Interview with Tsultrim Tenzin: The Spotlight Series Ep. 7
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.
Pema Dolkar: What is your favorite season and why?
Tsultrim Tenzin: Um, I think Winter would probably be my favorite season and that’s probably because I enjoy drinking tea and for some reason cold weather tends to make tea tastes better I don’t know why.
P: Is that what you’re drinking right now?
T: Yeah it’s a little bit more comforting to drink tea. What about you?
P: Mine would have to be Spring. I love the transitional seasons so I would say Spring and Fall but mainly Spring because the weather starts to get a bit warmer but it’s still a little bit chilly and it's not too hot or too cold.
T: Right so you like it being more in the middle? That's a good point.
P: Yeah. But compared to Fall it’s also a lot brighter. So, if you could have any superpower what would it be?
T: That’s a good question. I used to always say I’d love to have a super power where I can just flip through books without reading it and like the whole knowledge is imported in me so I don’t have to spend so much time reading and actually learning it just Boom! Look, it's ingrained in my head. So that would be the ultimate super power for me. Just flip through pages–
P: Do you not like reading or is it just for convenience sake?
T: I enjoy reading. I think it's more there’s just so much to learn and it feels like you can’t get to everything in terms of the expansiveness of all the subjects and all there is to learn it’d be nice to just quickly digest everything.
P: For me it would have to be telepathy for sure.
T: Read people’s minds.
P: Right. Or even just being invisible just sneak up on people. Yeah I think that would be my second superpower. And the third question is, the zombie apocalypse is coming, who are three people you want on your team?
T: Mmh. Thats a tough one. I feel like you have to say your parents you know, otherwise they might kill me who knows. I guess my parents.
P: Your parents and your cats?
T: Yes my parents and my cats.
P: Yeah same. My parents and my brother would have to be the top three people.
T: Otherwise they might be zombies and get me.
P: Right they would kill you before the zombies. So that was it for the ice breakers, so the first question is regarding your work and your identity as an artist. Can you tell me a little bit about you and your background?
T: Me and my background as.. that’s a tough one. I was originally born in Nepal, you know my grandparents, you know a little bit of the Tibetan situation, kind of seeked refuge there. I came to the States when I was about seven years old, and yeah so I guess I’ve kind of had similarities with a lot of people in my generation in a sense where you get this mixture of this American identity a little bit but also there’s roots to where its like, when you’re at home you’re Tibetan, you’re supposed to express the utmost Tibetaness, but when you’re outside in the world. Like for example me being in America, not a lot of people even know what being Tibetan is, let alone parts of the culture. It’s very much struggling with these two identities and just trying to figure out where my place is, you know, cause I can’t fully say I’m totally Tibetan in a sense because I do feel like parts of me have become more American a little bit more Western so I feel like that topic is always up for renegotiation so I can’t quite say I have this fixed sense of who I truly am, but reality is, one of the very fabrics of my DNA is Tibetan, it’s not like I can consider myself fully American, and I’ll be fully embraced for it.
P: Yeah I feel like a lot of people can relate to that sort of juggling between your two identities, especially within the Tibetan community where it's not so known or prominent in the Western world, or even in the East. But can you tell me a little bit more about your background as an artist and how you started exploring art?
T: See in terms of the trajectory for I guess my background in the arts, I was not any different from any young kids where we were kind of exposed to arts and crafts. Just like creating little things and doodling around. But I think for me, it was I never quite stopped at a certain age. You know as kids grow older, they kind of find interests in other things and just move on from that artistic creative side. Whereas, for me that never kind of died down. In fact, I got more curious as I grew older. I think I was coming around when technology was very much growing, so I was into let’s say digital art, and I had some interests there. But I just remember the actual practice of physically drawing on paper or painting on a canvas just felt a little bit more enjoyable for me. And then once I got interested in that, it was like how can I get better, and so then I was doing self-study, research copying anatomy books, looking at drawings and paintings by artists that are far better than I , so yeah that opened up a whole new world, and me wanting to learn more about art history. And I just remembered what resonated most with me was art before 19th century, or maybe early nineteenth century to before– where it’s not that I don’t like Modernism or abstract art but it's more that the older style of art kind of resonated with me cause it was kind of like a person can do that; like create a beautiful portrait like Rembrandt and it just amazed me how amazing in terms of talent, a human can possess . It just felt like it was magic in a sense you know, so that’s really how I got into representational art, trying to uncover this language.
