cusp.talk : Mao
cusp. :
Please introduce yourself first! *^-^* Or anything you'd like to say.
请先介绍一下自己吧！*^-^* 或者任何想说的。
Mao：
I'm mao—like "furry" mao. I love drawing, and I love cooking, especially for my friends and the people I care about!
我是mao，毛茸茸的毛。我很爱画画，也很爱做饭，尤其是给我的朋友们和我喜欢的人做饭！
cusp. :
How would you describe your creative work? Give us a brief introduction of your pieces and your main style.
你如何描述自己的创作！简单介绍一下你的作品以及主要风格？
Mao：
I normally like scribbling and doodling. When I'm on the phone, on a plane, or waiting for food at a restaurant, I’m used to drawing random things on the paper at hand—sometimes on sickness bags, sometimes on napkins, or even on supermarket receipts. If I were given a beautiful sketchbook, I would find it hard to finish drawing due to excessive pressure. That's exactly why I prefer random scraps of paper within arm's reach. As a result, my drawers and the pockets of all my clothes are stuffed with little drawings on all kinds of paper. Sometimes I'll leave a doodle at a friend's place, tuck it into some corner, even some notes won’t be discoverd until half a year later. If I have to define it with a style, I'd say it's just casual, spontaneous line-drawing style!
我平时喜欢涂涂写写，打电话时、坐飞机时或是在餐厅等饭时，我都习惯在手边的纸上画一些很随机的东西，有时候是画在呕吐袋上，有时候是餐巾纸上，或者是超市的小票上，如果给我一本精美的笔记本，我会因为压力太大而很难有耐心画完，正因如此，我更偏爱随手可得的纸片，以至于我的抽屉里或各类衣裤的口袋里，总能翻到各种各样画了画的纸条，有时候去朋友家，也许画完就随手塞进某个角落了，甚至有的纸条，朋友在大半年后才会发现。如果非要用一种风格定义的话，我想应该是随便涂写的简笔画风格吧！
（朋友的院子）
（朋友的烟灰缸）
cusp. :
How do you find inspiration in daily life? Your work always feels connected to everyday moments—can you share some habits that related to your creations?
在日常生活中，你是如何获取灵感的？作品与日常生活总是相关联，可以分享一些与创作产生关联的生活习惯吗？
Mao：
I love wandering around, and that goes back to my first job in Beijing. I worked near Shichahai and lived at No. 55 Yard, Ande Road. I biked or walked to work every day. The job was pretty laid-back—a madam cooked lunch for us, and after eating I'd take a stroll around Shichahai, sometimes to Hehua Market, sometimes to Houhai. On those walks I'd see all sorts of amusing things. My morning route was usually: Ande Road—Old Gulou Street—Beiluo Alley—Gulou East Street—Shichahai—Mao'er Hutong. If I biked, my way home might take me from Gulou to Deshengmen, then along Dongbinhe Road all the way to Xinmin Market, where I'd pick up groceries before heading back. Even though I was walking the same streets over and over, every season and every kind of weather brought a different feel, a different scent in the air. That routine lasted about two years, and the habit of observing while walking just grew naturally out of those commutes.
我喜欢到处乱走，这与我在北京时的第一份工作有关。当时我在什刹海附近上班，我的出租屋在安德路55号院，我每天都骑自行车或走路去公司，那份工作也特别轻松，中午有阿姨做饭，吃完午饭后我就会去什刹海散步，有时候去荷花市场，有时候去后海，在这过程中就能观察到很多特别好玩的事物。早上去上班的时候，我的路线一般是：安德路—旧鼓楼大街—北锣鼓巷—鼓楼东大街—什刹海—帽儿胡同，如果骑自行车的话，下班的路线就有可能会从鼓楼骑到德胜门，再从德胜门沿着东滨河路一直骑到新民菜市场，然后买菜回家。尽管都是在相同的路上来回走，但季节不同、天气不同，能捕捉到的气息也会不一样。这样的生活持续了两年左右，边走边观察的习惯就在上下班的路上养成了。
cusp. :
What’s the most joyful everyday moment you’ve had recently?
