Interview with Tenzoni Tsering: The Spotlight Series Ep. 2
The Spotlight Series is a documentary series by The Yakpo Collective that highlights prominent Tibetan contemporary artists and their artworks. The series exist to provide resources for generations to come, in order to foster a learning environment based on art and creativity.
Christina: What has been one of your favorite things to do since we’ve all been trapped inside for quarantine?
Tenzoni: That’s a good question! For me I guess it’s like experimenting and trying to do new things. Not really new things, but getting back into like a routine I guess? Because I was pretty lazy so I am reading more, trying to sketch more, trying to draw more freely, cooking and baking. But I feel like everybody is doing that.
C: I see a lot of that in social media, but I’m here for it! Like it’s cool.
So I was wondering if you could tell me a little bit about who you are, your background and like what it is you do?
T: Ok, so I’m Tenzin Tsering. I go by Tenzoni online because my cousin gave me that nickname and I was sort of stuck with it. I’m going to my fourth year of University, so I’ll be graduating soon. I go to OCAD, Ontario school of Art and Design and yeah. It’s going to be a stressful year.
C: So where were you born and raised?
T: I was born in India but my father is Tibetan and my mom is Filipino. They met in India, they had me, and then they came to Canada. So that’s basically my backstory.
C: So a big question! Take it as you will, but how did you start exploring art? In terms of consuming it or creating it yourself?
T: I think for me the first sort of artworks that I’ve seen was on television and through comic books. So I watched a lot of Cartoon Network, I watched a lot of anime, I read a lot of comic books, and that sort of what made me want to get into art. And even at a young age, I liked to watch that sort of entertainment, so that made me want to create characters, and pieces with a lot of colors, and I started experimenting and started having fun with it. And now I feel like I’m going into a more of a professional stream I guess.
C: Yeah totally! So I see that you said you like exploring comics and anime, but were there any specific moments or experiences where it turned you into really wanting to become an artist and have that be like, what you do?
T: I think because both my grandparents are artists as well on my mom’s side. I sort of watched them and I was like “Wow what are they doing with the paintbrush? What is this color that they are putting on?” and as I watched them more, I realized they were creating art. I remember that was the experience that kind of made me want to try doing art, because my grandparents would give me a paintbrush, pencils and crayons, and I would just doodle on a piece of paper.
Then another experience I remember is watching Avatar, The last Airbender series.
C: Yes! Yeah right?!
T: Yeah! and I remember wanting to create a story that’s that cool! The characters are so like, I don’t know, just so much fun.
C: That sounds so amazing and you know it’s on Netflix now, a side note.
T: Yes I know, I’m rewatching! Are you?
C: Yes of course I am! Amazing.
So then taking a big leap from there to something a little more serious I guess, What does art mean to you? How do you use art in your life?
T: For me as of the current moment, art is my education. When I was younger It was sort of a hobby thing and I was like “should I pursue this or should I not?” but right now I feel like I want it to become a job, so I’m treating it more as a professional sense, and using it to voice my opinion, and using it to voice my heritage, and things that I find important in the world.
T: So art means something that I can explore my heritage, my opinions, and the way that I see the world and show other people how I view it. So I guess I do a lot of things that mean a lot to me, and also just things that I find fun.
C: Then going off that note, specifically what does Tibetan Contemporary art mean to you? What do you consider it to be especially in your life?
T: For me, Tibetan Contemporary art is a way for me to explore my heritage and my background. Especially since being someone who doesn’t really speak the language and has a parent of Tibetan and Filipino background. So I sort of never really connected to either of them. So art is a way for me to help get myself connected. Also to help other people feel connected through my work with maybe Tibetan heritage, their own background and just feeling like they are able to voice their opinions and the way that they see the world through art as well.
C: I definitely think that, that’s something a lot of people can relate to. I think it’s so great that you do that, just because I am actually also another half. I’m half Tibetan and half Korean.
T: Oh my gosh that’s so cool!
C: So also with the language, like I get it. The whole struggle with two different identities. And then I guess you already kind of addressed it, but was going to ask you, obviously everyone has a different way to kind of relate to their Tibetan heritage, and how they define themselves as a Tibetan. So for you, how do you find that, that has influenced how you view other contemporary Tibetan art? And how do you create your own?
T: So I think the way that I see other Tibetan contemporary artists is like “oh wow they are in such a higher position than me and I wish I could be like them” or something like that. But at the same time it’s like I’m really learning to accept my own self, my own work, and my own voice. As well as trying to explore both sides of my heritage, so not just like Tibetan contemporary art, but maybe also Filipino contemporary art. Or even Canadian contemporary art. There’s just so many streams that you can go through and the way that art works is just like, I don’t know. There's so much of it that sometimes it’s just overwhelming for the most part. It’s just very inspiring.
