Application for The Kennedys
Class of 2023
Wieden + Kennedy
Portland, Oregon
Class of 2023
Wieden + Kennedy
Portland, Oregon
Q1: Who am I?
Who am I? What messages I want to leave to this world? I ask this myself these questions everyday. To answer this question, I made myself an online cemetery as a space for reflection and remembrance of my life.
*GENTLE WARNING: Sound will be a part of the experience. Make sure your speaker volume is not too loud :)
CLICK HERE TO ENTER SHAOYANG’S ONLINE CEMETERY
*GENTLE WARNING: Sound will be a part of the experience. Make sure your speaker volume is not too loud :)
CLICK HERE TO ENTER SHAOYANG’S ONLINE CEMETERY
Q2:
If I could hack one company without repercussions for an hour, what I would make them say, do, release, or change.
I will take over Times Square Alliance and use all the billboards at Time Square for a public service announcement about male contraceptive pills.
Women have been living under the risks and side effects associated with existing forms of contraception for ages. But family planning should always be a shared responsibility between partners. Male birth control pills are safer compared to traditional female contraceptions. Living under the doom of Roe v. Wade’s overturn, a more common use of male birth control pills could play a critical role in helping sex freedom and gender equalities.
*DON’T MISS MY CAMPAGIN VIDEOS BELOW! SOMETIMES IT TAKES A WHILE TO LOAD...
OR︎︎︎
CLICK HERE TO WATCH CAMPAIGN VIDEO 1
CLICK HERE TO WATCH CAMPAIGN VIDEO 2
Women have been living under the risks and side effects associated with existing forms of contraception for ages. But family planning should always be a shared responsibility between partners. Male birth control pills are safer compared to traditional female contraceptions. Living under the doom of Roe v. Wade’s overturn, a more common use of male birth control pills could play a critical role in helping sex freedom and gender equalities.
*DON’T MISS MY CAMPAGIN VIDEOS BELOW! SOMETIMES IT TAKES A WHILE TO LOAD...
OR︎︎︎
CLICK HERE TO WATCH CAMPAIGN VIDEO 1
CLICK HERE TO WATCH CAMPAIGN VIDEO 2
Q3:
What’s something I hate irrationally that most people don’t?
FOREVER
I hate the word “forever.”
As I got older, I realized it’s part of people’s nature to make promises they can’t keep. Sometimes people’s heart is like a hot summer day; one minute ago, it was rainy; and the next minute, it's sunny again. Very unpredictable.
I don’t like that “forever” has a confusing definition. For someone (AKA heartbreakers & cold-heart players), “forever” can be one night, one week, or one month. But for me, this word means the length of my whole life. It is the commitment I keep till the moment I die.
Another reason for why I hate “forever” is that this word makes people count too much on time to work things out. It seems like every time people say it, people will expect something to happen naturally and magically, without putting in too much effort. But good things in life require effort.
I don’t like that “forever” lives in the future tense. The (emotional) value of this word relies on its time length. “Always” has a similar meaning to “forever,” but it exists in the past and present tense. On the contrary, “forever” exists in the future tense. And I don’t count on anything in the future. I rely on every action I take in the present. Future is made by presence. Without any effort put into the present, future is a daydream without a plan. And most of the time, daydreams won’t get us anywhere.
I prefer “always” to “forever.” I would say, “I love you, as always,” instead of saying “I will love you forever.” By saying “I love you, as always,” I am stating that I have been loving this person till now instead of giving them any false hope of my love actions that could happen in the future. I want to be true to my heart and my words. That’s why I replace “forever” with “always.” “Always” requires effort. “Always” requires momentum. “Always” requires perseverance. It's intuitive. It’s honest. It’s genuine.
I can probably guess out the meaning behind people’s gesture of saying “forever.” They want to show their dedication, loyalty, and strong feelings towards a particular thing or a person. They want ephemerality to become eternity. But everything has an expiration date. People are more fragile than we realize, and our hearts do get worn out. People change their wills. It is part of growing up and accepting the pitiful fact of impermanent life.
We are braver than we thought. Stop misusing “forever.” Be accountable for our words.
I hate the word “forever.”
As I got older, I realized it’s part of people’s nature to make promises they can’t keep. Sometimes people’s heart is like a hot summer day; one minute ago, it was rainy; and the next minute, it's sunny again. Very unpredictable.