P: So who would you say are your three top artists you take inspiration from?
T: That always changes cause sometimes you discover a new contemporary artist and you’re like wow, they’re really awesome. But in terms of artists that never seem to change where I’m very much always interested in, I think Dutch painter, amazing painter, Rembrandt, Spanish: Velazquez, I do like Rubens of course but since we said three, so maybe I’ll add Goya, Francisco Goya. So yeah, I’d say those three artists are always, their works always inspire me.
P: I think it was Velasquez who painted The Clubfoot boy? Right?
T: Maybe. He painted more impoverished people. Dwarves and not you know?
P: Yeah I think there was his painting in the Louvre which I just got to see. I remember learning about it in art history.
T: Oh you go to the Louvre right?
P: Yeah
T: How was that experience?
P: Well I’ve been there a few times before but everytime you go there you see I feel like you see something new. The first time I went I was just looking for the Mona Lisa, and honestly, it was so underwhelming to see that many people.
T: Oh it was?
P: Yeah I mean just seeing the artwork was really cool. You learn so much about it in art history, it's one of the most canonized sort of- art pieces of that time. When you see it in context to the crowd of people that are there trying to take pictures of it, half of them just led there by their tour guides, who probably don’t even know about it. It was really interesting. I think somebody told me it's one of the only artworks in the world that’s under bulletproof protection, and under 24 hour surveillance.
T: Right that’s awesome. I haven’t seen it yet but I’d love to.
P: Yeah it's definitely a must see. So why do you make art? Is there an important moment in your life that influenced the decision to pursue art as a career? And what does your art mean to you?
T: So you asked what was the defining point for me in terms of my decision to pursue art as a career?
P: Yup
T: That’s a tough question Pema because I don’t ever think I told myself when I was young that this is what I’m gonna do. It was very much just doing the very thing and then time just flashes before your eyes and now I'm here still doing it. I don’t quite ever think, or have this idea this is what I wanna do and that’s it. It was very much more this is what I really love doing and I find it's where all my effort and time is being placed. And it just, I just kept doing it. It’s kind of just staying in the moment being present and enjoying day to day and time just passes before and you realize this is probably the only thing you might be exceptional at or have the opportunity to be good at. You know? Does that make sense?
P: It definitely does. So what does your art mean to you?
T: That’s a tough one cause it always changes cause we always grow as people. For me part of it would be it feels like an escape from life. To do something that feels right in your soul you know. And the very practice of art, I feel like, is very meditative. Just sitting down being present, engaging with the model, talking, I enjoy that aspect of art. Especially today we’re so consumed by technology, you know I feel like in my artistic practice I have this chance to step away from tech and engage with the subject first hand. I really enjoy that, it feels like a stepping stone, or basically a connection with the past amidst this rise in digitalization and this transformation of cultures being more instant gratification. Of that accord, if that makes sense.
P: You kind of answered this but can you tell me a little about your process of creation. What are you thinking? What are you listening to? Or what are you feeling? And you mentioned how there’s that connection between you and your models, how do you go about analyzing that? And bringing that out in your work? Is there ever a time when you're with a model, and is it ever awkward? Or do you try to make it as smooth as possible?
T: I always try to make it accommodating for the model. I will say usually if you see me paint a model more than once in a painting, that might mean that they were pleasant to work with. Cause if I just painted them once, that probably meant that they were really hard to work with: they were always late, so it kind of disrupts the process. So for me working with models in a way is also like this team work, I’m counting on you and in a way I wanna treat you fair and I want you to respect me in the same process. I really do enjoy working from life. That’s something I take pride in cause I really like this idea, I mean you can go back before photography. I remember thinking as a kid, like how amazing it was that this guy was just staring at this person for I don't know how many hours to create this. And there were no sense of tools, people speculate of course maybe some sort of tracing or using camera obscura. But just that idea of being present in front of the model and creating a work of art that has this potential to feel more real than life itself. And I think that comes from this utmost connection with the subject that you are representing. I don’t quite feel I can get that quality if I’m staring at a computer screen or maybe a printed on photograph. That’s more a personal thing, that doesn’t mean I don’t like others’ work who practices this other way. I’ve definitely experimented with different forms but I found I'm happiest when I’m very much with the subject. It feels like I'm working towards the goal that I wish I could do and I aspired to do as a kid.
P: And so are they sitting in front of you the whole time or is it sort of you get a sense of the form and shape you’re trying to create and continue that later on?
