Meet Cynthia Zhang | Painter/Toy Designer/Dreamer

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

Hi Cynthia, what inspires you?
I wish I had a deeper answer to this question, but truly some of the most ordinary things inspire me the most. Ever since I started painting and experimenting with color, I can’t help but see the world a little differently. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve stopped in the middle of whatever I was doing, just to take a moment to really look and appreciate the way something was lit up, and then take a picture to save for later. When I paint, sometimes I feel like I’m repeatedly using the same colors over and over again, but still color and light never cease to inspire me. I’ve also built a habit of observational drawing whenever I can when I’m out and about, which has led to many drawings of friends and family around me. Whether it’s to capture a memory or to draw friends as caricatures to get a laugh from them, there is endless joy when creating for them. And of course, I am constantly inspired by other artists. My art taste has changed a lot over the years, but I find a lot of inspiration and joy when coming across a new amazing artist.

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.
For a long time, I thought I needed one thing, one title, to define me. As a kid, I used to think that I had an up there compared to my peers. “I’m going into art and I’m going to become an artist. I know who I want to be and what I’m going to do with my life” is probably something I thought to myself as a literal 12-year-old. Throughout college, I realized life was (obviously) more complicated than that. I had a career to think about, and while you can try to do what you love for work, there may always be trade-offs to consider. Even so, outside of work artists can’t help but create. So what exactly defines me then? Is it my career? My work outside of my job? Do I want to do one more than the other? What does it mean if I do?

Professionally, I am a toy designer. I feel very blessed to have been able to take this position right out of college. It was most definitely not an easy journey, but I also wasn’t alone in it. There are so many people I can think of who have helped me get to where I am now. And while I am incredibly grateful for this job, I think I struggled with defining myself solely with my toy designer title for a long time. I wanted to submerge myself in the discipline that is toy design fully so that I started putting less importance on the other parts that made me up.

Toy design is one type of creative problem-solving that I love, and continue to love more every day. But I also love digital plein air painting, sketchy observational drawing, illustration/caricature-styled illustration, painting in watercolor, drawing comics, and even designing tattoos. I have a variety of dreams that range from becoming a successful and recognizable tattoo artist, to publishing my own graphic novel, to running my own online store and business. I want to do everything and I think it’s okay to realize that that’s okay in itself.

Growing up is realizing that I don’t need one thing to define me. At the moment, I am most proud of realizing this fact.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I adore this question! Since moving to LA I’ve had the opportunity to bring different visiting friends and family around the city a few times, so I’ve been able to practice perfectly my list of recommendations.

My perfect week of visiting LA includes, but is not limited to:

– Going to the nearest Ralphs or TJs and getting snacks and drinks, and then heading to Long Beach for a picnic till sunset.
– Visiting the Santa Monica beach and the Venice Beach Skatepark, not to skate but just to walk around and observe the mix of cultures.
– Strolling at Sawtelle where we would get boba, visit the Giant Robot store and GR2 if there was a show, eat at Tuktuk Thai for dinner, and get Millet Crepe for dessert.
– Eat lunch at Simpang Asia, their Indo food is amazing and the value’s great, visit Little Tokyo to get Fugetsudo and maybe a cheesy corndog or two
– If they were artsy, because all my friends are artsy, I would bring them to the Getty for the art and views
– If it was their first time in LA/Cali, I would insist on at least one trip to In-N-Out and order them an animal-style cheeseburger with animal-style fries, and if we had time we would stop by a K-town cafe and grab the most aesthetic drinks and cakes.

(I may or may not have been hungry while typing this all out)

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Oh my gosh, where do I even start? First of all, my family has always been my strongest support group. I am eternally grateful my parents supported my passion for art and have always stood strong in their belief that whatever work I choose to take on should be something that makes me happy. They gifted me with strong values in both what I do in terms of work and life. I sometimes remember my bratty teenage self and cringe at how ungrateful I must’ve seemed.

In my personal life, to anyone who’s ever been a part of an artist community that gave me the confidence to try new things or take pride in my work, whether that be in social friend groups or random art class critique circles, I am so grateful for you to have given me strength when/if I was too weak to find it in myself in believing in my efforts. Huge shoutout to my RISD professor MJ Begin, who I always felt I could rely on if I felt unsure about my artistic path. Her expertise, guidance, and overall warmth made her a standout memory from my time as a student.

There are so many pivotal artists who also influenced me greatly in my art career who I would love to highlight as well. Victo Ngai was the first artist who showed me what illustration could be. James Jean expanded my idea of what an artist could do. Shaun Tan’s “The Arrival,” “The Lost Thing” short film, and his collection of plein-air oil paintings were pivotal masterpieces I admired deeply. Zac Retz’s digital paintings and use of color kick-started my own color and digital painting journey.

Without all of them, I wouldn’t be where I am now.

Website: cjzhang.com

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

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cynthia-zhang-8a2263221/