Chief Change Officer - Hong Kong’s May Yeung: Creating Art’s Brightest Magic from Life’s Deepest Struggles

Episode Date: December 16, 2024

For the first time, my podcast comes full circle! Though I started and run this show in Hong Kong, I’ve yet to feature a guest from right here in my home city—until today. Meet May Yeung: a teaching artist, founder of the charity Art of My Family, cancer survivor, and proud mom to an 14-month-old cutie. Through art, May is reshaping lives and championing sustainability, mental health, and social inclusion right here in Hong Kong. In a city known for its financial might, May shows us a path of passion and purpose, proving that art can spark meaningful change. Bonus? Our youngest guest yet—her 14-month-old son—is along for the ride. Stay tuned! Key Highlights of Our Interview: 3:17—From Wall Scribbles to Ceramics: A Childhood Steeped in Art “From the time I was around two years old, I would draw on walls before I could even write my name. By five, my father and I were creating ceramics together. At age 12, my fascination with dadaism and pop art gave me the conviction to become an artist.” "I met Professor Jeff Oppenheimer who gave a lecture on integrating art into daily life, and daily life into art, and the contents of this lecture really helped to form the framework and direction of my art to this day." 6:00—Where Art Meets Music: How Music Has Influenced Her Art Creation 8:41—From Crunching Numbers to Crafting Impact: How Finance Led May to Art and Social Change 11:20—Faith Over Fear: How Battling Cancer Transformed a Perfectionist into a Celebrator of Life’s Small Wins "I think the cancer experience really let me feel a greater sense of conviction to serve the underprivileged" 16:25—Art for Archer: How Motherhood and Heritage Shape Her Creations 18:09—Dim Sum and Chinese Checkers: Weaving Hong Kong’s Culture into Every Piece of Art 21:34—Memorable Art Pieces “What If” and “Blossom Love”: Sculpting Bridges Between Cultures and Endless Possibilities 23:19—From Corporate CSR to Creative Compassion: The Birth of Art of My Family 30:00—May’s Life Mission to Inspire the Next Generation: The Three C’s of Art Education and the Role of a Teaching Artist Connect with us: Host: Vince Chan | Guest: May Yeung ______________________ Chief Change Officer: Make Change Ambitiously. Experiential Human Intelligence for Growth Progressives Global Top 3% Podcast on Listen Notes World's #1 Career Podcast on Apple Top 1: US, CA, MX, IE, HU, AT, CH, FI, JP 2.5+ Millions Downloads 80+ Countries

Hi everyone, welcome to our show, Chief Change Officer. I'm Vince Chen, your ambitious human host. Our show is a modernist community for change progressives in organizational and human transformation from around the world. I started this show in Hong Kong and I run the show from Hong Kong, talking to guests from every corner of the world possible. Yet, so far, I haven't interviewed any guest from right here in Hong Kong. Today, that changes. I'm excited to bring a local guest to the studio, Mei Yeung, founder of the charity Art of My Family, a teaching artist, a cancer survivor, a mother to a really cool boy, and the wife of another Vince, who happens to be a good friend of mine.

May has experienced many life changes over the years. She's determined to use the power of art her own way, to change lives and create an environmentally sustainable, mentally healthy, and socially inclusive society here in Hong Kong. Hong Kong is not just about business, finance, and money. May has chosen a different path to do well and to do good. And as a side note, we've got our youngest guest ever, May's 11-month-old son joining us on the show. So don't go away. Hi everyone. My name is May. I'm a teaching artist and while I'm a sculpture, I'm also the founder of Art of My Family,

a charity dedicated to organized committee art events with sustainability elements. May is a teaching artist. What is teaching artist, you may wonder. And how does she develop her artistic journey? Before we do a deep dive, let us start with Mei's history. Mei, give us an overview of your history, your education, your life experiences, just to give us some perspective. Then we will explore different elements of your journey in the later part of our show.

Sure, growing up I've always really enjoyed art more than anything else and much some kids prefer playing sports. Art really came naturally to me. So from the time I was around two years old, I would draw on walls before I could even write my name and art was one of the ways my parents and I bonded. So when I was three, my mother taught me how to sew an origami and by five years old, my father and I were creating ceramics together. At eight, well, my positive experiences with art from my childhood really gave me the conviction to become an artist, during which I had a fascination with dataism and pop art.