T: Yup, Typically if a painting takes 30-40 hours, I’ll probably have the 30 -40 hours except sometimes I don’t need them to do clothing, I can just put it on the mannequin just borrow maybe the outfits or background, I don’t necessarily need them. But generally they’ll be present for the poses. And yeah it is paid as well.
P: Wow imagine staying there for 40 hours!
T: There are breaks so I do three hour chunks so it’s basically divided into different days based on the model’s schedules.
P: Oh I see.
T: If it’s 40 hours straight oh my god even I can’t. I don’t know anyone who can do that.
P: No yeah same I think for photography especially a model can make or break a shoot. It’s so important for there to be that connection otherwise the photographs resulting from the shoot just end up becoming very you know, you’re just not feeling them.
T: Yeah. What do you look for in models when you’re trying to shoot an idea?
P: Um. Moreso conversation because I think I really enjoy talking with my models and you know sort of getting a sense of where they’re from and what they do and you know what they’re trying to achieve and all that. And that way they’re sort of more distracted by the conversation and sort of just easily moving and that’s just what I look for in my photographs; These movements. These natural movements that don’t look so poised and forced.
T: Right. I love that you mention that because that is essentially one of the reasons why I like working with a person being in front of me, it's those conversations. You get to know a person and once you get to know them it's kind of a little bit of including the psychology of the sitter within your work. Like elements that are so much of them within the works. When you do that the work of art has a greater power to kind of communicate basically the subject, cause it basically has bits and pieces of them and I truly believe that resonates. And I’m really glad you mention that that’s really great to hear.
P: I think it's really essential for them to become collaborators as well and just go beyond the role of a subject. So the next question is what does Tibetan Contemporary Art mean to you and would you classify your work under this umbrella term?
T: To be honest I don’t know. I never really focused too much on where my art belongs in the sense of the big arc of like an umbrella term. It’s very much I know what I like, I know what I’ve experienced. It feels more in some sense a journal of my life. These artworks, the people that I’ve met, the stories that I’ve heard, but growing up I remember when I was looking for other Tibetan artists cause there's a sense of security in knowing you’re not alone in the pursuit. There's other Tibetans out there who’ve already started paving the way. For me I remember just feeling like I couldn’t quite find contemporary Tibetan artists that did exactly the style of work I wanted to. But what it felt more like was mainstream art done by Tibetan artists seemed more to have the flavor of a political aspect, more pertaining to this idea of ‘country being lost’ and you know, I guess more in the realm of being a victim. And there’s power in that representation but I don’t quite think that’s fully my story to tell. Because in a lot of ways, Tibet’s displacement, I’m very fortunate in my upbringing of freedom in America, so I can’t lie and pretend like I’ve been oppressed, or I can’t study my language, cause that’s not true. I have this freedom and I am lucky for that but what I am seeing with new young Tibetan artists which I love is its more the celebration of Tibetan culture and its iconography. You know it’s not very much like “oh pity me this happened” but I really love this sense of, “well we have a rich history and we’re gonna celebrate it, we’re gonna claim our spots at the table rather than get others to speak for us.”
P: Right, we’re gonna get our own table if we need to.
T: Right right. I agree. I don’t know if that makes sense but I just remember the art that I saw wasn’t quite what I wanted to do and that's not to disparage any of the amazing Tibetan contemporary artists. I think it's important as an individual to know what you want because you are inherently different from someone else so is your life experiences and upbringing.
P: I remember from our previous conversation you came here at a very young age and I'm assuming you went through the whole academic career here, in middle school and high school and everything like that. High School's when you really decide what you want to pursue and where you want to focus your career path. Being an artist isn’t exactly the ideal Tibetan parent’s aspirations for their children, so how did you sort of bring it up to them and were they supportive of this pursuit?
T: Right, That’s a great question. It’s kind of amazing how a lot of Tibetan youth can all relate with the strict parents. I feel like you know part of that kind of stems from a lack of security, if you just look at the history of Tibetan culture. So now, it's like for parents, “I'm sacrificing my life, you are gonna provide me a sense of peace with money.” I’m being dramatic. I think my parents definitely, I don’t quite think they were supportive but at the same time they kind of realized that this isn’t a time pass thing, this guy really is serious. All he does is, he’s in the attic just drawing all day. I don’t think we can change him. And in terms of the trials and tribulations and the worries of making money as art, I don’t come from an affluent Tibetan background or money, my parents never had the luxury of an education right? So just graduating high-school with my sister was an achievement in our family. It wasn’t like I’m used to a lavish life with lots of money so the point of being an artist, even at the bare minimum it didn’t quite seem so different from what I grew up with. Our family didn’t have a lot of money to begin with. It’s not like I miss vacations, you know our vacations consisted of going to another family members house.
