How Fiber Art and Photography Help Christina Yoshika Greene Explore Her Identity

Meet Christina Yoshika Greene, a talented artist who blends photography, fabric, paint, and drawing to create deeply personal and visually striking work. Her art is rooted in her Asian American identity and shaped by her life experiences, making each piece feel genuine and heartfelt.

In this conversation, Yoshika opens up about how she discovered her path in art, what inspires her creatively, and how she navigates the challenges of being both an artist and a human being. She talks about her love for exploring new materials, such as using sashiko, a traditional Japanese embroidery technique, to stitch life and texture into her photos.

We also dive into the real stuff: doubts, creative blocks, and trying to balance it all. For Yoshika, finding a supportive community has made all the difference, and her story is one many of us can relate to.

Christina Yoshika Greene is an interdisciplinary artist based in Baltimore, Maryland. Yoshika’s fine artwork focuses on trauma-informed art, exploring materiality through multiple mediums, including painting, fibre, drawing and photography. Her interdisciplinary practice is inspired by her Asian American heritage and the complex nuances of human relationships, depicting visual narratives and themes of personal displacement, belonging, and memory. Her work has been exhibited in the Lateral Body Autonomy Online Exhibition and the Endowed Chair Exhibition at the Maryland Institute College of Art in 2022. Her embroidered photographs have been exhibited at the Strathmore Mansion in Rockville, Maryland, and Rhizome, DC. Yoshika was invited to present as an emerging artist at the 2024 Baltimore Artscape Festival.

1. How did you get started in your art career?

I received my Associate’s in Fine Arts at a community college in Northern Virginia, near Washington, D.C. Afterward, I transferred to the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore, Maryland, to pursue my Bachelor’s in Graphic Design. From college to now, I have been freelancing and exploring multiple creative avenues through art and design commissions, gallery shows, and art markets. Currently, I am a graphic design contractor for McCormick & Company.

The act of experimenting with the limits of each medium and combining them together fascinates me, and opens up a new world of possibilities within my art.

Christina Yoshika Greene

2. What mediums and techniques do you primarily work with?

I currently use fibres and photography in my latest body of work. As an interdisciplinary artist, I switch between various mediums depending on my interests and what I am studying. Experimenting with each medium’s limits and combining them fascinates me and opens up a new world of possibilities within my art. I have been experimenting with embroidery, playing with tactility and various textures. I have been experimenting with sashiko mending or traditional Japanese embroidery in my recent art pieces. I collage photographs taken in Baltimore City, using sashiko to tie each picture together. Sashiko was traditionally used to mend old clothes, strengthening the clothing by adding and blending scrap fabrics. The historical purpose of sashiko lends itself to providing a variety of interpretations of my work and visualizing a fusion of my Japanese background with my life in the United States.

3. How do you balance your personal life with your art career?

It is a constant challenge I face – so many of my attempts at just messing around with small crafts in my free time grow into entire month-long projects, such as my embroidered tapestries. I’ve had horrible habits in the past of overworking to the point of it being detrimental to my health, so I’ve spent the past few years trying to correct that. I try my best to set boundaries with my time, either by limiting work during my weekends or limiting my work day to a regular 9-5 schedule. Prioritizing time for my loved ones and spending time within the community is also crucial to giving me energy and motivation during my working hours while allowing me to rest.

4. What challenges have you faced as an artist, and how did you overcome them?

The biggest challenge I faced as I began my creative career was the pushback from my social circles. Many significant people tried hard to discourage me from pursuing art, making me doubt my choices for a long time. Finding artists who were successful in their careers and finding a community that supported my pursuits gave me the courage to build my creative practice despite the resistance of my loved ones. Current challenges tend to involve managing the variety of income streams that many artists have. Balancing my design contracting with my work can be challenging, so I may go over a week without creating. Managing my time and scheduling art sessions for my week have been the most effective ways to keep me in a consistent routine.

I want my work to communicate a sense of reminiscence and reflection on past memories… I hope to connect with like-minded individuals to create a sense of belonging in a cultural environment where multiracial Americans feel very isolated.

Christina Yoshika Greene

5. What do you hope people take away from experiencing your art?

I want my work to communicate a sense of reminiscence and reflection on memories. Work motivated by racial identity speaks to the collective experiences that many multiracial Americans have. I want people to learn about our lived experiences and create a sense of community with people who share my emotions. I hope to connect with like-minded individuals to develop a sense of belonging in a cultural environment where multiracial Americans feel isolated.

Yoshika’s story reminds us that art doesn’t have to follow one path—it can evolve, shift, and grow alongside us. Whether stitching memories into photographs or navigating the realities of freelancing, her journey is full of care, curiosity, and courage. Through her work and words, Yoshika shows that honouring your heritage and staying true to yourself can create influential, healing art that connects with others. To learn more about Yoshika, visit the links below.