Today we’d like to introduce you to Qiyuan Zhou.
Qiyuan, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
Currently, I am living in Chicago as a full-time student at Illinois Institute of Technology studying Mechanical Engineering. I will be graduating with my B.S. in May of 2019 and will continue on to earn my M.S. with an expected graduation date of 2021. I am currently running the motorsports team at Illinois Tech, as well as conducting research in the mechanics developing a new class of flexible robots as well as a new class of sensors.
Of course, when I’m not nerding out at school, I’m running around the city creating art with my camera. My friends Nathan (@gotnathanonthis) and Brian (@bho_biscuit) inspired me to pick up a camera last July. The learning curve was pretty steep, but the community I found as well as the people I’ve met through photography since then have made it one of the most rewarding endeavors I’ve ever started.
However, my story begins in Pingyang, China, where I was born shortly after New Year’s of 1998. My parents worked in one of the top research laboratories in China at the time, which was also where they met. The decision was made that I was to be left with my maternal grandmother back home, while they went back to work in Shanghai. Unfortunately, my mother had developed severe postpartum depression shortly afterward. They failed to find effective treatment due to the lack of available mental health research/resources at the time, and my mother ultimately took her own life just months after my birth. An enormous rift was created between the two sides of my family as one blamed the other for the death of my mother. It was here that the first major decision in my life would be made. My paternal grandparents decided that it would be in my best interest that I stay with my father and that I am separated from my mother’s side of the family and not know about what had happened. My father would go on to remarry, and I would go on thinking this woman was my real mother until almost two decades later when I visited China again in 2016 and found out the truth about my past.
However, there would be a second decision in my life that would be made, this time by my father. He decided that the best version of my future lay in America, where he had just secured a position in a Ph.D. program at the State University of NY. It was a place where I could have a fresh start, as well as eventually have access to one of the greatest higher education systems in the world. I would grow up in the land of liberty, of freedom and the pursuit of happiness. I moved to the US when I was six years old and was thrown into this new culture without any idea of what it entailed or even the language that was spoken.
Of course, these are things that are easy to overcome when one is six years old and has plenty of fresh starts from moving around in the states. I learned English, moved from Albany NY to Naperville IL, and went from elementary school to high school. Along the way, I picked up hobbies such as biking, trombone, even joined the high school football team. Though I was at the age now where I could make my own decisions, there was one more entity making my decisions for me. The slow and tedious US immigration system with its arbitrary mandatory wait times meant that when I applied for colleges I was not yet a domestic student, and was ineligible for scholarships at most universities. This meant that though I had prepared myself for the rigors of a school like Georgia Tech (and gotten accepted too!), the lack of any financial aid meant that the only real opportunity for college for me was to go to Illinois Tech, where my father worked as a researcher, and where I would have my tuition waived.
Of course, I hated this idea of seemingly wasting my potential at first. Furthermore, I realized that my immigration status meant I could not apply for the internships I wanted, which prevented me from working at the jobs I was preparing myself to work for with my field of study. However, I could not let myself sit while others made my decisions for me. Today, I am very happy with the things that I have gotten myself involved in at Illinois Tech, as well as the success that I’ve had in terms of coursework as well as projects.
Earlier this year, I received news that my wait time in the US immigration process was finally over and that I would receive my permanent residency early next year at the latest. This represents the final person/entity which will be making my major life decisions for me. Though I acknowledge that there will always be some factors outside my control at play, I will soon be able to be the master of my own destiny for the first time in my life. I am excited to see what is in store for the future, as well as to continue sharing my journey through the lens of my camera.
Can you give our readers some background on your art?
My choice of artistic medium is digital photography. It is a way for others to literally see through the eyes of another person, and I love the way in which photos can subtly convey messages. A photo can freeze a cherished moment in time (wedding photos, etc.), show the majesty of nature (any National Geographic photo), remember great sacrifices and displays of bravery made in history (tank man, Berlin wall photos, etc.) or put into perspective just how insignificant we are in the grand scheme of things (Pale Blue Dot from Voyager I).
I do not have access to historical figures or incredible landscapes in the art that I create. However, if I make one person look at/think about the world in a new way because of the art I make, then it will have achieved its purpose.
How do you think about success, as an artist, and what do quality do you feel is most helpful?
There are only two measures of success for me as an artist: my growth and personal satisfaction.
Personal satisfaction is pretty straightforward. As long as the work I produce brings me happiness and is something that I would be proud to display, then I count the art I’ve produced as successful.
Growth is less straightforward. There is an easily quantifiable aspect of it, as well as an element that is more obscure. On one hand, I can quantify my growth as an artist through things like my social media engagement, print sales, number of new people I meet, etc. However, there is also a push to be a better person every day; to grow by constantly living outside my comfort zone and chasing after my goals and ambitions. Growth is the only thing that matters in a world where the only constant changes. If you aren’t constantly building your craft and getting better, you risk falling behind and becoming irrelevant.
What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
I post my work on my Instagram page, and people can see it there. I am looking to expand my hobby into doing more professional work as well, so if any readers would like to book portrait sessions/product shoots/real estate listings, I would love to be involved. Prints of my work are also available, and readers can get in touch with me about prints via email (qiyuan777@gmail.com).
Contact Info:
- Phone: 6305062592
- Email: qiyuan777@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keonjoe/
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/user/KeonJoes
Image Credit:
Eliza Helm @elizahelm, Antonio Javiniar @holamikoo, Angie @fit.bitch_angie
Getting in touch: VoyageChicago is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