P: Yeah there’s an ongoing joke in my college, or just amongst all art school kids really– prepare to become a waiter after graduation, because it's just so hard to I mean I guess if you’re really into it it doesn't’ feel like work but there’s always that pressure.
T: Yeah you bring up a good point I mean the truth is, with fine arts and a lot of the arts it's not a profession where you hand in the job application and so it's something very much where you have to be in it for the long game. The trajectory is just a little bit slower and higher that's why I truly believe it has to come from an intrinsic place because if your fascination with art is because you see the highlights of other artists and it looks like wine and hors d'oeuvres and gallery shows, then I worry because that's not the full scope of it. There’s just a lot of struggles and a lot of waiting tables at times I guess, to get to that big break you know.
P: So do you think your Tibetan identity influences your work in any way, and if so how?
T: Right I definitely think so. I don’t know if I’ll be rambling, but before I bring it back to that topic I will say when I finished my education at the Atelier school that I studied in, I think you came and took pictures for your class. I remember I had a vivid idea of what was selling in the market. What my teachers and peers, and what they did, part of it was working from photos and the other aspect was this commercial side, what seemed to sell was beautiful flower paintings or beautiful women in very magazine cover-esque style of depiction. I remember I kind of was doing that when I left and I did find some success but I just remember in the process feeling so guilty because I felt like this wasn’t who I was. You know I felt like I was catering my art to this definition of what the commercial side is basically deeming as good. I remember thinking if my whole life was just catering to a specific market and working in a manner that I don’t fully agree with, then I’d rather give it up and work a 9 to 5 job. It just quite didn’t feel like the art that I was passionate about– this representational, more skill based art. So what happened was I started incorporating more stories and ideas and iconographies– Tibetan iconographies that I was familiar with and I felt like I was headed in just a better direction. I felt a little bit more happy. This is who I am, and maybe if the big Western world might not appreciate it, at the end of the day it's what I enjoy and it’s what I feel like is true to who I am.
P: I can definitely relate to that. I just finished my third year of college and so up until this entire time, a lot of my work for school focused around the Tibetan identity, our language, and our culture and sort of how it’s diminishing but like getting revived through the youth. That was what I always wanted to focus on but at the end of the day, that didn’t pay for my film, and that didn’t pay to get equipment and things like that, so I would do food photography and fashion photography on the side. Like you were saying about the commercialization of art, then wanting to pursue your own thing, that’s certainly a really big issue in the art world, and I definitely wish it was discussed more.
T: It’s not to denigrate that side of the art. Sometimes you have to make compromises to meet in the middle, cause I’ve done commissions that I don’t want to but I have to pay the bills. So it’s difficult.
P: So yeah, moving back to how your Tibetan identity influences your art.
T: I guess in the form of; I feel like I’m sounding like a broken record with this word but the Tibetan iconography. Right now in the studio I’m working on the painting of a Tibetan dramyin and a picture of his holiness with a khata on the photo frame. Just images and things that I’m sure you must have seen in your upbringing. A picture of His Holiness, with obviously there has to be a khata. Otherwise that's sacrilegious. And my father definitely was a big TIPA fan, he loved listening to Tibetan lute, dramyin, and music, so there's kind of incorporating a little bit of those aspects into it, so that’s how it emerges into my art.
P: So what would you say are your favorite parts of details of your art and why?
T: Details as in technical parts like what I like?
P: Technical but also what’s a part of the process from start to finish?
T: That’s tough because it always feels nice when you start a project, you’re always excited, there’s like a lot of momentum going in. But once you’re in the middle of it, or towards the end, you’re like oh my god I am terrible. I’m very self-deprecating where I’m just like what was I thinking? But you just kind of have to push forward and just finish it and move onto the next one. Then five months later you look back at the previous thing and you’re like okay maybe I was too hard on myself. It’s not perfect but it was not exactly the bad feelings I had at the moment. But I guess my favorite process is the part of just gathering the objects or learning a little bit of the story. You know, I like going to thrift stores and buying different fabrics, I enjoy that part of it where I’m just creating the world, setting up the world.
