"Womanhood is a simply natural state I was born into, and I fully embrace it for what it is. That is, the many variations and ways of being a woman. I would say to other women in the community: Just be the person you want to be and live as you wish, and there is no need to explain. This is harder to say than to do, since we as women are constantly being looked at, criticized and scrutinized upon things we do and ways we show ourselves."
Xinxin is a photographer from Shanghai who began her journey capturing images in 2016. She describes her work as nostalgic and pulls her inspiration from many different genres of art, most recently the works Paolo Roversi and Faye Wong's music.
"There's an endearing sense of companionship and empathy that only exists among women."
Xinxin come from a family of career-driven women who have taught her to never limit herself to the conventional expectations of being a woman. "Women should never be limited to just the family, love and relationships, and the kids. They have shown me to keep centered around my "business of life", be that art or a job or any other career path". Xinxin explains that it is important to focus on your career since it can be the saving grace from undesirable happenings that may occur in your personal life.
You will be reminded that no matter what happens, you are still and will always the one creating value for yourself and for the world.
"I try to keep my sense of weird humor and I like making people laugh. I don't really care how people remember me. Memories change all the time and are not to be trusted."
"Good art is never created out of nothing, but always based on life. For a long time I didn't know what I was doing or what I truly wanted to do, until I have lived through some major incidents. Don't rush. Just go with the flow and let things happen, and observe, and create with that flow."
Photographer: Xinxin Zhang @xinxiz
Models: @adelina.tereshchenkova, @sparkishkid Written and interview by Sierra Stone @iamsierrastone