最近觉得最开心的日常生活时刻！
Mao：
The happiest thing is that I’ve been waking up early every day and creating—since the very first day of 2026, I’ve been busy drawing, right up until today!
最开心的是我每天早起就开始创作，从2026年的第一天起我就一直忙于画画，直到今天！
The second happiest thing is that I reunited with an old elementary school classmate I hadn’t seen in 20 years, earlier this year. We spent an entire afternoon walking through the old neighborhood where we grew up—we went by our old elementary school, the same residential area we used to live in, and those familiar streets and parks. As we walked, we talked about all the shared memories we had, and neither of us had forgotten a thing. What made me even happier was that the little turtle plushie she treasured so much as a kid is still in her new home! Neither of us has really changed—even our faces are just proportionally scaled-up versions of our younger selves. It felt like elementary school was just yesterday.
第二开心的事情是，我和20年没见的小学同学在今年年初见了面。我们一起在小时候生活过的老城区走了一下午，去了以前上过的小学、住过的同一片小区，还有那些熟悉的街道和公园，我们一边走一边说共同记忆中的所有事，大家都没有忘记。最让人高兴的是，她小时候特别宝贝的那个乌龟毛绒玩具，现在还在她的新家里！我们谁都没变，连面容都是等比例放大而已，感觉上小学的事就像在昨天。
The third happiest thing was I took an overnight train to go see someone I really missed in the warm season.
第三开心的事，是在暖洋洋的季节里，我坐夜班火车去见了我很想见的人。
cusp. :
What do you always bring with you when you go out?
你出门的时候总会带上什么？
Mao：
I don't carry as much as I used to. I might just stuff a phone, a pencil, and some cash in my pocket now. But it felt like I was moving every time I went out before.
我现在带的东西没有以前那么多了，出门也许就在口袋里装一个电话，一支铅笔，还有一些现金，但是以前每次出门都像是在搬家
cusp. :
What projects are you working on right now?
最近还有什么正在进行的项目吗？
Mao：
Two of my books are in the publishing process right now—one is a medium-length diary comic, and the other is the diary I’m exhibiting this time. Then there’s the billboard project that I’ve been working on all along. After finishing the work at hand, I’m going to set off again!
我的两本书正在出版阶段，一本是我的中长篇日记漫画，另一本是我这次展出的日记。还有就是我一直在做的广告牌计划，忙完手里的工作后我就要再次出发了！
cusp. :
Have the connections you've built with people and everyday life during your creative process given you any particular feelings or insights?
创作过程中与周围的人、日常生活建立的联系有给你带来什么特别的感触吗？
Mao：
These feelings come from different kinds of sensations.
这些感触来自不同的触感。
First, there's the imagery that language brings:
首先是语言带来的画面感：
A friend once told me he didn't sleep well last night because he'd been "carried off by mosquitoes." That phrase painted such a vivid picture in my head, and since I had paper and pen handy, I sketched it out right away.
有一次朋友说他昨晚没怎么睡好，被蚊子抬了，我觉得这句话特别有画面感，正好我手边有纸和笔，就随手画下来了。
（黑眼圈被蚊子抬了）
A couple of days ago, another friend mentioned that when she was little, she used to treat silkworm pupae as pets and would cuddle them to sleep. Even though I'm a bit scared of silkworm pupae, the image was hilarious.
前两天我的另一位朋友说她小时候把蚕蛹当宠物，都是搂着睡觉的，尽管我有点害怕蚕蛹，但这个画面想象起来就特别好笑。
（搂着蚕蛹睡觉）
Also, strangers passing by can leave a deep impression. Once I was walking through a hutong when I overheard one person in sunglasses say to another in sunglasses, "Learn to endure, learn to wait." It felt like a scene straight out of a movie, so I drew that too.
此外，擦肩而过的陌生人也会给自己留下很深的印象，比如有次我在胡同里走，我听到旁边一个戴墨镜的人对另一个戴墨镜的人说“学会忍耐、学会等待”，这一幕特别像在电影里，我也把他们画下来了。
Then there are the sensations from sounds:
其次是声音带来的感受：
My partner snores every night. At first, I found it really annoying and couldn't fall asleep, but over time, I started to hear his snoring as a kind of symphony.
