Photo credits: banner by Jeremy Jude Lee | Profile by Hubert Kang Chairman Ting Vancouver BC Chairman Ting, aka Carson Ting, is one of Vancouver's leading street artists and foremost illustrators. His work with major brands (Nike, Toyota, Porsche, Microsoft, and Snoop Dogg to name a few) has brought him onto a bigger stage than ever, but he remains a humble and motivated artist that's keen to make a difference with every stroke of his brush. We caught up with him to see what makes him tick. ----- Hi I'm Carson Ting and I was born in Toronto but came to Vancouver in 2007 to work at Rethink. Why Vancouver?  It was never on the radar, just happened for work. I waited two years and started to appreciate Vancouver. It was a slow transition to realize that Toronto was a merry-go-round and it was weird to leave work at 5pm at Rethink.  How did you discover your talent? What got you started? Discovered early on because it was the only thing he was ever good at. Dad taught him how to draw Tarzan.    What makes you keep innovating and pushing your craft to new heights? What’s the intrinsic driver or motivation? Always seeking something new, trying new things. I have a diverse style and want to find something new, different approach and fresh ideas    If you could have tea with an idol or figure, who would it be? Why? That's a good one... first choice would be my dad, he's been gone for 11 years. In terms of idols, I'd say CJ Hendry. Her patience is incredible.    So far, what has been your favourite highlight of your career? An achievement? A collaboration? My latest project I'm most proud of is the Whitecaps project because it raised over $150k for the Vancouver Food Bank. I wasn't super proud of my actual piece but the cause was inspiring. Kid Robot   Your mural on Robson St during lockdown was unreal. What was the inspiration for it? View this post on Instagram A post shared by Chairman Ting (@chairman_ting) on May 15, 2020 at 3:25pm PDT   Literally just the word hope. Wanted something fun and not too serious because it was a dark time (April) and felt like world was ending.   The Dog keeps coming back Movement is a recurring theme for me, and the dog is a character I created to represent that. In regards to your craft, where do you want to be in 5 years? Wants to hone in on more personal work. My whole career has been working for brands, and I want to do more fine arts projects like sculpture and painting.  Max: It is so hard to break away from the commercial process... I struggle with this myself as a creative person that usually utilizes my skills for work more often than play.   Define your idea of ‘living with wizdom’ in the modern world. How has is changed relative to the past?  I think the biggest shift is just the sense of urgency now. It's basically now or never. As a dad, I worry about the future. Is there still going to be clean water? Now with the pandemic, people are realizing that we've been taking simple things for granted, like just going out for dinner. It's becoming more important than ever to stop just talking about it and take action now.   What’s coming down the pipeline for next projects?  I'm working on new apparel for Fox suspension. As a car nerd, it's really fun for me. I'm working on creating a Mad Max style mash-up vehicle. I also just finished a new project at Kabam Games that was really fun to produce.  View this post on Instagram A post shared by Chairman Ting (@chairman_ting)   What’s your favourite flavor of Wize tea? How do you steep or consume it? Mango! It's the best-seller for a good reason. I don't find it super sweet and it really agrees with my palette.    Thanks for the interview! Where can our audience find out more about you? Instagram