All Things Cats with Laura Zeng
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Time to read 2 min
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Time to read 2 min
Hi, I'm Laura! I'm a Chinese-American artist based in Seattle. I live in a tiny house with my two cats, Mishka and Piroshky. A fun fact that few people know is that I have unusually small pinkie fingers.
My creative path is kind of unconventional and pretty tightly knit with my Asian American-ness. My parents are Chinese immigrants who came to America looking for opportunity and economic advancement. They taught me early on that it was important for me to pursue a career that would be prestigious and financially stable, so I went to college for computer science. After graduating, I was a software engineer at Microsoft and Square, which offered me a lot of privileges and made my parents happy, but left me feeling sad and unfulfilled. After almost a decade in tech, I quit my job. I wasn't sure what to do next, but I thought it'd be really cool to draw cats and make cute cat products. I've always loved drawing, but because of my upbringing, I had a hard time pursuing art in a professional capacity. I think I needed to prove to myself that I could be "successful" in a more traditional and conventional way before I could allow myself to figure out what true success and happiness looked like for me.
Not every piece I make is directly related to my AAPI identity, but I'd like to think that most people who look at my art would think, "Yeah, I bet an Asian woman made that." I have a hard time categorizing my style, but I think it's pretty obvious that I pull a lot of inspiration from other East Asian artists and media. Sometimes my art touches on more serious topics like identity and politics, and sometimes my art is just a cat.
To be honest, I've been incredibly lucky to have received a lot of positive feedback for my work, and I feel very accepted in the art community despite coming from a non-conventional background.
One of the best feelings is when someone resonates very strongly with something I've made. I love when people pick up something I've made and say, "Oh my gosh, ME!" or even better when they go get their friend and say, "Oh my gosh, YOU!"
"I try to make work that is silly and fun to look at because I think there's always room for more joy."
I am preparing for my first marathon, and I can't tell if I'm getting a runner's high or if I'm just proud of myself for sticking with my training plan. Either way, I'm very excited!
Instagram: @lauradzeng
Website: http://lauradzeng.com/
