards life. I also like to visit Disneyland and other parks. I always find happiness here. Each of their cartoons is a classic that I watched over and over again when I growing up. I like being the princess of my own life. I will also learn and draw inspiration from these movies.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I think it’s my persistence that sets me apart from others. To be honest, it is not easy to work in every industry. There aren’t many easy things in this world. But in my opinion, dedication and passion for something are the driving forces that support our growth and progress. In my short artistic career, I have never thought of giving it up or abandoning my artistic dream. When I first started painting I couldn’t draw circles. The teacher made me practice over and over again. Eventually I learned, and it reminded me of the story of Leonardo Da Vinci drawing an egg. Although I don’t know whether this story is true or not, the first lesson I learned from it is that no matter what you do, perseverance can achieve your goals in life. I still have a long way to go. But I will still love my painting career. There are always challenges. Whether it succeeds or not. Now I can‘t say I’m success, or not success..I feel like I’m more successful than I was before, but not necessarily more successful than I am tomorrow. I’m still on the road. So I will still run forward. Warm a wider audience with my paintings.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I would like to invite them to my home. I’ll cook Chinese food for them. Because there are all kinds of toys in my home. And funny vintage stuff. We could play board games and Legos together. Having afternoon tea with my dolls and playing games with my VR glasses and switch. Show them around my collection of “little trash”. Or let them talk to my cats about their troubles. （Although my cats couldn’t have helped. But they’re always good listeners.) I have a friend who spent three hours having a secret, deep conversation with my cat. At last they seem to be on the same page. And I was asleep. Except my apartment, of course, and I’d be happy to take them to the neighborhood thrift store. And anywhere that have “little trash”. Haight-Ashbury, Fisherman’s Wharf and Japantown are my 3 favorite areas in San Francisco. I also hang out there when I’m alone. I always take my friends to Japan Town for ramen, sushi and milk tea. Take them to Fisherman’s Wharf to eat fresh crabs and seafood, see seals, and relax with the sea breeze. Go to the Haight-Ashbury vintage store, looking for different style clothes..These things always excite me.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My father was the biggest supporter in my life. He introduced me to the field of painting. From a young age, he would carefully observe what I was interested in and put effort into it. He would take me to all kinds of art exhibitions. Making friends with like-minded artists will also help me find channels for various painting competitions. He’s willing to come with me for inspiration. He’s keen to join me for a trip to Disney, and he’ll encourage me to buy all sorts of dolls I like. Instead of criticizing my childlike innocence, he believes that a person’s innocence is truly valuable. So, being naive can sometimes be a good thing. It seemed like everyone in the family was against my painting except him. They think it is more practical to study finance than to study painting art. So I want to shoutout for my father. It is he who makes me more leisurely to walk on the road I like, and brave to move forward.

Website: https://www.hexiaoqingart.com/

Instagram: Sannnnnnndy123