And I eventually went to the University of Chicago to study arts. This is where I met up with Professor Jeff Oberheimer, who gave a lecture on integrating art into daily life and daily life into art. And the contents of this lecture really helped form the framework and direction of my art to this day, and also were one of the major factors in my decision to become a sculptor specializing in pop art and large installations for puppet spaces.

You went to the University of Chicago to study visual art, along with another interest of yours, political science. I happen to know a lot of people from Hong Kong and China, including myself, who attempted the U.S.A. to study economics, business, mathematics, or physics. Yet even at your young age, you purposely chose art as your major. Tell us more about the why.

Why at that age you decided to pursue art as your major? Why you wanted to get serious about this field of study rather than just keeping it as a hobby or as an interest? For me, art is a way of self-expression as well as a way of communication with others. And I think the power of art is that even for words that cannot be expressed, it can be experienced through art. And I think, as I mentioned earlier, Professor Jeff Overtimer, actually as well as Professor Laura Latinsky, both of them play a very important role in my artistic career. They really encouraged me to jump outside of the box and incorporate some of the daily life materials

into my artwork and that's also my philosophy as an artist too. You've mentioned to me before me before that music has had a significant influence on your journey as an artist. Can you share more about how music plays a role in your art world? Yeah, sure. Besides art, I also received a musical education from a very young age, receiving tutelage from Hong Kong conductor Mr. Jimmy Chan and the late Mr. Dai Sze Cheung, who actually taught a lot of famous singers in Hong Kong, including Andy Lau and all those other singers. And I was also taught piano by Chinese pianist Mao Tse Kwan and very luckily became the distinguished winner of the Swader Hong Kong Youth Piano Competition. So I actually used a lot of my traumatic experiences to create art sculptures and direct dance and musical performances that amplified significance of each

other. And when I first returned to Hong Kong in 2015, I served as the visual arts director and showcased my sculpture, Kupkun, using textiles at the residence of the Netherlands Council General to Hong Kong Macau, the Forge Permanente performance. And even later until in 2018, for the French May Art Festival, I directed the Feptenet-Nigmeck-Duta interpretive dance and music performance, where I fused Chinese and French musical instruments and fizzled a collaboration between the artists. And so I'm very excited about the upcoming show, which is the Discovery Arts Grand Prix. I will present my artwork called Musical Compass. It is actually an artwork series of sculpted vases in the form of a musical rest in a garden of sprouting daisies,

and I will actually hand-painted them. And the artwork is really aimed to calm the mind and encouraging the viewers to actually withdraw themselves from the bustling city lives, to relax, to recharge, and to reflect. And the reason why I actually chose our musical rest is because I believe that the absence of sound in a musical score actually provides dynamics, mutes tension, and actually maintains the rhythm, even changes the tempo of the theme. And I really hope that as music is everywhere, and I

really want that through art and music, which are both universal language to actually have to cross beyond borders and cultures. In your career so far, you've explored various areas of art, So far, you've explored various areas of art like music, sculpture, and painting. But you've also spent a good amount of time in the corporate world, including investment banking and working for a tech company in the CSR or ESG space. What were your thoughts back then about gaining this so-called standard commercial and business experience while still pursuing your artistic ambitions?

My transition from flying ants to startup and then into art was a kind of gradual realization of my calling in life and what I really wanted to do through my career. And earlier you mentioned I worked in finance. I was an analyst at Goldman in the US. And back then I had the opportunity to work on the CSR initiative and the experience really impacted me. And specifically, the community team works, which provided relief efforts for victims of hurricane Sandy. And so I actually at that time I helped organizing community art events and become a really fond family for me and inspired me to shift the career towards focusing and making a positive social impact. Coming back to Hong Kong, I then joined the founding team of the Liberal Hong Kong Office

as the Office of Social Responsibility Lead. And that's where I launched a food recovery program and providing meals, free meals for the community. And so seeing the potential for cooperation to support their communities really solidified my desire to use my abilities to benefit those in need. And all these experiences and also with personal help to Orange that's actually led me back to my original passion for art as a

pop art sculptor and also the founder of the charity Art of My Family. I now really dedicate my career to bring creative opportunities to underprivileged youth in Hong Kong, sticking to values of ART art, which is affirmation, resilience, and mindfulness. So today I look back at my career transitions and I realized that the nature of my grandmas roles, be it finance, be it finance, be it startup, it was really my calling to do social work and the spirit of perseverance that gradually developed through these experiences is really what shaped me who I am today.