我的伴侣每晚都会打呼噜，起初我觉得很吵，难以入睡，但是后面，我慢慢觉得他的鼾声像交响乐。
And during the quarantine, my then-roommate Ruben and I would communicate from our separate rooms by making animal sounds through the walls. Sometimes it was little meows—I'd call out "Meow" toward his room, and he'd meow back. Other times we'd bark like puppies, bleat like lambs, or even grunt like little pigs. We'd send these animal signals to each other while staying busy with our own work. To me, that's one of the fluffiest, softest parts of life.
还有疫情期间隔离在家时，我和那会儿的室友Ruben每天都在各自的房间里用动物声隔墙交流。有时是小猫的叫声，我对着他的房间喊“喵”，他也会回应我“喵”，有时是小狗或小羊的叫声，偶尔还会有小猪的哼哼声，我们一边给对方发射小动物的信号，一边又各自忙碌着手里的工作，对我来说这些是生活中特别毛茸茸的那一部分。
And some come from what I see:
还有一些是来自于我看到的：
One afternoon, my friend Pang Li, her mom, and I went for a long walk. We went from Dongjiaomin Lane to Caochang Santiao, and then along Caochang Santiao all the way to Sanlihe Park. In a corner of the park, we spotted a few domestic chickens. Pang Li and her mom said one of them looked just like the pet chicken they used to keep back in their hometown—that chicken had splayed feet and walked in this really funny way. So as they walked, they started imitating that outward-turned waddle.
有一天下午，我和我的朋友旁立和她的妈妈一起压马路，我们从东郊民巷走到草厂三条，再沿着草厂三条走到了三里河公园。我们在公园的角落里看到了几只家养鸡，旁立和她的妈妈说这只鸡很像她们以前在老家养的宠物鸡——那只鸡的脚是外八字的，走起路来很搞笑，于是她们一边走一边学起了外八字。
（学起了外八字走路）
And of course, there's my family. My parents are both h
当然有的还来自我的家人。我爸妈都是很搞笑的人，尤其是我爸，有一天一家人吃我妈做的饭（因为妈妈平时不下厨），我爸吃到一半假装食物中毒倒地装死，把我妈吓得不行，但是没过一会我爸哈哈大笑地起来了。相比之下，我在家里反而是最严肃的人，我很少在家逗大家开心，反而我爸妈会经常这么做。但是从观察者的视角出发，这些都是我创作中很重要的部分。
cusp. :
Can you tell us about the creation of Wandering Around?
讲讲“到处走走”的创作吧？
Mao：
Wandering Around is kind of like my walking homework from all my years living in Beijing! There are so many people I'll only ever run into once in my life, so I recorded all the unforgettable scenes I saw on the streets. Whenever I flip through them later, I can still clearly remember what that day was like—for me, that leaves a deeper impression than looking at photos.
到处走走算是我在北京生活的这几年里的散步作业吧！有很多人我这辈子只能遇到一次，所以我把在街上看到的难忘的画面都记录下来了。在后面翻看的时候，我总会很清晰地记得那天的情景，对我来说，这比看照片带给我的感受更深刻。
、、
、
But there's also a hidden story in the little book of Wandering Around: a friend of mine is an ornithologist. Once, he attached a satellite tracker to a black-tailed godwit in the northern part of Bohai Bay. A year later, he went to Thailand for observation and suddenly spotted that very same godwit through his binoculars. He said he teared up at that moment. The story really moved me (and my friend tells it much more vividly than I do, so apologies), so I placed it at the very beginning and the very end of the book.
