“I hate the term networking. It’s literally just making friends in the city, I like that term better,” Parsons School of Design student Amanda Zheng said with a laugh. 

A second-year communication design major and fashion communication minor, Zheng arrived at our interview straight from her jewelry-making class. Her outfit, consisting of chunky, colorful bracelets, a black headscarf, and an open-shoulder, houndstooth print blouse paired with wide-fitting black trousers, are a visual testimony to her desire to experiment.

The humility with which she speaks is just as eye-catching, especially for someone whose artwork has been featured in the Vogue Gallery Showcase Oct. 2023 print issue, Vanity Fair’s September 2023 “State of the Art” feature, and House & Garden’s July 2023 art edit. She also won the “Top in New Zealand Art & Design Cambridge” award in 2022 and was a finalist for the “Adobe Edge Awards” the following year.

But despite having accomplished so much, Zheng always pushes herself to do more.

“I really want to put myself in a more challenging situation and learn newer mediums,” she said. “I’ve been doing a lot of communication design and fashion-related stuff; I’m really trying to merge all three.”

She communicates this well (pun fully intended) in her strong social media presence. Her art account on Instagram was a project she started when she was 13, marking the moment she embarked on her creative journey. However, things got serious when she began building her portfolio for college. They had to, especially if they were going to be her ticket out of New Zealand.

“I didn’t know if coming here was the right answer,” Zheng said with a sheepish laugh. “I didn’t have anyone to ask what it’s like applying to art colleges, so I’d like to be that person for other people. It’s honestly why I share so much of my art student life online.”

Beginning to share her work online was personal for Zheng; before starting the account, she only used social media to share work with a tight-knit community of friends and family members. 

“I only had like 2,000 followers up until I moved here,” she said. “Then I started to take it seriously because I was like, ‘Okay, I’m moving to New York. I’m leaping from high school to pursuing a creative education.’” 

Knowing her online audience was interested in her journey, Zheng devoted more time to posting her work. She wanted to be someone others could look to for guidance, noting that “a lot of girls [her] age are like [her], wanting to move out and pursue art, but a lot of them hesitate.”

Zheng knows this hesitation well. Despite being a major source of inspiration (just ask any of her 83,000 Instagram followers), her work aims to capture her definition of the feminine experience, which isn’t afraid to go against the grain.

“I usually do a lot of oil paintings of female subjects and other feminine things like pink and red hues, my orchard, flower petals…” she said. “Lately, I’ve been really interested in Miuccia Prada and Miu Miu. I like how [Prada] steers away from femininity, away from traditional symbols and stuff like that.”

With this theme in mind, Zheng eventually created her website, a cherry red and bubblegum pink dream filled with her art. It’s more than just a portfolio. It’s a glimpse into both her mind and her work, which are constantly evolving as she continues her studies. 

“Art is definitely a revered subject to take in college, but I want to advocate for that anyway. I don’t want to advocate for the starving artist persona; you can be successful in any field that you pursue.” 

As we sit in the University Center, we’re practically in the heart of inspiration, surrounded by creatives. Zheng attested to this, knowing her peers, including her friends, have helped broaden her artistic palate. 

With a smile, she tells me that these friends are her muses, one of them being Parsons student Gretchen Nelson, one of the five designers to showcase her work at Superbloom. Nelson was the inspiration behind a necklace she created for her jewelry class: a longer one that she knew would pair well with her friend’s pixie-cut hair. 

“I try to make friends with people I want to learn from,” she said. “Hopefully, I can connect with people outside of school, especially those who are working in the industry.”

When discussing personal inspiration, Zheng noted all kinds of media that spoke to her aesthetic. “The Color of Pomegranates,” a 1969 Soviet-Armenian art film that purposefully contains more visuals than dialogue, resonates with her desire to create art that speaks for itself.

Zheng additionally spoke highly of Australian-Chinese filmmaker and former editor-in-chief of Vogue China, Margaret Zhang, labeling her as her “biggest aspiration.” Zheng appreciates the value of having a role model she sees herself in.

“[Margaret Zhang] has done so much, and she studied something that wasn’t even from a traditional creative background,” she said. “It gives me reassurance that I can explore other disciplines and add to my unique creative tastes.” 

One unique adventure Zheng is on as she explores other avenues of art is her current partnership with Adobe. She’s working towards creating a series of fashion illustration books that will be published in the beginning of May.

It’s the perfect motivation to continue posting to her social media too, especially since she’s looking to “treat Instagram as [her] personal work, like a full-time job.” 

“[Vogue] reached out to me through email last year for one of their art features,” Zheng said. “That’s why I think social media is such a good platform because it gives me opportunities like these.”

She laughs sheepishly as she confesses she’s partly neglected her art account amid a busy finals season. But she hopes her project with Adobe will help her get back into the groove and push her to build on her friendship-making skills (not networking!)

“I’m just really gonna put my foot to the pedal these next few years,” Zhang said. This heavy lifting will certainly pay off, especially since she aspires to become an art director. Whether it’s for an editorial or a fashion brand, her goal is ultimately to broaden her artistic horizon and just soak everything in. 

“I’m really trying to be like a sponge,” she said. “I just think if you’re gonna do something in the creative industry, you should go all out and put all your eggs into that basket.”

Zheng knows she’s filled up her basket. Like most who live in the city, she hopes to stay for “the next five to10 decades.” However, since she came here at such an early stage of her life, she feels that she’s really honing in on her future. 

“Coming from New Zealand where it’s literally like, more sheep than people, there’s just no future there,” she said. “I always wanted New York to be my end destination.”

It may be her end destination, but it certainly won’t be the end of her artistic journey.