Speaking of perseverance, I can't help but ask about a significant aspect of your personal life. You shared in other media interviews that you were diagnosed with cancer at a young age, and battled the illness for a considerable time. Could you share how this experience transformed or impacted you? Did it make you a more empathetic or artistic person? Or perhaps it had a different effect? How does this health and personal experience shape your journey.

I think our listeners would really appreciate hearing about the life lessons you've learned from this challenging time. Sure. So before my cancer, I was wrapped in my own cocoon. And growing up, I was a rent-a-lease, rentlessly perfectionist. So I set very high standards for myself. I was very critical of myself,

of everything from work to daily life. And back then I micromanaged all the operations of my design company, Art in Love, and also my charity, Art of My Family. I think my cancer, my fight with cancer really gave me a new perspective on life. I transformed into someone who really placed emphasis on faith. And when I say faith, I would say, A, really stands for having faith in myself. Instead of challenging what I do all the time, I actually embrace it and have confidence

in myself. And A, it's feeling alive and celebrating small things in life. It's not easy to be a sculptor. A lot of times things are being affected by the temperature, things are affected by the humidity. But celebrate the small things in life and you'll become a happier artist. I, it's creating impact on society by making a difference one step at a time. That's also my mission no matter as a sculptor or as a committee artist. And T is really touching lives and hearts by helping people around me. And so really happy to have set up part of my family to achieve that. And H taking better care of my mental and physical health as well as actually helping the

mental wellness of people around me as well. So I think the Camp the Experience really give me, let me feel a greater sense of conviction to serve the underprivileged whether through events such as French May, Valdemar, the Panda workshops to Mother Nature and Next Generation exhibition. felt more the pandemic drops to Mother Nature and Next Generation exhibition. A near-death experience gives you a new perspective on life. While that experience is full of suffering and we don't try to glorify it. It can also lead to personal growth. You came out of it as a better person, someone who embraces life more fully and finds greater happiness.

Speaking of life, I know that in recent years, you've started a new chapter. You got married to another Vince, who's also a friend of mine, from the University of Chicago. And you have a son, a new life that you are nurturing. How is motherhood treating you so far? How has this experience, along with other major live events, impacted your perspective as an artist and in helping your communities? Just give me one moment. Archer is coming over soon.

I would like to carry him as I'm answering this question. So, please tell me. Oh, he's sleepy. Okay. Did you interrupt his afternoon baby sleep? Beauty sleep? Actually, he was awake before the call, but then he fell asleep. Okay. Yes, like this. Okay. Hi!

Yes, hi! I'm trying to grab a photo of the three of us. Let's see. Okay. Okay. Cool. Hi! Oh, this person is because look at his eyebrows like checking me out.

What is this? What's this person? What are you trying to do? And so that's Archer Chanel. He just smiled. Look at this, the eyebrows like checking me out. What is this? What's this person? What a new... Okay, for attitude. And so that's our traditional... He just smiled. So back to our original question about a new chapter in your life, about a new life that you're nurturing, about motherhood.

Speaking of motherhood, my journey actually really inspired a new purpose for my art creations from my pregnancy to the birth of my son Archer. That's when I realized that my work should be created with the goal of enriching and exploration, regardless it's maybe work or regardless art pieces. And I think the art and joy of creating is an expression of intergeneration chair. So for Archer and also for the other youths who needed the most in my community.

So one of the pieces actually Vince, you saw in person, A League of Fates, was an art piece I created for a Mother Nature Next Generation exhibition. With me trying to express the excitement and enjoy watching life grow into something wonderful, perhaps something very small. The bamboo steamer used in Leak of Fate, which is the largest handmade bamboo steamer ever made in Hong Kong, is a piece of cultural heritage that represents all the things I

really enjoyed growing up that I wish to pass on to next generation. Actually, on a side note, why I decided to name him Chagall is because I really hope that he could aspire to be like the artist Marc Chagall, who is basically a very innovative person and who also went through a lot of challenges in life, but she still managed to get some become one of the most celebrated artists in the industry.