C: So then we could dig into more specifics of the pieces that you are sharing with us for The Spotlight Series. You can start with any piece you want. You can share with us what inspired that piece.
T: Ok, I have the pictures in front of me just in case I forgot.
C: I also have them in front of me, so it’s perfect.
T: I think I’ll start with the one I created the first back. So in 2018 I created this like “Healthy Cooking = Healthy Mind.” So this piece was created for school but it took a more interesting approach for me to go with it. Because I haven’t really tried the gouache and ink medium that I used in this piece, and I thought that this subject is really interesting. Which is basically like when you eat healthy, your mind is able to be healthier.
Also, there's culinary practice and art therapy. Some people struggle with mental health issues. So I thought this is an interesting way to bring it about especially in quarantine, since people are cooking more, and people are I guess trying to stay sane, and keep themselves entertained. Cooking is just like a really good way to do that. So I thought it’s cool that it related to me back then, but then it’s related even more now to me.
C: So how did you go about approaching that idea and engaging in that creative process? Especially since it’s a medium that you haven’t done before and it’s kind of like a new thing.
T: I got inspired by people in my class. So a lot of the other artists in my class like gouache. So I was sort of like “hey how do you do that? how do you use this?” I saw one of my friends use a wood panel for her piece, and I was like I wanna try that. So I went about it with my peers in mind I guess. Then I also the colors, they were just really fun and poppy. I knew I wanted to do something fun and bright. So that’s how I went about creating this. It was sort of taking inspiration from wherever I could find it, obviously it starts with a sketch, our teacher approved it, and then I colored it.
C: Cool! So then moving on, explain what your next piece is and what inspired it.
T: So for the “Sorting out a Complicated Fight” piece, which I did in 2019. This is all also a class assignment but, basically what I was trying to get at for this piece is the idea of Environmental Activism. The phrase “Sorting out a Complicated Fight” which is the prompt for the assignment, basically relates to these futuristic plant monsters in the background that are sort of like telling us we need to start taking better care of our environment. And The little wilderness explorer in the foreground, she’s sort of holding this baby plant and having the responsibility to take care of the environment. I wanted to show that in different colors, and a different style I guess. This is also a style I haven’t really tried before, which is pen and ink, and then coloring on photoshop. So it’s like a mix of digital and traditional media.
C: That’s so cool that you tried all these different mediums and all these different fields.
T: Thank you. I feel like I don’t really have a style though. But I guess that comes with more practice? I don't know, that’s what they say.
C: I was going to say with age too. It’s kind of cool because you're still young, we’re both still pretty young. So you are still going about trying new things. It’s especially really inspiring for other young aspiring Tibetan artists to look towards.
T: I hope so!
C: I think so, definitely. So we can move towards the last, the third piece and you can tell me a little bit about that one maybe?
T: So that one was created this year. Basically for this piece, I was just sort of thinking, again on the environmental activism sort of spectrum. Being that our material waste and pollution, that we use so much in our daily lives, it affects our ecosystem.
So basically what I wanted to talk about in this piece is how our waste comes at a massive cost for our ecosystem, and showing that outdoor recreation is a privilege. For people who can actually access it, for people who can actually go ahead and go out into the wilderness. And they have the means to do that, they have the money to do that, and they have the equipment to do that. So I just wanted to bring about the importance of Mount Everest being this like “the highest mountain that a bunch of climbers want to climb.” But you also have to think about the privilege that you get to climb it. Mount Everest is actually polluted as a direct result of travelers looking to climb the mountain for their own satisfaction.
C: Now that I have talked to you about this, I think actually all the pieces that you have chosen to share with us, are a very interesting progression of how it interacts with the environment and nature. That is really cool.
T: It’s in the back of my head and in my personal life, my dad and I do go camping and hiking a lot. We go to national parks as much as we can, so this sort of thing is like personal to me. But I never really thought, how lucky I am to be able to go camping, and to go to these places that are so close.
C: Now that we have gone through each of these pieces, what is one of your most favorite parts about it or one of your favorite details?
T: That’s a good question, I like that. For the first one, (“Healthy Cooking = Healthy Mind.”) I like the way that I drew this body. It’s just sort of limpy, and he kind of reminds me of like, gum. So that was really fun to do, especially because I like the contrast of his body against all the flowers and foliage in the background. Then for the second one, (“Sorting out a Complicated Fight”) I like the linework that I did in the plants and the leaves and things like that. I’ve never really approached lineworks that detailed before. Then for the third one, (“Mountain Climbing on Everest'') this illustration was so hard because of all the pollution that I had to put in and these equipment. And everytime I look at it I just feel pain. I don’t really think I have a favorite part, but maybe I like the flag on top of that mountain.
