Meet Yan Bing Chen | Freediving Instructor, Underwater Photographer, Wild Mermaid, Film and TVC Producer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Yan Bing Chen and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi YAN BING, why did you pursue a creative career?
I believe that life isn’t just about experiencing, it’s about creating. To express who you are to the universe through creation.
Art is a huge field and everyone is qualified and capable of participating and creating/finding their own expression and discovering themselves in the process of creating. So for me, pursuing a career in art and creativity is a two-way exploration.

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.
My college major was advertising, and graduating was my first foray into and introduction to the creative industry. One day after I became an advertising producer, I suddenly felt that the job could no longer offer me anything fresh other than a decent paycheck. Maybe it was because the industry was saturated, or maybe it was because covid made most brands unwilling to take the risk of trying something new. All of this made me feel dull and scared, because I didn’t want to do something I didn’t like, I didn’t want my life to be just a glamorous career title, I wanted to continue to create, in whatever form that could awaken my creative passion.
During GAP, I was introduced to freediving by a chance photo shoot, and the novelty of exploring the other half of the world made me fall in love with the sport.
I chose to refine my diving skills to become a dive instructor, went back to school to study photography, and combined my past work experience to become an underwater photographer, switching my work environment from office buildings to the sea!
Starting over from scratch was a brave and risky decision, and there may be no way I can live up to my past accomplishments, but who knows? What I can achieve should be up to me, I don’t need to prove myself through someone else’s rules like taking an exam.
I live for myself.
I create for myself

I’m now trying to express in photography the numinous experiences I’ve had through freediving. But I don’t exclude commercial creations, helping others to have new experiences in life through freediving is part of what I create!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I’ve spent half of the past year living in Egypt, and I’ll be taking them on a tour of my favorite town, Dahab, an isolated town on the Egyptian border made up of nomadic Arab Bedouins and Egyptians.
It is home to the Blue Hole, a famous marine feature in the Red Sea, which is why divers settled here a decade or so ago, known as Europe’s backyard.
I would take my friends to experience scuba diving, a bonfire in the mountains to see the stars, fishing with the Bedouins and eating on a boat!
Arab countries have always had a strong religious atmosphere that can often feel too serious for foreigners, but Dahab is probably the only Muslim country where you can casually walk along the beach in a bikini and not receive malicious stares. It’s interesting to see how cultures intersect and clash.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My former partner has been a great help to me; he is a literary creator with a delicate and sharp mind, supporting me with unconditional love and encouragement to explore the world positively when I am in a state of confusion and self-doubt.
Even though we have separated, this relationship has given me the courage to move forward with determination and become a more complete version of myself.

Instagram: yeonce292

Image Credits
YANBING CHEN