P: I like that yeah, setting up the world. So the two works that we have; Better Days and Solemn. Can you tell us a little about that and what inspired it?
T: Solemn I did in the beginning of 2019. I remember feeling, turning into 2019, just a little restless and just unsure in terms of my progress in my own work and I was already starting to then basically paint models which consist of friends and professional models whom I’ve grown to know. And that model is Renee, she’s this French artist who is incredible. What I began doing was adorning Westerners with Tibetan Chupas so it was a sense of just dispersing Tibetan culture in a way. I think Renee was going through some issues during that time with, I guess her relationship, so in a way it worked into this ‘solemn’, or this state of mind or emotion that I kind of wanted to convey. Yeah so that kind of was what started the painting, was just being able to express this weird state where you’re not joyous nor fully upset but more just a little bit dignified, a little bit more composed and motionless.
P: How did you get her to embody that, do you think it was a bit of acting on her part? How did you capture that feeling of solemness?
T: I think one, Renee herself has that natural expression. Some people naturally have a smile, or tend to just smile a little bit more, or just have a frown. Renee just naturally has that solemn expression. So we worked out different poses, like I used that red chair and we tried different positions and we kind of came down to what the final painting was, that position. That kind of happened because when we were trying to figure out the position, I don’t know if it was Nyima, or Gyatso came by the chair. One of my cats was on top of the chair and she leaned over at the chair. Then I was like hmm.
P: Stay right there!
T: It’s spontaneous but that’s how it happened. I think we gotta try that. And then I remember that was the pose. It was one of the cats got on the chair and she leaned over and then I was like do this. This is kinda like we spoke on or touched on earlier about you get to know the person a little bit more. Renee is a big fan of Caravaggio. When we think of Caravaggio’s paintings we think of strong light and dark chiaroscuro. So that painting, the background the way it was this very dark background where it has that light effect. I incorporated that later on thinking about Renee in terms of her fascination with Caravaggio, something about the background, I had it more showing my studio as it was, so it was not dark. I remember it quite not working, it didn’t quite have that effect. I remember I was like well let me try giving it a chiaroscuro effect and it changed the whole dynamic of the painting. So that’s kind of within the process that changes and makes things better as you work and know the very person you’re representing, just the psychological nature of it.
P: Right cause then it becomes inspired by both you and your subject.
T: I like the idea of being an observer where it’s not so much me me me me me, but it's also listening and being. You know, like how many times people always want to speak about their own selves. Although, ironically I am speaking about myself but just this idea of lending an ear, where you’re not the primary person. Cause it’s nice to learn from other people, other than your own self.
P: So can you tell us a little about Better Days also and what inspired that piece?
T: In terms of what inspired that piece, I remember when I was a student, other peers of mine, they were telling me there was a Tibetan art model. I was super excited because that’s like uncommon you know, finding a Tibetan art model.
I found out that it was Tsering, who is the model for Better Days. So that painting happened when I left school, I was like I gotta get this guy. He just finished modeling as in, he was retired. But he was so excited to have a Tibetan artist reach out to him that he decided to get back in the game for me for that painting. As that painting progressed, I got to know Tsering a little bit more and in some sense I learned more about his life. And I won’t disclose all of it of course but it was a more manifestation of just– I think as Tibetans, you have Tibetans coming in the diaspora with their own set of skills and when they come to America, a westernized world and that skill isn’t necessarily embraced. They aren't able to quite have that same job they might have able to have back home. So it was kind of this idea that through the struggle you still have optimism, better days are yet to come in the sense of how the landscape is treated with the clouds starting to break away from the distance.
And the way he posed, was kind of my way of the idea of Tibetan men in chuwa. I remember as a kid you would always see the hand in that pocket, and I don’t l don’t know what they were grabbing on to, maybe it’s cause it’s cold or also in that pouch they put items, wallets, hands to his chest– just more embracing his dignified stance and just hoping in a way.
P: So is he still in retirement or are you guys still talking?
T: I haven’t reached out to him in a while but I should. I’m not sure because part of it was I wasn’t sure if he wanted to model again. Cause he posed for me once a week on Saturday mornings, so it’d be nice if it could be more days but I was thankful for that time.
P: Can you tell us a little bit about your specific use of colors. I see that a lot of your works are very muted tones, I’m not sure if it’s because of the oil colors or your choice of colors.