不过，在到处走走的小书里还有一个隐藏故事：我的朋友是鸟类学家，有一次他在渤海湾北部给一只黑尾塍鹬安装了卫星追踪器，一年后，他去泰国观测，忽然就在望远镜里看到了这只黑尾塍鹬，他说那一刻他掉眼泪了。这个故事很打动人（朋友说的比我讲的要生动许多请见谅），于是我就把它放在了这本小书的开头和结尾。
cusp. :
Tell us about any memorable moments from your creative process and travels—funny ones, difficult ones, anything you'd like to share～
讲讲在创作和旅行过程中觉得印象深刻的事吗？任何有趣的、觉得困难的、你想分享的～
Mao：
There are way too many memorable travel moments to count—I've written them all in my diaries.Why not come to the exhibition and take a look at those instead? (Laughs)
旅行过程中令我印象深刻的事那就太多太多了，我都写在日记里了，倒不如大家来展厅看看我的日记。（笑）
As for the creative side, the hardest part for me has been communicating with people when I'm painting billboards. I need to explain very clearly what I want to do for them, and rejection is pretty common. At first I'd feel a bit down, but I got used to it. But I love painting billboards so much, if I come across a spot I really want to paint but the other side doesn't need it, I'd probably just paint one myself and keep it at home.
关于创作方面的话，我遇到过最困难的事是画广告牌与人沟通的时候，我需要很准确地去解释我想为对方做一件什么样的事，被拒绝也是家常便饭，起初我会有些失落，不过后面就习惯了。但因为我太喜欢画广告牌了，所以如果碰到我特别想画但是对方又不需要的情况，我很有可能会自己画一块放在家里。
cusp. :
Were there any happy or lovely moments during this exhibition?
这次展览中有什么有觉得幸福和可爱的经历？
Mao：
My good friends went out of their way to help me build the paper house and set up the exhibition. We lived together for days in a home with little animals, made breakfast together, timed our bus runs to the exhibition hall, and celebrated our Pisces birthdays together—it felt just like school days!
我的好朋友们不辞辛苦地帮我一起搭纸房子、布展，我们在有小动物的家里生活了好多天，一起做早饭，再一起踩点赶公交车去展厅，然后一起过双鱼座生日，好像上学的时候啊
cusp. :
What other things do you enjoy?
其他喜欢的事情？
Mao：
Walking home at night. Because once night falls, the streets and roads seem to lose their functionality—they feel more like pure, flat surfaces. At that moment, it's as if everything on the street is breathing.
走夜路回家。因为到了夜晚的时候，街道和马路似乎变得没有那么的具有功能性了，它们更像是变成了一个单纯的平面。那一刻，仿佛街上的一切都在呼吸。
cusp. :
Any books or movies you've enjoyed lately?
最近有什么喜欢的读物或者电影吗？
Mao：
Lately I've been reading reference books, like The Chef's Must-Read and The Doomsday Survival Handbook.
最近都在读工具书，比如《厨师必读》和《末日生存手册》。
I haven't seen a movie in a long time, but I just started watching a series called Pluribus—really looking forward to season two.
很久没看电影了，近期刚追了一个剧《Pluribus》，很期待第二季。
cusp. :
What cultures or influences shape your creative work and design?
你的创作/设计受到哪些文化/因素的影响？
Mao：
Everything on the streets, and the work of amateurs.
大街上的一切和业余人士的创作。
cusp. :
What questions are on your mind or occupying your thoughts right now?
此刻关心和思考的问题是什么？
Mao：
A friend is coming over for dinner this afternoon, so right now I'm thinking about what to buy at the market.
下午有朋友要来吃饭，我此刻在想去菜场买哪些菜。
cusp. :
What's the happiest thing you've ever experienced?
觉得遇到过最开心的事情？
Mao：
Falling in love! (Laughs～～～～～)
谈恋爱吧！（笑～～～～～）
cusp. :
How do you see the relationship between life and your work?
如何看待生活和作品之间的关系！
Mao：
My work definitely comes from my life—they're tightly connected. If you put me in an empty space all by myself, I'd probably lose my ability to create!
我的创作一定是源于我的生活的，它们紧密相连。如果把我丢到一个只有我一个人的空白空间里，我也许就失去创作能力了吧！
cusp. :
What's your specialty dish? hahaha!
最拿手的菜hhh！
Mao：
Scrambled eggs with tomatoes.
番茄炒蛋。
