Recently, I have already established connections with the upcoming podcast guests.
The second guest, P:D, graduated from the Fine Art major at RCA. She currently resides in London, holding a Global Talent visa. Despite her background in fine art, she has decided to explore avenues beyond art and wishes to share her insights and experiences.
The third guest, Bessy, graduated from the Styling program at LCF two years ago. With extensive shooting experiences in China, the UK, and other countries, she aims to discuss the photography atmospheres in different countries and shed light on the life experiences of a Chinese individual within them.
In this podcast episode’s dialogue with the guest, I discovered a shared concern and contemplation among us regarding identity, ethnicity, fluidity, and the missing elements in education here. Though we sojourn briefly, much like migratory birds, we all aspire to contribute something meaningful to the communities of our respective ethnicities.
Following is the introduction part of this episode:
Every beginning is challenging. As someone not good at outward expression, seeking the first podcast guest required considerable mental preparation. I am immensely grateful to Lik for participating in the inaugural recording, facilitated by a friend’s introduction.
Earlier this year, I attended two events hosted by Lik’s community, LuckyPot, and witnessed Lik’s performances. Despite being unfamiliar then, I sensed the vitality of both the community and Lik. In our interview, I delved into Lik’s initial motivations for community-building and the personal journey taken in London.
Perhaps, Lik’s readiness to participate in this podcast stems from the principle of ‘mutual support.’ ‘Celebrating the success of other artists, as it enhances the visibility of the community,’ resonates with Andrew Simonet’s words in ‘Making your Life as an Artist.’ Art is not a winner-takes-all competition; viewing peers as potential collaborators rather than competitors prevents isolation. Mutual support is more important than money.
【Guest】 Lik is a cross-media artist and curator focusing on visuals and performances, and the founder of LuckyPot. Official account, Xiaohongshu, ins: LuckyPot
【You will hear】 01:26 Guest introduction 02:21 Reasons for choosing to stay in the UK 03:02 The period of uncertainty and how to deal with it 08:10 The impact of the British environment and the unstable state of staying here as a Chinese on personal practice 11:31 As an Asian artist, how do you feel about the artistic inclusiveness here? 13:16 An observation and summary of the characteristics of artists who are doing well enough to adapt to the British environment and system. 15:40 What are the British projects or event exhibition experiences that have a greater impact on the current practice? 16:25 Experiences and reflections on engaging in feminist drama, cross-cultural identity expression drama, and community building. 19:06 “Everyone can have a degree show” 20:22 Questioning the effectiveness of European art education for Asian students 27:00 The symbolism and meaning of the Lucky Pot; reflections on what is left here and what is taken away 28:29 I am considering returning to my country, and it is unlikely that I will stay in the UK for a long time. 30:13 Outlook on returning to China in the future 31:58 About the experience of finding a job and changes in mentality 36:00Advice to young artists in transition
Single episode cover creator: NiNi. From another of my healing projects supporting Chinese art graduates in the UK: 21emovoyage Production and editing: 7u BGM: Tadow – Masego/FKJ; easy-Mac Ayres
Recently I regersitered the academic support tutorial with Ilga Leimanis. She is an artist, educator, author and researcher. She has facilitated workshops in sketching and idea generation. Therefore I think she can gave me relevant suggestions on my project.
I introduced Ilga with my interventions and she mentioned a project called Black Girl Knit Club. It’s a project run by two people, they are doing knitting circles, which is similar to the sketching circles in my intervention. The two people meet on a regular basis in different locations. They share their conversations and stories while they’re knitting and people can come to their space. I think there’s something I can learn from it because this project offered the participants the opportunity to have face to face connection.
She said that my project consistently builds on acquired knowledge, adapting, changing, and testing information. She also suggested that I can visualize my project, especially regarding focus groups, habit-building, and podcast connections, which can provide new insights. Treating the project as a puzzle, using shapes or diagrams, can offer a holistic view, helping identify areas for improvement. This advice will significantly enhance my presentation.
I also asked Ilga about the concern of lack of face-to-face mentorship in my project. She suggests that creating a community within the project is a great idea and I could explore the concept of mentorship. Encouraging dialogue within the community about mentorship criteria and who can be a mentor would enrich the project. She also drew inspiration from models like sororities, which foster multi-generational connections. She said that, while recognizing potential concerns, the concept of mentorship benefiting both parties is highlighted. Overall, her emphasis is on fostering a supportive community with mutual benefits.