T: I definitely like earth pigments, earth colors, and part of that is that's what the old masters used in a way. In terms of how I handle flesh, I don’t use very colorful colors, chromatic colors, cadmiums and that's more because those colors don’t quite reflect the human skin. I feel the stronger the color is, what it does to the human flesh is it makes the person basically look like a barbie doll. Whereas, the person’s skin, it’s so minute and interacts so specifically to the light, where it’s a little bit more veering towards the browns and there's just a lot more change happening, where I feel like too much color can’t quite communicate that feeling of a tangible person that you can touch and feel. It just more feels mechanical and more artificial so that's why I really like using more of the browns. But I will say, I’m not always so worried about colors in the sense, because I’ve had times where I can’t afford certain colors, so I just use what I have. Because students get in a rut where they think the answer to a good painting is having the materials and that’s not the answer.
P: So you currently teach at the Grand Central Atelier, you graduated from there also, so what made you want to go back there and teach?
T: I graduated in 2017, and I was asked to teach there. I think for me it was just the experience endeavor. I was supposed to teach a cast drawing workshop but it got cancelled cause what we're currently in with quarantine. As for teaching, that's something if I’m being honest, I don’t quite enjoy it as much and I actually just moved my studio. I think when you came here last time, my studio was in my apartment. (41:00) And now I have my own separate space in Astoria Ditmars, so I would like to teach more in my new studio. But I don’t know when I’ll start that up. I think it's more because if I teach, I want to teach in a way that I feel is beneficial rather than the school’s system I don’t totally agree with some of the things anymore because it's just me as an individual developing.
P: That’s really interesting. And do you ever get artist’s block? If so, how do you overcome it.
T: I would say definitely get artists blocks. Sometimes I feel like that stems from this idea of perfection, you want to be perfect so bad and get everything right that you don’t even start. You psych your own self out. And I think focusing more on the process instead of the product really helps where you're just taking things one day at a time. You kind of don’t have, as sad as it sounds, expectations when you begin. I just try to take it one day at a time and do the best that I can. Just focusing more on the process than having this perfect thing in the end.
P: So what do you want viewers to take away from your pieces, or what do you want to accomplish with your work? I think you mentioned earlier you wanted to make art for yourself, but when spectators analyze your works what do you want them to feel or take away?
T: Yeah that’s a really tough question Pema. Like I alluded to earlier, same with Tibetan identity, those kinds of questions, it kind of changes as you grow as a person. What I would like people to take away is more, a sincerity in my art, in the sense the wayI represent people, represent my Tibetan culture, and basically this middle ground. I want people to see an honest representation of stories, ideas, and the very people that we inhabit, co-exist with. What I’m not trying to represent is this standard of beauty that you see, super models. Just this idea of mass-media what they show as being beautiful, but more just regular people amongst us. Just more a label of sincerity to it, or this could be my brother, my sister. Or just I could see myself in that pose. Rather than a painting by men, where it seems like its painted for other men, the way they represent other women.
P: I think it's so important to have that diversity, especially when you look at the ads we’re exposed to on a daily basis. IT’s so hard to see yourself reflected in that when you don’t look like the idealized person, so that’s really interesting. So what is your favorite daily routine and how does that enhance your creativity?
T: What comes on top of my head is probably making tea and coffee. Just to start the whole day, just waking up early and setting up. Just making tea and I’m good to go for the whole day. I definitely drink a lot of tea and that gets me going through the day.
P: Are you more a tea person than a coffee person?
T: I was actually a lot more tea, full on tea. Now I’m starting to tick more in the middle. When I was in my school at the Grand Central Academy, everyone was addicted to coffee. I tried coffee so late in the game. There’s people I know that they've had coffee since they were 16, and I’m like what. Cause I remember my ama just being like don’t drink coffee, now you’re going to be crazy. Yeah coffee is great, but if I had to choose, tea over coffee.
P: That’s crazy I need at least three cups of coffee per day to go.
T: How do you make your coffee?
P: I have the coffee grounds and I just filter it myself, then add a little bit of sugar.
T: You don’t use milk?
P: I use a little bit of milk. I can’t drink straight up coffee its just too bitter.
T: Yeah I agree
P: What would you say is your favorite tea?
T: Traditional Black tea. I guess what’s quickest is regular black tea with sugar, but if it's a nice day, you add the spices, the cardamom. You go a little all out.