What were some of the things you enjoyed growing up in Hong Kong? Can you share more about activities or experiences that were particularly meaningful to you during that time? Yeah, sure. One of the motifs that I have in my artwork is definitely Hong Kong's culture. And when we talk about Hong Kong's culture, it's not only being the sailing boat and all those things,

but it's really little things, little precious moments in daily life. So it can be dim sum, it can be Chinese checkers and all those things. And that's why I actually incorporated dim sum steamer and French made accessible suban exhibition back in 2017, as well as Mother Nature and it's not safe. Then some this intangible called the heritage is something that is really worth all calm people and actually people from all over the world to treasure and

Chinese checkers and even ping-pong balls are things that I really love playing as a little girl and so that's something that I, it's really fun to actually see them shy in the artwork. I remember that I actually took a photo with that piece and Vince, your husband, explained the significance of that dim sum container to me.

the significance of that dim sum container to me. Since Vince's family is in the restaurant business, he shared how dim sum plays a major role in Hong Kong's dining culture and overall culture. That really big dim sum container, especially made as far as I know, was something you turn into a piece of art. Yes, but it has always been great working with Tepchun Samgye. They are the fifth generation of bamboo artisans in Hong Kong, and it's really fascinating to see them that they still hand craft bamboo steamers which is not easy. Actually a lot of the steamers these days are actually made with a mix of bamboo and metal. What they do for us

working together with us for the exhibition makes it even more precious and I'd always love to incorporate some fun food elements into my work. I think not only experience my other half, but also just experience by me growing up, it's always trying to treasure food. Like even, for example, a few years ago, for Art of My Family's program, we had two-year program related to marine conservation. So in 2020, we actually recycled over a few hundreds of seashells and turned it into artwork. And the children actually interviewed a fisherman, a third generation of fishermen in Aberdeen,

to create artwork related to Chinese bone script culture, as well as actually exhibiting their work in Taikung. And then the next year we worked on ideas related to the sea and seafood as well, which we also believe is sustainable seafood. The kids actually drew on Japanese postcards that we call Atagami, and to express the importance of making things sustainable. May, tell us a bit more about your artwork. Are there any particular pieces that stand out to you?

One that you find especially memorable and would like to share with us? Yeah, sure. One of my most memorable art pieces I created is Wadid, which was one of my favorite art pieces I created while studying at the University of Chicago in 2012. That is a piece that made me the first Asian sculptor to debut my work at the Rockefeller Memorial Chapel

and Chicago Union Station. In creating this piece, I actually want to encourage people to take a moment and think outside the box and also appreciate life's endless possibilities. I believe that art is like a life has a lot of twists and turns that can change one perspective and lead to new discoveries. If I have to pick one more art piece to talk about, it would have to be Blossom Love, which I created for Dutch Days in Hong Kong 2022, an event created together with the Netherlands template general in Hong Kong, the channel.

This piece was actually inspired by the Netherlands state of the art sustainable urban development and water management system. Wood is a medium that I often use in my artwork including this piece and I want an audience to envision iconic Dutch tulips and health birds with the seaways representing the Dutch spirit and tackling many urban resilience issues. So I think this piece actually serves as a bridge between folk and the Netherlands and is a bridge that I hope will inspire more idea-sharing collaborations.

This seems like the perfect time to talk more about Art of My Family. Mei, you've mentioned this charity a few times during our interview. It's called Art of My Family, with my and y standing for your name, Mei Yeung. When I look at your website, you set various goals. Making art accessible, promoting social inclusion, fostering cultural exchange, strengthening mental wellness, and championing environmental protection. These are all very important agendas. Looking back over the past 6 years, I'm curious, how would you assess your progress?

Of course, we've reached a stage in life where we don't just judge our achievements based on report cards. And you've mentioned that you used to be a perfectionist, but now have a different perspective. But if you have to evaluate your progress over the last 6 years, how would you rate yourself? And as a follow-up, looking forward, what else do you want to achieve?

Are there areas where you feel you haven't done enough? Or where you believe you can do a better job? So it's a two-part question. First, assessing your past progress. And second, looking ahead and learning from the past to improve in the future. Before answering your question, I actually want to give a little bit full story behind why I set up Art of My Family in the first place. And then I'll talk a little bit more about what I plan to do and as well as how I assess myself. I actually, back then as I mentioned earlier, I was serving as the CRSL lead at Deliveroo and I was launching a food recovery program where we managed to save a substantial amount of food and

refridges and also provided thousands of meals for the community. And that's when I realized my potential in supporting the community. And I decided to lean towards my passion for the arts and recognize that many underprivileged children did not have the chance to learn art as I did. That's why I decided to set up Art of My Family in 2018. In terms of assessment, I would say that there's always world beyond world, and I just feel