C: It’s in the distance, and it just stands out from everything else going on.
T: Yeah exactly. That was the easiest thing to draw, like putting the triangle up there. So I like that part.
C: Since a lot of your works are different and every time you tried something new, was there something you learned that made you go, “I learned this technique, or this is kind of the style I really like”?
T: That’s such a good question. For the first one I really liked using gouache, and I do try to use that wherever I do traditional media. There are so many ways that I can approach it, but I approached this with an opaque acrylic version of gouache. So all the colors are really thick and poppy. So that was cool, because I still implement it to this day. Then for the second one, what I learned from this is that you really can mix digital and traditional media and make it look natural. I really didn’t know how to do that before this assignment. Then for the last one, I learned patience. I had fun researching for this one. Researching a bunch of pictures, and what equipment you would use for mountain climbing, what Mount Everest looks like right now, and what people wear when they go mountain climbing. So the research part was really fun and I just went through a black hole on the internet searching for stuff.
C: I’ve never actually thought about that! Like doing the research behind it. I see that’s a big part of it. As I pointed out earlier, that environment and nature are a really big part of all your pieces here. So I wanted to ask you because I looked at all your other works on Instagram, which are like amazing by the way, and there's kind of like this running theme of social activism. A lot of young people are standing up for the environment and the right for our nature, so what made you want to implement these two different sides? The environmental social activism side and the artistic side together, and how did you go about blending those two. Did you make a decision intentionally where you wanted to make that kind of art?
T: For me, no. When I go through my artwork and make them, I just take things that are happening in my life or things that I get inspired by in my life. As you said there seems to be this ongoing theme of nature, and maybe some activism and activism comes naturally I guess. Not saying that I’m like a natural activism, it’s not like that! When I see something that matches something else, like maybe for instance I have an idea of drawing mountains, then I want to pick an issue that relates to those mountains. Then I do research and make it into something more with weight. But when it’s fun stuff, it’s just fun stuff. It’s not always serious. It's not always intentional, unfortunately. I wish I could say it was.
C: No but it’s good though, sometimes it's just what’s on your mind, and your experiences in your life. That makes sense to me. So a big question, I’m sure everyone wants an answer to this. How do you overcome artist’s blocks and do you have any tips for other people who may experience that?
T: Just one thing to add, a side note, through this whole quarantine I’ve been feeling a block. What helps me with art block is really just taking a break, and consuming things that I like. So things that I like would be watching shows, reading books, going outside and hanging out with friends, cooking and talking to my family. Just making sure that you are feeling happy, and then after you feel happy, you’re going to feel bored. When your boredom hits through that break, then you’re going to want to create. When I’m having a block, I sort of put everything away and do something else, and come back to it slowly. Like really slowly.
C: Ok, I see.
T: I think it’s different for everybody, because I know for some people, they can just stare at a piece of paper for a long time and they can just start drawing. Maybe it’s good, or maybe it’s bad. Maybe it’s also a good way to approach the art block. But for me if I do something else and forget about it, and then come back, then maybe something will hit.
C: That’s a really good technique. I think a lot of people will appreciate knowing that you can take the time to step away, and the world is not going to implode.
T: Very true, because it can be stressful. When you feel like you are not good enough or you feel like your art isn't good, or you feel like “I don’t know what to create,” It can be stressful and tolling on the mind. So maybe taking a break is really helpful.
C: Definitely. If there was one thing people could take away from when they see your art, or certain parts from your art, or even a feeling or a thought, what would it be?
T: This is a hard one. I think in a general sense, I want people to take away from my art is basically that you can create things no matter what. You just have to put in the time and effort. Also have fun. So lame, I’m sorry! Like generally I want my pieces to be colorful and eye catching and fun. Then maybe after I get people’s attention from the colorful stuff, then maybe they will understand that there is a message behind it or there’s a feeling that I put behind the artwork. Especially for other artists who are looking at my art. I want them to take away the fact that art is really hard sometimes, but if you create what you like and have fun, then good things will happen. You can perhaps make a living out of it.
C: I think it’s so cool that you appreciate that kind of lightness to it. That you don’t have to be all like, intense with the messaging.
T: Not that I resent it or there’s anything wrong with that at all. I don’t want to put it into people’s faces and be like “Care about this right now!” I don’t mind. You can come back to it when you want.
C: So moving on to the next question. Do you have a favorite tool or something that is valuable as an artist that you find yourself going back to a lot?
