As an artist and immigrant, Tanieng Huang shares the story of how her art practice helped her grow and break through the barriers of language.
I was fourteen when I moved to the United States. Since childhood, I have danced with composition, colors, and lines, and they have filled my blank canvases with layers of meaning. As I grew up, I took painting classes to explore art and further my studies. I found that I could quickly capture combinations of lights and shadows on paper. But even more fascinating, I found that the emotions I wanted to express could be translated into various colors.
As an immigrant to this country at age 14, I didn’t know English well enough to communicate with my teachers and peers. The sentences I heard around me were mixed with only a few words I knew in English. I felt alienated, a feeling that I depicted as a dark blue color in my artwork. The dark, blueish shapes of this challenging time in my life were threatening at first, even turning into purples and gray. But eventually they lit the fires in me to improve my English.
When I wasn’t painting, I spent countless hours tackling reading exercises, working on grammar and practicing my English speaking skills, and I finally passed the language exam in the spring of 2021. During that year and a half, art had all the complex emotions I have been feeling and I was grateful. With more confidence in my English, I was able to make new friends and create a new role within student government called the Newcomer Ambassador, designed to help new students like me feel less lost. All of this was made possible by my art practice and perseverance to keep moving forward. The form of painting released my emotions, and I also used the creativity to break through the barriers of language.
With a Perspective, I’m Tanieng Huang.