so blessed to be part of the Art of My Family, and also the family just continuing to grow. One of our key programs is actually Art Team Artists Scheme, which is basically striving to nurture the generation of creative and artistic talents. And for that program back then, we mainly partnered with the Hong Kong Design Institute, and now we actually expanded our program to, besides HKDI, we expanded to Metropolitan University, City University, and also CC Design. So it's very exciting to see how the family grow. And we definitely want to continue expand that

to other universities in Hong Kong. But I think also one point, in terms of what I really wanted to do, I think one point really worth mentioning is that many children and youth in Hong Kong these days actually go through emotional turmoil. And the World Economic Forum actually projected the emotional problems would be one of the biggest problems by 2030. And the cross-cement of health conditions would actually skyrocket to $6 trillion US dollars globally by then.

And so Artemis All Family actually has launched programs like Hearts at Home program the past year. I mean, helped to further expand this program to help strengthening the mental wellness of children with disabilities and also those that lack family care, including those in Memorial Home. So our goal was actually to ultimately help those help them to integrate into society and to walk out from the shadow of the family negligence. Besides artsy art scheme and also hearts and co-poser, we actually are co-pulterated sculptures with unique characteristics in all 18 districts of Longkorn to show the importance of art and not only beautifying the city,

but also supporting the mental well-being. Speaking of mental wellness or well-being, it's important to acknowledge that, whether in Hong Kong or elsewhere in the world, aftermath of COVID, economic uncertainty, and other global challenges have created a lot, a lot of stress. These aren't just isolated events.

They are interconnected factors that bring about significant changes. In my view, embracing change can be a growth opportunity, but also brings mental pressure and negativity, which can impact everyone's wellbeing. I agree with you that wellness is crucial for everyone, from the elderly, who have their own challenges, to children who are the pillars of our future society. Often, the mental issues we face as adults can be traced back to childhood.

Something that happened in the family or during those formative years shapes how we see the world, how we behave, our mindset, and even our life and career choices. That's why I really admire your focus on intervening early in children's lives. The impact you're making goes beyond what can be measured financially. It's truly invaluable. For that, I applaud you. Now, I would like to web up our interview with a question that touches on the many roles you play. You run a charity, you're a mother raising a child, you take care of your own health, and you are a teaching artist with a wide range of interests. How do you balance all these different roles and responsibilities?

And more importantly, what is your life mission now and going forward? The future is uncertain, the present is here, and the past is behind us. But when you set a goal for yourself, it's clear that you are fully committed, and don't back out. So what would you say is your life mission? My life mission is to inspire the next generation of artists and art educators. That's also why I decided to be a teaching artist,

because as a teaching artist, my goal is to artist. Because as a teaching artist, my goal is to leverage my experiences as a working professional, but also provide a unique link between the creative process and also the art-based learning. And that's why I always try to develop specialized curriculum approaches

to engage diverse groups from people with disabilities to consultations. And in particular, actually my charity, Art of My Family's, co-educational philosophy involved around the three seeds, co-design, co-create, and co-learn. So for example, the exhibition you've visited in July, we actually co-designed a Black Box and Competition joint outlines with university students. We co-created artwork with subdivided unit children, including the Seeds of Hope pie cone wall, and co-learned with other peers at the

Design Institute at Blake Ox. So I think what's special about teaching artists is that in the classroom, the other emerging artists and I actually work alongside the students and we try to model the creative journey and also demonstrate the importance of their student. And I share our real world experiences with Land Street Cred to lessons, offering first-hand guidance on techniques and navigating the art world. So I really believe that a symbolic relationship between the teaching artist practice and also the environment causes creativity, dialogue, and growth for both me and my students. So the teaching artist role is one of the provocations, inspiration using my artistic experience to diversify the creative path and also to achieve my mission to inspire the next generation of artists and art educators. That's wonderful. May, I'm really looking forward to seeing more of your artwork at

attending your exhibitions. As I mentioned, next time when your son picks up more words and expends his vocabulary, we'll have another interview. We'll do it entirely on video. We'll let him join in. That would be super awesome. He's a talkative baby already, so I'm sure he'll be a talkative kid. Really appreciate it, Mei. Thank you so much. Thank you, Vince. Thank you so much for the opportunity,

and Archer and I look forward to catching up with you soon again. Thank you so much for joining us today. If you like what you heard, don't forget to subscribe to our show, leave us top rated reviews, check out our website and follow me on social media. I'm Vince Chen, your ambitious human host. Until next time, take care.