Written by Hello, my name is Cathy Zhang and I’m a Los Angeles transplant living in Portland, Oregon. I create playful and expressive watercolor for the inner child in all of us.
I didn’t grow up with any art influence in the family. Before my latest encounter with watercolor, I had a 11-year hiatus from art. After a few B- in college art classes, I was convinced I wasn’t cut out for a creative profession, and hastily changed my major. I then spent the better half of my twenties crafting a resume that would help me secure financial stability and social acceptance. Art did not fit in that formula.
I fit in, but did not belong
During my slow and steady climb up the corporate ladder, I felt my dissatisfaction growing, incurable by new jobs, bonuses, or corporate perks. The more benefits were thrown at me, the more guilt I felt for not appreciating them. I tried to scratch my existential itch with various side hobbies but none of them stuck. I began to dread Monday mornings and lived for weekends. To help relieve the frustration, I joined #the100dayproject.
Rebuilding confidence in my creativity
My first 100 Day Project painting was my first watercolor painting ever. Since I didn’t consider myself artistic, I had nothing to lose for trying. I had no idea how to use the paint correctly and treated it like acrylic. I quickly became hooked on the medium and looked forward to coming home from work and painting at night. After the 100 Day Project, I didn’t want to stop painting. I received positive feedback on social media and I was flattered when friends reached out about purchasing some of my paintings. This motivated me to keep going.
My favorite painting subjects are animals because of their diverse range in shapes, sizes, textures, and expressions. I started off by going on Pinterest and Instagram for inspiration for photo references or examples of other artists’ work. I gradually grew the confidence to trust my own creativity to develop my own style. In her book Big Magic, Elizabeth Gilbert wrote: “Everyone imitates before they can innovate”. After the training wheels came off, improvement only came with deliberate and continuous practice.
The risk of not trying
In the beginning, the severity of my job unhappiness was directly correlated with my motivation to paint. After several months of this cyclical (maybe not so healthy) relationship, my gut told me that I could do something more with my art and that all my years of working professionally might have built a foundation to propel me to take action; not trap me with golden handcuffs. I realized the risk of not trying was greater than the risk of failing and if I were to fail, I would fail gloriously after giving it my all. As a result, I recently quit my corporate job and began the process of building my creative business. It’s one of the hardest things I’ve done, but I’m grateful everyday for taking this risk.
My creative process
Because of my analytical background, I do most of the prep work in my head. I have a general sense of composition for a piece before I start the sketch. I draw inspiration from colors in nature, but like to use both analogous and complementary colors in unexpected ways. I do rough light pencil sketches as a general reference for placement, but let my intuition guide me on where different colors fall. My style tends to be expressive, organic, with details only in selective areas and pinches of color in places they don’t belong. I suppose it’s my artistic representation of being rebellious against the norm.
Watercolor is full of surprises and I’m still learning a lot about different techniques and tools to express myself. Since I’m self taught, I probably miss some of the theoretical guiding principles taught in art school, but I enjoy stumbling into new challenges and figuring it out as I go.
Thank you for reading, and thanks Charlie for inviting me to join this community of amazing doodlewashers!
Cathy Zhang
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Ah, synchronicity – I just read ‘Big Magic’ not so long ago – wonderful book – and here you are quoting from it. I found it on a library in Valbona, Albania, of all places. Good luck with the Creative Business Cathy, and may you court inspiration 🙂
Thank you Terri! That is pretty random that you found it in an Albanian Library. Big Magic is such a great book with so many quotables. The other one I liked is about fear: “It seems to me that the less I fight my fear, the less it fights back. If I can relax, fear relaxes, too.”
Beautiful lightness of touch, joyous work, congrats!
Thank you, Phil! Lightness and joy are what I’m striving for in art and life :).
What wonderful artwork! I especially love the way you allow the pigments to run and bleed and bloom as that is something I enjoy most about watercolour.
The bleeding and blooming was one of the main reasons I got hooked on watercolor. Thanks for reading, Laura!
Your happiness shows in your paintings. Good for you for having the courage to leave Corporate America to follow your dream.
Thanks so much for reading about my journey so far!
Love love your style Cathy!
Thanks for your kind words, Eileen! I’m still honing my style but I think the looseness is here to stay.
Absolutely beautiful watercolour art, Cathy. So soft, playful, dreamy and airy! Thank goodness you left your corporate job, otherwise, what a huge loss to the creative world if you’d let your talent slumber behind a corporate desk.
Haha, thanks, I’d like to think so… ;). Your puffer fish avatar made me click to your site and your illustrations are so good! I took on a character illustration project recently and it kicked my a$$. so RESPECT.
Thank you so much, Cathy!
Cathy, I love the way your paint meanders around your paintings and finds its own resting place. You are a true water-colorist. Your story about finding your way back to art is so interesting. I’m glad early discouragement didn’t confound you forever.
Hi Sharon, I love the way you describe it, as if the paint has a life of its own, as watercolor often does. Thanks so much for your kinds words and encouragement! I’m glad I made my way back eventually too.
Enjoyed your art and your experience both.
Thank you for reading, Julia!
what a wonderful, fluid and subtle style you have. ‘misplaced colour’ was a real eye opener to me Cathy, I really hadnt thought about that much before, tending to try and be ‘accurate’ for the most part. love what you are doing and have done. good for you, and thanks for sharing your story.
Thanks, Andrew! I’m glad my article has prompted you to think a bit differently about your approach. I’m so fluid with my style sometimes that I think a little bit of precision gives it a nice edge too :).
love your work, Cathy. Thanks for the intro Charlie!
Thank you, Jodi! And Charlie is awesome for creating this community.
Awww… thanks, Cathy! 😊
Yay, Cathy! I relate to your story a lot. It’s hard to leave a career that you are successful at by all of the external measures that we’re often taught to value. Glad that you followed your heart and your gut and that it’s brought you happiness.
Thank you for reading, Jen! I’m glad you find it relatable. I struggled with giving up the “prestige” for a long time and to be honest sometimes still do, but as you said this is what brings me happiness.
Cathy, I love, love, love your style. It is so whimsical and cheerful. I also love the looseness and little pops of unexpected color. I wish you the best in your new career!
Thank you, Annie! I really appreciate it!
Hi Cathy, I am new to Doodlewash and just saw this page. I consume mountains of pen&ink&watercolor info weekly and I totally relate to the job unhappiness and the “Corporate America treadmill”. I am convinced the whole thing is psychologically created to generate dependency and therefore servitude without questioning because no one in their right mind would accept it. There should be a CAA institution! (Corporate America Anonymous!) I too am trapped in a stressful Silicon Valley career and live for the weekends and nights (when that does not get robbed from me!). Every time I try to describe my job to someone the reaction is always the same: “Oh my – that must be stressful then?”, lol! Very! I hope one day (soon!) i can find the courage you found to break free and pursue something more fulfilling than a bank account! I love your art and story – don’t ever look back!
Hi Yvonne, I just saw your message 8 months too late! I really appreciate your feedback and can so relate to the entrapment of the rat race. CAA would be an awesome idea!! I hope you’ll face better circumstances in the future and pursue what you love, even if part time. Thanks for reading!
Hi Cathy! So nice to “meet” you! I love your loose paintings and pops of color — something I’m trying to do more of myself! And I know just what you mean about the treadmill! Big hugs!