"Dragons, mermaids or a life-sized Harley Davidson, as long as the clients can name it, I am more than up for the creative challenge," said the 26-year-old artist. However, before being able to make such a claim, Chen had to first suffer through more than his fair share of difficulties.
Since his college days, Chen has had a passion for entertaining that led him to join a performance club. But Chen's bubble soon burst when he realized that he was not cut out for a life on the stage. Fortunately, fellow club members had taught him how to shape balloons as part of presentation activity and he decided that an airier career was his true artistic calling.
Much to his delight, Chen discovered that balloons attract a wide audience, ranging from kids to adults. "It pleases me so much when my performances attract spectators, especially children, who become very excited and ask me for balloon animals," he said. "Even older people love my creations."
However, Chen was not satisfied with the basic set of skills he had learned from his clubmates and began using the Internet to study photos of advanced balloon shapes that he could draw inspiration from. Through trial and error, he became adept at employing the array of skills required to create these more complicated shapes.
But Chen's dedication to balloon art caused his family to become increasingly worried about his future. "They could not understand why I was 'wasting' so much time on this activity," he stated. The pressure ratcheted up even further after he was forced to drop out of college because of poor grades stemming from his devotion to the art.
In 2003, Chen set about attempting to prove that this "hobby" could in fact be a way to earn a living. He teamed up with a magician friend and began giving balloon-shaping performances and selling the rubbery sculptures on the boardwalk of Old Street in Danshuei Township in Taipei County--a popular tourist site near Taipei.
While business was initially brisk, the novelty soon wore off for the public, with passersby often labeling the duo as a pair of good-for-nothings performing carnival tricks on the street. "Some parents would draw their children close, point in our direction and tell them they needed to study harder or otherwise they would end up like us," Chen recalled.
Confronted with the unpleasant reality of his situation, Chen was forced to admit that the balloon-shaping market in Taiwan still needed a great deal of air but refused to surrender his belief in the value of the art. While employed as an assistant at the Y17 Center in Taipei City--an adult education institute--the balloon artist used every spare moment to practice his rubber passion. "Even after work when I returned home, I would continue to twist and knot until the wee hours of the morning," he said.
But his efforts were not for naught, with Chen being spotted in 2005 by a supervisor at the institute who invited him to design and facilitate a course on balloon shaping. "The offer meant everything to me," Chen said.
Through Chen's hard work and professional demeanor, the institute's students soon realized that age does not necessarily equate with professional skills. "When the students called me 'teacher' for the first time, I almost cried," Chen said.
Becoming a teacher of balloon art opened many doors for Chen. Friends and students started to commission him to decorate at wedding ceremonies and receptions. And despite the income not being worth the effort, Chen cherished the opportunities to demonstrate his creativity.
"Sometimes the paychecks were only enough to buy dinner, but the happiness of playing with balloons is a reward in itself," he said.
Since those lean days on the streets of Danshuei, Chen has now progressed to the point where he has a voluminous client list that enables him to make a living from an art that his family once described as a "waste of time."
Considering creativity his greatest strength, Chen concentrated on developing "signature" shapes by studying a wide range of disciplines, including architecture, knitting and fashion design. "I even consulted books about lingerie, because the laces are exquisite examples of advanced weaving techniques."
In order to discover how far he has gone in this field, Chen decided to put his skills to the test in the international arena. The first stop was the 11th Japan Balloon Artist Network competition, which was held June 5-7, 2007 in Tokyo. "We were required to finish the piece in 30 minutes, and therefore none of the contestants could afford to make any mistakes," he said.
With the Japanese fans loudly barracking for the hometown competition in a language he could not understand, Chen began to feel extremely nervous and he began to think of home. "My mind went blank and I was sweating so much that I could barely tie a knot with the balloons," he explained.
Fortunately, Alexander Graham Bell's (1847-1922) maxim: "Before anything else, preparation is the key to success," proved to be Chen's best weapon in dealing with the pressure. "It turned out that I only needed 23 minutes to finish," he laughed.
More than just a quick hand, Chen also demonstrated outstanding weaving skills in his sculpture, "Flamenco Girl," which won him JBAN's coveted Best Design award for a "live" balloon figure. As a first-time entrant who came out on top, the result transformed him from a nobody into a rising star in the field of balloon art. This is because being recognized in Japan, where there is a well-established tradition of the craft and a considerable number of experts, is confirmation of one's talents.
Following his success in the land of the rising sun, Chen headed for the United States--the birthplace of balloon art--to prove his ability in another professional forum. When he stepped into the Twist & Shout 2008 convention held Feb. 20-24 in Boston, Massachusetts, few people--if any--paid attention to the unfamiliar face from Taiwan.
But after Chen started weaving his balloon magic, passersby began gathering around and were soon enthralled by his work. In this competition, he used a different set of skills to the ones that brought him glory in Japan to create the piece, "Angel Blessing." The angel turned out to be a harbinger of good news and first place in the Medium Sculpture competition accompanied Chen on his flight back to Taipei. "Competition is a great place to learn and be inspired by international balloon twisters," he said.
Chen is now recognized as an established balloon artist with his own design consultancy that opened in 2007. The business focuses on providing instruction in balloon shaping, but also accepts deco commissions. "I treat each commission as if it is a competition," he said. "Every time my clients expect to see some fresh idea, I try to satisfy their wish while adhering to my aesthetic principle."
The ballooner's new career focuses on offering courses through his consultancy for those who are interested in balloon art but cannot find the key to unlock the door to this world. "I wish I could support myself by teaching, just as established artists in other countries do."
However, a road filled with challenges lies ahead for Chen. In addition to expanding his student base, he must also deal with criticism from his peers who accuse him of "leaking" the craft's secrets and decreasing the value of their professional skills.
"My perspective is different," Chen said. "If more people become familiar with balloon art, they will know how to evaluate and appreciate it, adding that this means higher prices will be paid for better quality pieces produced by the top-tier artists.
A modest family background and challenging career path has left Chen with an austere temperament that is seldom found in people of his age. But the only thing he has in mind is to spread joy and inspire people with amazing balloon sculptures. "My artwork doesn't last, but neither do flowers and fireworks," he said. "Because of its transient nature, balloon artists have to forget about what has been achieved and try to surpass themselves all the time."
Write to Amber Wu at amber0207@mail.gio.gov.tw