My journey to appreciation

Before I go into what genuinely inspires me in all my creations and the crux of why, I must first give a little background story.

Being born and raised in Australia, I was never quite the girl who felt like she fit in with my background coming from China but with all my might, I would follow what others did. Growing up, I experienced many ups and downs with divorced parents. Living with a single mother who always made it a priority to support the family and a father who didn’t quite like playing the fatherly role, and has a horrible habit of gambling. A sister who was busy with her life, and as for me, I grew up knowing that without money, one could not survive in this world.

I remember in year 5, I became very addicted to gaming, was sick, had depression to the point where I had thought of suicide, stopped going to school, and was in a bad relationship with all my family members and for my dear friends who cared so much for me, I... disregarded all of their feelings. It seemed so much was going on everywhere that I found myself with a heavy heart and didn’t know what to do amidst all the chaos.

Yet, I came around, and there was a turning point. One day, at the end of that year, I.. just changed, I was so fed up with being who I was and decided that I had to find a purpose in my life. This then reminded me of the spiritual practice Falun Gong which was introduced to me many years prior. It taught me values in compassion, truthfulness, and forbearance and these can mean so much more. As well as this, I realised that in whatever I do, I must do it with all of my heart and rediscover that inner spark for who I truly am. This eventually changed the outlook of my surroundings, I noticed that all of those around me weren’t having it easy either - we are all tackling our own life obstacles.

Getting to ages 18 then 19, I began to cherish the little moments of life, growing an abundant garden, painting, drawing, making clothes, going out with friends, and meditating to be spiritually and morally grounded. I realised at this point that everything I did was closely interlinked with nature, but if you look at it dialectically, the origins of all life are rooted in nature. It seems as though once I was able to connect with myself, I was able to come to terms with who I am, what I do, and where I want to be. Even though at the moment, I’m still unsure what exactly I want to do once I graduate from university, I do know that I want to express my thoughts and ideas through design, art, and being creative in a multi-media discipline. This ranges all the way from collage, embroidery, making and designing garments to painting and simple sketching.

This act of poetic expression is what drives me and is what I want to highlight the most, it is also the passion - the passion when I realise the meaning and value behind what I create, I discover that my past experiences are not for naught and my fulfillment in this practice is a path that I want to take to inspire others. So they are also promptly reminded of the story and beauty that is within them and their past experiences.

With the wisdom, I gained, and gratitude, I’d like to follow nature and see what happens next. In an ideal world, I want others to also learn how to embrace themselves and genuinely find happiness in doing so. I hope my art will uplift others, remind them of the good times and let them know that “after passing the shady willow trees, there will be bright flowers and another village ahead” - Zhuan Falun.