ISA Arts Starlight Series |Joy：以设计传递温度

Joy’s artistic journey began with a tender childhood memory. Before the age of four, while living in Xi’an, she often visited a nearby dry-cleaning shop where the friendly shopkeeper would give her leftover fabrics and buttons. The little girl would cradle these “treasures” and experiment with sewing—unknowingly planting the first seed of her passion for fashion design.

As she grew older, this interest took on deeper meaning, enriched by her sensitivity to the world around her. She notices the way street cleaners work with quiet dedication, or how body shapes vary—from curvy girls to expectant mothers—and reflects on how design should serve people rather than demand that people conform to clothing.

“I don’t think people should adapt to clothes; clothes should serve people. If wearing them makes someone happy and confident, that’s the true value of design.”

Whether in fashion or jewellery design, Joy hopes to convey a message of self-joy and self-worth—to help wearers feel, “I am good. I deserve to be seen.” Observing her sister’s body changes during pregnancy inspires her to create garments tailored to real needs, while her “urban strolls” often lead her to photograph flowers and greenery along the streets.

“Moments of recognition and fragments of real life give me so much creative energy,” she says.

For Joy, art is not merely a matter of technique—it is a way of communicating with the world.

“If my work can help someone rediscover their confidence, or express the beauty I see, that feels truly meaningful.”

This deep care for people has become the driving force behind her pursuit of art.

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“我不是因为成绩不好才选艺术！”Joy笑着强调。加入爱莎前，她已收到七八所国际学校及名校国际部的录取通知，在爱莎荔湾的入学考核中，她的学术成绩与艺术成绩均表现突出，凭综合实力拿下丰厚奖学金——选择艺术，对她而言是“主动奔赴热爱”。

Joy的教育路径，注定了她对“学习环境”有着更独特的要求。从小，她没有就读于传统意义上的学校，而是在一个每年级仅十几人的“学院式”的环境中成长，后来又经历过线上学习、居家自学。

“我父母是传统的中国家长，但他们的‘传统’里，藏着最难得的开明。”她说，父母从不会用“标准答案”框住她的选择，反而总说“你想做的事，就认真去做”；在这样的氛围下，她的哥哥选择了建筑设计专业，家人对孩子们梦想的理解与支持，让她一开始就敢大胆追逐自己的设计梦。

为了获得更好的教育资源，回到与同龄人的集体生活中，她决定在高中重回学校。过往的成长经历，让她格外清楚自己“需要什么”：一个能包容个性、尊重想法，且能提供多元艺术资源的环境，“我不想被标准化的评价体系束缚，更希望有人能看到我作品里的想法，而不只是成绩或技巧。”

“选校时，我和家人考察了广州七八所著名的国际学校，但和爱莎荔湾的学部负责人聊完，我就知道‘是这里了’。”Joy回忆，校长与老师对艺术的理解、对学生个体想法的尊重，让她感受到强烈的“理念契合”。“他们懂我想通过艺术表达什么，也认可我‘不赶时间、踏实去学’的态度，这种被理解的感觉特别难得。”

开学后，校园生活更超出她的期待：有心心念念的漂亮locker（储物柜），有最爱的飞盘和游泳运动，还有愿意支持她“奇思妙想”的老师、包容友善的集体氛围。艺术老师会耐心倾听她的设计构思，给足时间让她思考与完善；英文老师发现她出色的英文能力后，鼓励她“英文一定能拿A+”——这些认可，让曾经偶尔自我否定的她，渐渐多了份踏实的自信。

同学间的相处也让她倍感温暖：“大家特别愿意彼此倾听，我很快就找到了好朋友。”这种“无隔阂”的氛围，让曾经不太擅长社交的她慢慢打开自己，更坚定了“选对了地方”的想法。

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“I didn’t choose art because I wasn’t good at academics!” Joy laughs, emphasising the point. Before joining ISA, she had already received offers from seven or eight international schools and international departments of prestigious schools. In ISA Liwan’s admission assessment, she excelled both academically and artistically, earning a substantial scholarship. For her, choosing art was a proactive pursuit of her passion.

Joy’s educational journey has shaped her unique expectations of a learning environment. From a young age, she did not attend a conventional school; instead, she grew up in a small, academy-style setting with only a dozen students per grade, later experiencing online learning and home-based study.

“My parents are traditional Chinese parents, but within their ‘tradition’ lies a rare open-mindedness,” she says. They never confined her choices to “standard answers,” instead encouraging her with, “If you want to do something, do it wholeheartedly.” In this environment, her older brother chose to study architecture, and the family’s understanding and support of their children’s dreams gave Joy the courage to pursue her own design ambitions from the start.

To access richer educational resources and experience life among peers, she decided to return to a school environment for high school. Her previous experiences made her very clear about what she needed: a setting that embraces individuality, respects ideas, and offers diverse artistic resources.

“I didn’t want to be constrained by standardised evaluation systems; I wanted people to see the ideas in my work, not just grades or techniques.”

When choosing a school, she and her family visited seven or eight well-known international schools in Guangzhou. But after speaking with the head of ISA Liwan’s programme, she knew immediately, “This is the place.” The principal and teachers’ understanding of art and respect for each student’s individuality resonated deeply with her.

“They understand what I want to express through art and appreciate my attitude of ‘taking my time and learning earnestly.’ Being understood in this way is rare and invaluable.”

Since starting at ISA, campus life has exceeded her expectations: the beautifully designed lockers she had longed for, her favourite activities such as frisbee and swimming, and teachers willing to support her creative ideas in a nurturing, friendly environment. Art teachers patiently listen to her design concepts and give her ample time to reflect and refine them. English teachers, recognising her proficiency, encourage her that “you can definitely achieve an A+ in English.” This recognition has helped Joy, who occasionally doubted herself in the past, gradually build a steady confidence.

Friendships at school have also brought warmth:

“Everyone genuinely listens to each other, and I quickly found close friends.”

This open, barrier-free environment has helped her, once less socially confident, to gradually open up—and strengthened her conviction that she had truly chosen the right place.