Today we’d like to introduce you to Hedy Yang.
Hi Hedy, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself
I started taking ceramics classes in high school to fulfill a class requirement. What I thought would be an easy A class, turned into a serious obsession! I couldn’t imagine committing 4 years of my life to anything that I didn’t enjoy so I majored in Ceramics with a minor in Entrepreneurship and Innovation. I worked really hard through college to sell work online and enter as many gallery shows as possible.
Post-graduation, I spent 2 years in New York teaching at a residency and doing a post-baccalaureate program at Syracuse University, where I was able to expand my horizons and explore new styles and techniques. I moved home to Michigan during the pandemic and have been lucky enough to get my own studio space, and work full-time doing ceramics!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It definitely wasn’t always easy, there’s a lot of pros and cons to being an artist. I had to work really hard for a long time before any of my work really ever took off and made money. Going to different residencies and programs is also really critical to developing a unique style of work but it’s definitely really hard to always be the new kid at a new place and push yourself and share your work with strangers. Your work is a reflection and extension of yourself, and you have to be vulnerable in order for others to understand and appreciate the work and the thought that goes into it. In hindsight, I see how important it was, but it was rough at the time!
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I make ceramic art; I’m currently most well-known for my cloud-themed pieces. The time I spent in upstate New York really influenced my work because living on a farm on a mountain, in such beautiful nature was a huge culture shock for me! But the sunsets and sunrises were like nothing I’ve ever seen, so I started taking photos as references for the paintings on all of my pottery. I really try to make sure you can feel how special each sunset is when I paint it on a piece. I’m really proud of how much I’ve been able to accomplish at this age, I just recently had a line of work launch at Nordstrom, and being able to see it in stores was truly crazy! I was on a mission to make this a career from the time I was 17 in high school, so I feel like I had a headstart and got to make a lot of mistakes really young. I had a lot of help from peers and mentors along the way, so I feel really lucky to have had such a supportive community.
How do you think about happiness?
Some of my happiest moments involve watching sunsets!!! No matter what kind of day I’ve had, a beautiful sunset always grounds me. It’s so peaceful, and it changes from minute to minute, and watching them is almost like meditation. The sky is so expansive and it always reminds me of how small I am, in a good way! It makes me re-evaluate my stresses in life, and appreciate small things.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: hedyyangceramics.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/hedyyang_
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hedyyangceramics
