Meet Wenxin Zhao | Visual Designer & Creative Director

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

Hi Wenxin, can you tell us about an impactful book you’ve read and why you liked it or what impact it had on you?
PURPOSE from Lisa Messenger

Rather than a book, it is more of a self-exploration guide.
I saw this book on the shelf of a local store with big repeated letters: PURPOSE, PURPOSE, PURPOSE, PURPOSE, PURPOSE. I always see myself as a purposeful person. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? I don’t know, so I bought it.
I always have all kinds of random questions in my head, like what am I doing, why am I here, why do I feel tired, etc. This book asks me all questions and lets me write down my thoughts. The great point is there are no judgments, no right or wrong, only my random thoughts.
At the end of each chapter, there was a large blank page left for me to doodle. Because I’m a terrible drawer, I really resisted at first. But who cares. I really enjoyed the process of exploring myself in solitude, learning more about myself, getting re-motivated, and accepting myself more.
In the process of reading this book, I learned that exploring oneself is a process that takes time and patience.

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.
In my journal for April 26, I wrote “It is really funny that I never feel really proud of my experience. No matter how tough it is. No matter how important the role I played. I was just never excited about it. This is weird.” Then I wrote “ Only helping others makes me feel happy. When I create, I am excited. When I walk into the gallery, I am excited. When I have conversations with artworks, I am excited. When I touch the art, I am excited.” Create is a solution, a solution that figures out my current stage. To me, art and design are a part of my life. I can’t get rid of my passion for creation. Art is how I talk to myself, and design is how I communicate with others. Art is healing, and Design is the solution. I believe that my growth in this field of art and design is not defined by whether I am a professional or not, but by who I want to be at each stage of my life. On this journey of Self-exploration, there is never a linear direction. All I need is Courage, Trust, and Patience.
Stay Curious, Stay Vulnerable.
There are two things in my life. Scent (Amber, Sandel Wood, Cedar, Birch – Safe, Warm, Grounded, Deep, Heavy, Comfort) & Red（Fire, Blood, Cool red – Strong, Courage, Unique, Passion). All I want is the Balance. Live under rules & Keep breaking the grid.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I will ask for their opinions and understand their preferences before recommending tour activities according to their personal preferences. I am a very sensory-oriented person. So if I live in a place, I will learn about all aspects of the culture, food, social, history, etc. So I can make a schedule that fits all aspects. But I think the most important thing is not how much local food they ate or how many local museums they visited. The important thing is whether or not they are actually enjoying the week physically and mentally. Most likely, my friends and I would walk around with no destination in mind, having a conversation, sitting when we were tired, and eating when we were hungry.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My professors at SCAD and all my colleagues, keep encouraging me to get out of my comfort zone. My friends, always support me, understand me, help me, love me, and embrace my imperfection. They showed me how to love myself.

Website: https://vincyzhao.cargo.site/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vincy.zhao/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wenxin-zhao-a75340240/

Image Credits
Wenxin Zhao