Nine years ago, Dorrie Wu was growing up just a train ride away from Shanghai, China. That is, until her mother told her their family would be moving to the United States, specifically to Starkville, to live with her aging grandmother.
Moving across the world was a difficult transition, the now 17-year-old Wu said, as she faced challenges with severe bullying for her first few years living in the states. But she found solace in art, and now wants to pursue a full time career in it when she graduates high school in a few months.
“Because I was actually from China, I think the cultural difference was off putting to a lot of kids,” Wu said. “… I didn’t handle it very well. I went through a lot of mental health issues. But like, three years ago, I was like, ‘this isn’t good for me.’ And I started painting.”
While Wu’s mental health initially declined in Starkville public schools, her mother started homeschooling her after three years. At the same time, Wu started experimenting with art.
Starting out, Wu said, she worked with pencils only, drawing the characters from her favorite anime shows. Working in that medium gave her a feeling of control, she said, when her life was out of her control in many other ways.
But over time, as Wu went to therapy and her mental health improved, she started experimenting with other art forms. About three years ago, she picked up a watercolor palette for the first time, finding the medium she still works in today. Wu also started focusing on painting living things instead, she said, like fruit, plants, and particularly bugs.
“I wet the paper and I put the paint on it, and it just goes,” Wu said. “I can see that letting go of control is ok and it can be beautiful. I get to practice that daily, and it’s like a meditation to me.”
Wu said working with watercolors has helped to improve her mental health, and as her mental health improved, her art grew lighter and more joyful. Now, if one of her pieces feels too dark, she will get rid of it entirely.
“If I see that it’s really dark and not joyful, I throw it away,” Wu said.
Only a few months after Wu started painting, she submitted a painting to one of the Starkville Area Arts Council’s student galleries for a display. While she was at the SAAC office, she saw a flier for the Midnight Bizarre – an artist market that a group of Mississippi State University students organized quarterly between 2022 and 2023.
Wu initially submitted an application to play music at the March 2022 Bizarre – since she also plays ukulele, guitar, bass, clarinet and keyboard – but the musician slots had already been filled. Instead, she applied for a spot to display her art at a booth at the last minute.
“I had a week,” Wu said. “And I painted like 50 paintings and just put them on a table.”
While Wu said she was shy at the first market – hanging back to the point that some people thought her mom was the artist who painted her work – she has since built her confidence in her artwork. She has sold her work at events like the Cotton District Arts Festival and other art markets and started her own online Etsy shop.
Wu also taught a beginner watercolor workshop at SAAC earlier this year, something she said she hopes to continue pursuing in the future.
Teaching other homeschooled children about art, particularly, is one of her major goals for the future.
SAAC Interim Executive Director Juliette Reid said she is happy that the nonprofit has been able to support Wu as she pursues a career in art, calling Wu “really talented.”
“I really appreciate everything that she’s trying to do in the community, especially as a young person getting involved in the stuff that we do,” Reid said. “I think a lot of young people don’t know that they can get involved, and I think she’s shown them that you can be in high school and you can make money with your talent, and you can make it happen.”
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 47 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