I don’t like that “forever” has a confusing definition. For someone (AKA heartbreakers & cold-heart players), “forever” can be one night, one week, or one month. But for me, this word means the length of my whole life. It is the commitment I keep till the moment I die.
Another reason for why I hate “forever” is that this word makes people count too much on time to work things out. It seems like every time people say it, people will expect something to happen naturally and magically, without putting in too much effort. But good things in life require effort.
I don’t like that “forever” lives in the future tense. The (emotional) value of this word relies on its time length. “Always” has a similar meaning to “forever,” but it exists in the past and present tense. On the contrary, “forever” exists in the future tense. And I don’t count on anything in the future. I rely on every action I take in the present. Future is made by presence. Without any effort put into the present, future is a daydream without a plan. And most of the time, daydreams won’t get us anywhere.
I prefer “always” to “forever.” I would say, “I love you, as always,” instead of saying “I will love you forever.” By saying “I love you, as always,” I am stating that I have been loving this person till now instead of giving them any false hope of my love actions that could happen in the future. I want to be true to my heart and my words. That’s why I replace “forever” with “always.” “Always” requires effort. “Always” requires momentum. “Always” requires perseverance. It's intuitive. It’s honest. It’s genuine.
I can probably guess out the meaning behind people’s gesture of saying “forever.” They want to show their dedication, loyalty, and strong feelings towards a particular thing or a person. They want ephemerality to become eternity. But everything has an expiration date. People are more fragile than we realize, and our hearts do get worn out. People change their wills. It is part of growing up and accepting the pitiful fact of impermanent life.
We are braver than we thought. Stop misusing “forever.” Be accountable for our words.
Q4: Why green is the best color?
Love Is Ever Green
Love is evergreen. Love is ever green.
Green is the color of love. And we all know that love is the best.
As the meaning of objects lies in attachment, a color without emotion is just a Pantone code made of numbers. Chinese poets love green as a representation of their moods and memories. So I curated and translated 5 Chinese poems that use the symbolic imagery of green for different seasons and statuses of mind to tell 5 different love stories.
*DON’T MISS MY VIDEO BELOW! SOMETIMES IT TAKES A WHILE TO LOAD...
OR︎︎︎
CLICK HERE TO WATCH “Love Is Ever Green”
*EXPERIENCE IS BEST WHEN THE SOUND IS ON
Love is evergreen. Love is ever green.
Green is the color of love. And we all know that love is the best.
As the meaning of objects lies in attachment, a color without emotion is just a Pantone code made of numbers. Chinese poets love green as a representation of their moods and memories. So I curated and translated 5 Chinese poems that use the symbolic imagery of green for different seasons and statuses of mind to tell 5 different love stories.
*DON’T MISS MY VIDEO BELOW! SOMETIMES IT TAKES A WHILE TO LOAD...
OR︎︎︎
CLICK HERE TO WATCH “Love Is Ever Green”
*EXPERIENCE IS BEST WHEN THE SOUND IS ON
Q5: What’s something you’d like to make that you don’t have resources for right now?
After saving more money, building more connections and gaining more knowledge from the creative industry, I want to build a creative space called Another Religion in Shanghai, China to support modern Chinese art culture.
Another Religion will be an experiential space collaboratively curated by my creative friends all over the world and me to share our design, creation and inspiration. Along with a shopping space filled with designy goodies and books, there will be a mini cafe and a mini in-house movie theater. The in-house theater will be used to support Chinese films. The film curation will mainly focus on Chinese indie and underground films, as a minor help to those young Chinese directors who were struggling to get their amazing works on the silver screen due to a lack of resources. Other than film screenings, the theater can be a hub to host guest talks from rising Chinese artists.
Another Religion will be an experiential space collaboratively curated by my creative friends all over the world and me to share our design, creation and inspiration. Along with a shopping space filled with designy goodies and books, there will be a mini cafe and a mini in-house movie theater. The in-house theater will be used to support Chinese films. The film curation will mainly focus on Chinese indie and underground films, as a minor help to those young Chinese directors who were struggling to get their amazing works on the silver screen due to a lack of resources. Other than film screenings, the theater can be a hub to host guest talks from rising Chinese artists.
Thank you for your time to read my application. Hope you had a blast!! ❤