Ilga’s feedback was truly insightful, providing me with diverse perspectives. Following her suggestions, I will continue testing and evolving my ongoing interventions.
After posting about my podcast on Little Red Book, I was rewarded with an unexpected and overwhelming response, and a lot of people started following me, as well as liking my posts. I became more aware of the common plight of Chinese art graduates in the UK, and the common confusion we all face. I gained attention from audiences outside London, from Edinburgh and even from Spain. The audience also came from different art schools: LCC, RCA, LCF and so on. There were also a variety of people who had been graduating in the UK for a while who wanted to take part in the podcast recording to share their experiences.
I also knew people who are working on similar subjects to me. People with similar needs start interacting under the comments. I think this is very exciting: the online community is in its infancy.
I’m trying podcast recording for the first time, as well as audio editing. I’m not very good at expressing myself outwardly, and this is a big test for me, but I think the process is also a workout for me, and I’m hoping to grow in the process and really want to get this right. The first episode of the podcast has been edited and is waiting to go online. I’ll continue to update it’s process and feedback from the audience.
Recently, I uploaded the intro episode of my podcast. This is an interview blog focusing on focus on the transition period of Chinese art graduates in London. The intro episode is about a brief introduction of myself and why I want to do this podcast.
Currently, the podcast is available on the Xiaoyuzhou app as well as the apple podcast platform. (Mainly updated on Xiaoyuzhou, a Chinese podcast platform similar to apple podcast for Chinese listeners, and apple podcast is hosted and automatically synchronised)
vol.0 Let’s stir up the echoes of the waves on this voyage together & vol.0’s introduction
For each episode album cover, I decided to use the paintings from my audiences during last intervention 21 emo voyage and introduce this information in the intro part of each episode. I will also attach their social media, in order to help them to be seen.
I think this linking will be a good form of creating links between my interventions as well as helping each other.
Following is the translation of the introduction of my first episode.
“Hey there, it’s 7u! Welcome to “Bathtub Submarine,” this is a podcast that dives deep into the transition period of Chinese art graduates in London, from art school to the real world. This is also related to my personal project at Central Saint Martins.
During my research, I uncovered this collective hunger for “experience” and the unspoken struggles we face—the silent battles, the maze of resources—all stuff I’ve personally wrestled with. Time to stop hiding and spill the beans! Let’s chat about the messy ways we’re making it through! Because, you know, sharing stories, being heard, it’s like a warm virtual hug.
In our upcoming episode, get ready for some real talk with Lik, a Goldsmiths grad and the brains behind LuckyPot, a community rallying behind Asian artists. We’re diving deep into Lik’s challenges and experiences on her personal London art adventure.
This podcasting thing is a first for me, and there’s a ton to figure out. Here’s hoping we can learn and grow together on this ride. Can’t wait for your feedback!
New episodes splash down twice a month on platforms Xiaoyuzhou and Apple Podcasts. For more contact, catch me on Little Red Book at “浴缸潜艇” (Bathtub Submarine).
*Background jams: Eddie Higgins Trio – A Lovely Way to Spend an Evening, Boz Scaggs – Miss Riddle.
*Episode artwork crafted by NiNi
courtesy of my another project supporting Chinese art grads in the UK: “21emovoyage.”
I invited 4 audience to record their everyday negative emotions in the form of sketch. It’s aim is to help them build long-term habit and learn to manage mental balance in a objective way. I encourage each audience to write down their reflection and observation of this process day by day, or directly communicate with me, which can help me track the change and learn the advantages and disadvantages of this long term intervention.
Here are some feedbacks from my audiences on this intervention:
“While painting my body and mind are occupied and I enter a state of mind flow.”
“Normally, you may deal with anxiety by staying in your room and blanking out, which doesn’t produce much. But in this way it will produce a little picture, which is a record of the moment, and you’ll kind of want to save that little picture. If you get some positive feedback, you will also feel satisfied and want to produce more.”
“When I look back at these paintings, it feels like I have many sides to myself like a book. And it feels like life is ever-changing and there’s no need to wallow in negativity.”
“It feels like painting allows me to think about the reasons for my emotional existence in a very objective way”
“It felt like a review that supported the validity of my emotions from an objective point of view.”
