Zhao Yongchang

 Two weeks ago, I decided to take a break.

Over the past few years, my sculptures have gained increasing attention in the art market, and sales have steadily grown. But with that came longer hours—I averaged over 80 hours of work per week, and last Lunar New Year, I took only five days off.

Of course, as an independent sculptor, no one forced me into this rhythm. Yet in today’s competitive world, I felt compelled to push harder, to grow faster, as if that were the only way to honor the galleries and collectors who believed in me. Even so, I knew sculpture shouldn’t consume my entire life.

Then, two weeks ago, standing in my studio clutching an unfinished clay draft, I was hit by a wave of exhaustion I’d never felt before. Sunlight streamed through the window, casting long shadows across the half-finished pieces—like marks of time, reminding me how long it had been since I’d watched a sunset, wandered without purpose, or even played a game of pool.

In that moment, I realized: I’d molded myself into a taut, unyielding artwork, forgetting that art, above all, must breathe.

So I took a short vacation:Waking without an alarm, hiking and fishing with family, sipping tea;Sharing laughter over skewers at a barbecue, clinking beer mugs, the crisp click of pool balls colliding.

And there, it struck me:Art isn’t a marathon—it’s the act of breathing. The heat of the sprint matters, but so does the clarity of the pause. Those so-called "wasted" hours, the joy and idleness unrelated to creation, were quietly reshaping my senses all along.

Now, I’m recalibrating:

Mandatory two-day weekends (a revolution for someone used to 80-hour weeks);

Scheduled "inspiration hunts": At least once a month, I’ll watch sparks fly at a steelworks or trace the wrinkles on a vendor’s hands at the market. What I once dismissed as distractions are, in truth, the lifeblood of sculpture.

—

To my collectors and galleries:What you own was never meant to be assembly-line output, but the observations, thoughts, and emotional eruptions of a living artist. If my work has ever moved you, it’s because it was born from a person who strives to be whole first, and a sculptor second.

I got two more awards again.One is an award presented by the only professional sculpture publication in China and even in Asia, and the other is an award presented by Henan Satellite TV.

I share my creative insights at the site of my solo exhibition.

Sharing photos of the exhibition site of my work "Ode to Gallantry".

What a desolate path I tread alone,
What forlorn stance my isolation is.

一份特殊的新年礼物！

Chinese New Year is coming！

Holiday time: 2023.01.15-2023.01.31 

When buying my sculptures during this period, please send me a message. I will give a coupon exclusive to you. Please wait patiently for the delivery. 

Thanks for your support! 

At new year and always, may people and love file your heart, beauty fill your world, and connected and joy file your days.

凌晨5点的工作室。
每当这个时候，我仿佛拥有全世界！