P: I was just in London for a few weeks and they have the English Breakfast tea and add milk. Is it just me or is that normal?
T: I’ve had that. I usually get Lipton, because it's a little bit cheaper than English Breakfast but youre doing it right if you get English Breakfast Tea.
P: Right. What would you say is your most treasured tool, or something you cannot live without as an artist?
T: That’s a tough one. You’re bringing out all the tough questions. Do you mean treasured tool as in an aid to the process, or maybe in the making of an art work or just more?
P: Both, would you say you have a favorite paintbrush or would you say you have a favorite tool–
T: Right. What would my favorite tool be? I definitely have a lot of different palettes. Painting palettes in different sizes. So some people collect nice shoes, different styles of shoes, I like collecting different types of palettes. That’s my thing.
P: You mentioned earlier you like going to thrift stores and finding things that stand out to you. What does stand out to you? What do you look for when you’re finding things for your paintings?
T: (48:28) I definitely like hunting for something that has quality. Sometimes you can find very well crafted, maybe linen instead of just cotton, or just better materials. I guess what's interesting is this idea of discovery going on an adventure. You don’t know what you’re going to get. That’s the part I really enjoy. Sometimes it's like you may have an idea of what you want in terms of a particular fabric or vase, or a color. and then once you go to a thrift, maybe to one you haven’t been to, and you see other objects and you’re like yeah I need that. That’s awesome
P: Yeah I remember that thangka painting you found at the thrift store. And so what advice would you give to young artists?
T: I wish I could give a more personalized answer, but I might veer towards the typical cliche. I guess for Tibetan Youth what's tough, like we’ve mentioned is this familial aspect of roadblock. Also young Tibetans I know, what’s tough to juggle is there this duty to family where you can’t quite focus on your craft and your goals because you also have to take care of your parents at the same time. Whereas I don’t think a lot of westerns have that, and their parents are like we can take care of ourselves you do you. There is a lack of freedom and time, but I think with that, never adopt a mentality of being a victim, like boohoo this is my circumstance I don’t have connections I think just having faith in yourself, you are worth it and you do have capabilities of doing great things. I would say reflect and act based on actions rather than words. It’s really easy to say I want to be great, I want to be successful but if you’re not working towards it with your actions, those words have no meaning. So I would say just be optimistic and you are valuable, just remember that it's not a sprint, it's a marathon and it takes time. If you truly want it, you’ll be there
P: You with the inspirational words! It’s great yeah
T: I don’t know, it's tough. It's really tough because there’s no one word that really makes you change, that makes everything better. I think it's really important to have that environment where the people around you believe in you even when you don't believe in yourself. And the other part of it is everyone can believe in you, but if you don;t quite believe in yourself, then that also doesn’t work. The most important thing is having that system, that environment around you that is constantly there, and hopefully the individual has a moment where its like I can’t let them down. I'm starting to believe in myself, because I don't want to let all these people down who’ve never given up on me. I think what I love about what you guys are doing with Yakpo Collective and what I’m seeing with other Tibetan groups is that it kind of caters to having that environment where it's like I understand where you’re coming from from your familial background but it's like hey I got your back. It’s like this group where I feel like you guys are creating an environment that’s embracing each other and I feel like that’s important. One person doesn’t become successful, it's the community that helps each other out. That's the truth.
P: Yep. Well you answered the next question of what do you think of platforms like the Yakpo Collective. I do have one last question and its how does your identity as an artist and profession influence your life outside of that?
T: As pertaining to what I’ve alluded as my career feeling more like an observer, I don’t think I’ve ever been someone who craves attention where it’s very much I want people to talk about me, it's all about me. I very much feel a lot of my upbringing being cliche kind and compassion, a little bit of that aspect where I’m more all ears and I wanna learn about other people. For me what seems like a meaningful life is just one where I’m constantly learning, being better, as well as growing through time to be excellent at what I do. So how my identity comes in is this Tibetan side as well as this American side, I don’t quite feel a sense of being biased, where I’m going to treat Tibetans a little better. Or Tibetans are more kind than Americans, I try not to have that kind of rhetoric and thought process. But just that I’d like to live in a world where we’re all equal, treat each other fairly. That seems more like the honest, or more a better world for me.
P: Yeah I mean those are it for my questions is there anything you sort of want to add and talk about?
T: I feel like you’ve asked some really good questions that I hope I answered.
P: No you have certainly! Thank you so much!