BIO

My name is Xian (Xian pronounced “see-an”) and I am the human who created sweet potato pig. I was born and raised in the southern tip of that little island off the coast of New Jersey (i.e., Manhattan) and have always had a passion for anything that involves paint, clay, colored pencils, non-colored pencils, markers, and candy. My training in math and science combined with an undying interest in visual aesthetics and how humans see led me to pursue graduate studies in visual perception. Then one day, taking my PhD in psychology from New York University with me, I packed my bags and left my urban life on the concrete island for the peaceful green (and sometimes brown) pastures of Nashville, TN, where I worked as a healthcare researcher in the Biomedical Informatics department at Vanderbilt University studying how people use technology.

I now live in Cambridge, MA. During the day (and sometimes nights) I continue to work as a healthcare researcher for a small-ish tech organization dedicated to serving underserved populations around the world using mobile/web systems. And then, in the wee hours of the night, I may be found secretly painting or crafting in the basement after my two crazy, but inspiring young daughters and a hairy four-legged son are fast asleep…