T: Yes, well this is going to sound very cheeky of me but my ipad pro is my best friend. Because I use procreate, like the app for digital work. And I use it so much! My ipad looks nasty now, because of how much I used it. It’s just such a great app and a great tool, because it’s got the pencil and you don’t have to bring your papers and your paint brushes everywhere with you. So if you have the resources, and if you have the money, you can get it. So for traditional art, small sketchbooks, like I have a mini one that I carry with me when I can. Then mechanical pencils are really great for me, and gouache. I always use gouache for my traditional stuff. It’s a good medium because you can treat it as a watercolor and acrylic.
C: And then this could be during quarantine or outside of quarantine, is there any specific routine that helps you tap in and really enhance your creativity?
T: I guess it is two different things at the moment. Right now I would say what helps me is just doing things that I like once again. Watching documentaries, movies, and reading. That sort of thing helps me. Listening to podcasts when I draw and music. Music helps so much. In quarantine and without. If you want to get creative, just listen to music that you like. I feel like that’s what gets your creative juices flowing.
C: I can definitely relate to that. Just got to put in the earbuds.
T: Especially if you are in quarantine with a bunch of other people, if you put on music, it’s like they are not even there.
Outside of quarantine I would say going to see other artworks if you can. Maybe going to an art gallery or talking to your friends about what they are creating. Whether it be art or not. It’s a great way to get inspiration from others.
C: So we are coming towards the end, and I got two good questions for you. So obviously as kind of like the younger people, we are very used to the presence of technology, and technology being used to offer spaces or platforms like Yakpo. Where you can kind of create a safe space where a lot of artists around the world share their works. So you no longer need to be in direct contact, and a lot of people and groups, especially a minority like the Tibetans, they’ve been able to gain a voice that they might not have had before. I was wondering if you could talk more about how you have interacted with these different platforms, and how they have helped you, or things that you saw or thoughts about it.
T: Wow, great question. So I am so lucky for platforms that reach out to me because of what I put out into the world. Especially through social media and technology. It’s only then that I’ve got something rolling at the moment. I’m so thankful for that, it’s super cool. Being able to relate to people, even with you, like being half Tibetan and half Korean, I feel like I can relate to you on a whole another level, and I wouldn’t have otherwise. Since you are so far, I wouldn’t be able to interact with you without this platform and without these technologies. It’s really great. I’ve had the pleasure working with The Yakpo Collective, doing this and this is super cool. And also working with like the snow lion club. I feel really lucky to be able to do that in the age where I can be quarantined but I could still talk to you, you know?
C: I think it’s kind of crazy how not even just seeing other great art, but also it forms a kind of community that is so worldwide. It seems so random and sporadic, like we all have this shared thing.
T: That’s a great point. Community, It makes it so much more real.
C: Ok and then last question. Is there any advice or thoughts or tips or anything you want to share with other artists like yourself who are young and are just coming up?
T: When I was younger it was sort of like, don’t stop creating what you like. Because then you will lose touch of what you like and why you even started creating in the first place. For me, I really wanted to create a graphic novel or work on a show. I still feel like I could do that. But in terms of going to school, sometimes it feels like I’m being pushed into a direction that I didn’t want to. But I can still come back to what I like if I think about it. School is not an issue and also other factors in my life are not an issue. It’s just I want to create what I like and I feel like more creative people need to do that. And keep doing it because it’s so important. Not even for art, but for music or dancing. Just do what you like. Also try not to compare yourself so hard to the artists around you. It’s really tough to say because on one hand I’m saying “Get inspiration from others!” but I don’t mean that in a way of feeling disheartened when you are comparing yourself to the art you are getting inspired from. Try not to compare yourself super hard. It's such an important thing to do because it’s for your mental well being as well.
C: Definitely, I think that can be a big part in the creative world. Balancing that and finding inspiration and admiring someone for what they have created. Then also not being like in comparison mode.
T: I know everybody struggles with this and I struggle with it all the time. Because of again, with the technologies. There’s so much more artworks being involved and more creative things that we can see through platforms. It’s hard not to compare. If you really just be happy for that creator and be inspired by that creator, it really helps in terms of not feeling disheartened or losing confidence in your own work.
C: Definitely, I think that’s great advice. I’m sure a lot of young people can relate to that. I think that’s all the questions I have for you in this interview. Thank You so much for sharing and hanging out!
T: Thank you so much! You’re a good interviewer.
C: Oh no! I don’t know about that!
T: No seriously! These are good questions.
C: We spend a lot of time with the team just pouncing out, and also just improv.
Thank you so much for letting me interview you!
T: Thank you so much for letting me be a part of this project. It’s super fun.