“This intervention will remind me of this way to express my emotions when I have negative feelings in the future. It feels like it’s easier to persevere with an artistic background. Having a variety of ways and mediums to support creativity within the usual range of activities would help with persistence.”
This intervention is actually iterated from my previous 2 interventions, because I realized that the previous 2 intervention was a bit like a temporary tool, and I wanted to bring more sustainable impact to them.
These 3 intervention related to mental balance was a process from general test to individual focus and then long term habit.
Following is the sketch gallery of my audience’s creation. I’ll keep updating this.
In the one-on-one tutorial with guest Lecturer Will Medd, I introduced him about my project and the interventions I did. Will gave me very useful suggestions. He said that my intervention is interesting and I can make the links to establish a smooth narrative and make the connections and iterations between various interventions more clearer.
He also highlighted key points for each intervention from his perspective: the first intervention aimed to test the tool (using sketches to represent and relieve negative feelings) in general, then delving into individual dilemmas and stories, and finally reaching a long-term intervention to cultivate habits. This insight provides a clear context for my presentation.
I will take Will’s advice and add the slight transformation which my first intervention brought to my research question. Zuleika further suggested in a later tutorial that I demonstrate how my project started with a slightly different question and show how the first intervention led to a change in the problem. Otherwise, the connection between the first intervention and subsequent questions and intervention would be a bit unclear.
At the same time, I also took the opportunity to ask Will what advice he had for Chinese art graduates in London. He said that although he could understand the differences brought about by culture and language, he still encouraged Chinese art graduates to start to connect with the creative world as soon as possible. The art world needs us to be proactive and dare to share our own opinions. He suggested the Chinese art graduates to go to more exhibitions, expose ourselves, and have real interactions and connections with the people present.
This Friday I participated in the buffer2 workshop organized by guts gallery (which hosts a yearly group exhibition of recent graduates, aiming to open a constructive dialogue with young graduate artists just starting their art careers, and to provide an annual platform for them under the graduate failure of the traditional art education system).
The purpose of this workshop is to assist newly graduated artists in successfully navigating the art world. It was divided into two parts: established artist first-hand experience sharing and financial support advice.
The first part begins with a conversation between Ellie Pennick of guts gallery and artist Olivia Sterling. They talked about things like the artist-gallery relationship, essential skills artists need, and practical tips, such as having contracts, setting boundaries, and being professional in the art industry. They also highlight the importance of transparency in pricing, managing intellectual property, and having a professional online presence.
The conversation ended with the topic of Art career development and networking. Olivia sterling encouraged graduates to embrace their creative freedom and take risks in their art practice.
The second half of the workshop is about essential financial knowledge and advice for artists brought by HSBC.
Guts GalleryFinancial support advice session
I think this workshop is very practical in its combination of artist experience sharing and financial advice. It brings a lot of really useful advice to newly graduated artists and also provides an opportunity to build connections. However, this also depends on the initiative of the participants. I observed that many participants were not enthusiastic in their responses to the questions and the conversations after workshop ended.
For Chinese graduates, language barriers are also a factor to consider. I will continue to think about how to bring opportunities for connection to my target audience. My current thoughts are: 1. Maintain a mental balance part to bring positivity and initiative to their journey. 2. Community building: It can be embedded in the emotional diary sharing or resource sharing part. 3. Then hold offline activities in the community in the future.
I am very happy to invite Lik, one of the creators of Lucky Pot, to record my first podcast episode. It has been a year since Lucky Pot Art Group was founded in 2022. This is also an organization that supports Asian artists in London. At the same time, the main founder Lik is also an art school graduate who is in the early stages of her career but has already gone through a journey in London’s creative world. The overlap between the philosophy of this arts organization and my project, as well as Lik’s identity as my target audience, will bring exciting and topic-appropriate content to the first episode. The recording of the podcast is being discussed and I think it’s a good start!
I got in touch with the UAL Alumni of Color Association after researching their website during my summer independent study period. I was looking forward to learning more about what the AoCA organization was doing, and I also noticed that there were very few Asian faces on the page. After a busy summer vacation, they got back to me and answered my questions. It is heartening to know that the AoCA organization is making ongoing efforts for diversity and the visibility of ethical minority groups. I am also happy to know that there are more Asian faces in the organization this year: I realize that sometimes the news you see may be only slightly delayed, and it is in the process of change. There is no need to make a conclusion. Taking the initiative to keep in touch may get more positivity response.
