New Zealand creates designer lifestyle

Moving countries has changed the life of an aspiring designer for the better.

Chinese born, 21-year-old Sheen Huang, moved to New Zealand when she was 16  for a change of atmosphere.

Unsure of what she was going to do, she quickly found her passion for design and now studies at Wintec.

“I was attracted to Wintec because it is a really fun and practical place and, like they say, you create your world,” said Sheen.

Leaving behind her parents and friends in her hometown of Shenzhen, Sheen ventured to New Zealand to spread her wings.

“I decided to come to NZ because my cousin, who is my best friend, was moving to Australia, and I thought I needed a change for myself.”

Sheen is currently in her second year of a Media Arts degree focusing on graphic design and advertising.

“I love doing elegant stuff, but I’m not an elegant person.”

Moving away from China allowed Sheen to find her passion and have more creative freedom. She discovered things for her self and experienced more of life, which she then transfers into her own work.

“New Zealand has given me the opportunity to be myself,” says Sheen. “Creating more free artworks… that’s out of the box.”

This is thanks, in part, to the differences between how she has been allowed to study in China to what she has been able to do in New Zealand.

In China there is more of a focus on academic achievements and long hours, whereas in New Zealand there have been more opportunities to be artistic and follow individual pursuits regardless of academic value.

“Over in China, it’s a struggle, but here everyone’s peaceful because they’re trying to help each other. Even though you don’t have money you can apply for something, a benefit, from the government.”

She also says that she would have never thought to pursue art professionally back home. However, coming here made her realise that it was possible.

“My friends in China have dreams like me and even they are chasing it. One of my friends is also studying Media Arts there but she is struggling. There is not much respect for arts there.”

One of Sheen’s artist inspiration for her design work is Ren Hang.

“His works are very weird and reflect himself and his childhood a lot and I got inspired by that.”

Sheen incorporates her Chinese culture into her work, but sees inspiration all around her.

It is this attitude that is shown in her work that uses cultural motifs of both places she considers home.

Her passion is to continue to create work that people love and appreciate.

“I want to create work so that when people see it they go, ‘that’s Sheen’s’.”

The big move across the world has helped shape Sheen into the woman she is today.

“I have become more mature. I have set my goals and I am going for it.”

While fitting in seamlessly to student life in Hamilton, Sheen still finds time between work and study to keep her culture alive, with plenty of Chinese food and music.

Living in a totally different country is hard, but the opportunities, and the freedom she has gained make it all worth it, and yearly visits back to China to see her family make it bearable.

“I go back to china once a year, but if I could, I would go more often.”