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

Hi Yoshe, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking.
I think taking risks plays a major role in creating momentum and motivation in my creative work. As artists, we often find ourselves drowning in possibilities and a fear of commitment. How do we define whether ideas are good or determine at which stage the work is considered finished? The mindset of taking risks helps us move forward with our decisions and unlock the potential of possibilities, instead of being surrounded by options and struggling to make progress.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Hi, everyone! My name is Yoshe. I’m a singer-songwriter and multimedia artist. As a singer-songwriter, my music falls into the indie and pop-rock genres, often exploring themes of self-reflection.

During my time in grad school at Parsons School of Design, I learned a variety of tools that have since become integral to my creative process. Now, I enjoy blending sound, visuals, and interaction to create experiences that better convey the stories I want to tell. I’m proud of how my artistic practice has evolved because I’ve developed a clear understanding of the tools I need—or who to reach out to—when I want to bring a specific project to life.

That said, it hasn’t always been easy to keep doing what I do. Social media has played a big role in helping me share my work and stay active within the music and art community. Currently, I have around 55k followers across Chinese social media platforms. This support often motivates me to keep practicing and creating content. These platforms have also helped me connect with brands and other artist friends.

Even on days when I slack off or make little progress, I believe that as long as I stay active in the community and remain committed to my craft, opportunities will continue to come my way.

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 Toronto right now, by the way. There’s not much we can do outside in the winter because it’s SO cold! But if the weather permits, we can head downtown, grab a coffee, and take a walking tour. We could hang out on Queen Street or Dundas Street, visit the Art Gallery of Ontario, check out the University of Toronto (where I went to school), go skating in front of City Hall, and grab some Izakaya afterward.

One day, we should definitely check out Niagara Falls. I actually go there pretty often because there’s so much to explore in the area. Also, Toronto has so many amazing restaurants, especially for Chinese and Korean food. We should spend plenty of time eating because, girl, the food here is on another level.

Other times, we can stay at home, drink tea, and watch the snow fall. 😀

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I really want to give a shoutout to everyone who has offered me knowledge, support, resources, and help along my music and art journey. When I was a beginner in certain areas, you patiently explained things to me and respected me as an artist. When I was low on budget, you still helped me finish my projects. You even thought of me when you came across resources you knew would be useful to me.

These acts of kindness mean so much to me—and to many other fellow artists, I’m sure. They make us better and keep us moving forward! YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE! THANK YOU!

Website: https://yosheli.me

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

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yoshe-li-8575591a9/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@YosheLi

Image Credits
Ariel Li
Yoshe Li
Yuchang Lin
Yuhan Pan
Zhuoran Ma

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