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

Hi Sigrid, what role has risk played in your life or career?
My life is full of risk, to be honest. I am a painter and mixed media artist, to be living as an artist with a traditional Chinese background is a full package of risks I had to take.

My parents wanted me to be a scientist. To be fair, none of them was good at mathematics, so they were expecting me to be the game-changer in our family. That didn’t work out because my gene told me so. So I had to fight with my parents to be able to study any type of arts when I was 14 years old. So they’ve discovered I was sort of good at negotiating, that was how I got into a business college later when I hit 19, or they won’t pay any of my living expenses or tuition.

In order to study drawing and painting after my parents think I can do business, I “took”20 dollars from my mom’s purse (don’t recommend it), bought a train ticket moved to Beijing by myself. I was 15 had no money, only a phone number I got online and an address of the “art school”. That was just the one moment I struggled financially, but I didn’t know it was just the beginning of my struggle, financially.

But I am very glad that I had to fight for everything to study art, and also be able to call myself an artist, I’ll probably become a normal businesswoman but still be struggling financially.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am a painter, I do paintings and illustrations, sometimes installations.

Took me fourteen years of practice, and a lot of effort to be a normal person.

I can’t say it was easy, although most of the things I have done in the past years were painting or things are related, it doesn’t sound hard, but it’s not easy to spend all these years on art practice to me.
I always have to encourage myself to Just stay focused, be curious and be brave.

I want people to know that I do sell my paintings, thank you.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I live in the Los Angeles area, I would take him/her to China Town for some good new Chinese food, and maybe go on a road trip to Joshua tree.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My parents- NO.1 Fan Vanessa Vong- my fav dink buddy
ArtCenter College of Design

Website: https://xsxi.space

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sigridq_art/

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutSocal is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.