Meet Justin Huang, a gifted young artist who has transformed his passion for art into a meaningful endeavor as a coffee shop artist for FCSN’s café, Friends Coffee & Tea.

From a young age, Justin was attracted to drawing; his earliest artistic endeavors included pages upon pages of sketches that he pasted onto the wall. His mother, Wanju, recalled with a smile, “When Justin was young, we didn’t have an empty wall in the house.” Inspired by the protagonist, Blue, in the children TV show Blue’s Clues, Justin’s early art included notebook drawings he created as he followed Blue on thrilling adventures to uncover clues and solve mysteries. “He finished the notebooks so quickly that I had to get him 200 separate sheets of paper for him to draw,” Wanju said. “He used to draw one or two pictures per day, and it was just amazing to see his passion for art grow.” 

Justin’s early love for art has been a driving force throughout his artistic journey, and Wanju has been a constant source of support. However, despite enrolling Justin in art classes at a young age, Wanju revealed, “Justin didn’t learn much as he was really young.” As a result, Justin took a break from formal art education until high school.

During high school, despite engaging in a variety of extracurricular activities, including playing the piano and drums, Justin lacked the same level of enthusiasm for these pursuits as he did for art. It was then that Wanju realized Justin’s true passion lay in the arts and made the pivotal decision to enroll him in art classes again. “I knew I had to continue his art journey,” Wanju said. 

Justin resumed taking classes with his former art teacher, and they began with sketching buildings to practice drawing straight lines. With a relentless commitment to improve, Justin drew a multitude of buildings, eventually transitioning from paper to using an architecture table. Justin also progressed to explore various media in his artwork like watercolor, oil pastels, and colored pencils.

 In 2022, Justin’s incredible art and efforts was recognized by the manager of Friends Coffee & Tea. “The manager had approached us and said ‘why don’t you bring Justin’s artwork here’,” Wanju said. “I originally had no intention of selling Justin’s artwork, but later agreed so that Justin can connect with the broader community and have fun.” 

Friends Coffee & Tea proudly showcases around 10 to 15 pieces of Justin’s exceptional artwork; to date, Justin has sold about 5 pieces. Among his sold pieces was his unique handmade calendar, which has gained popularity among customers. “Some of his calendars sold, and then at the end of the year, a lot of customers asked for next year’s calendar,” Wanju shared.  

Justin’s artwork not only serves as a source of joy for him, but it also brings happiness and inspiration to the customers of the café. “One day, a teacher and her special needs class visited the coffee shop to celebrate a student’s birthday,” Wanju recalled. “The teacher saw one of Justin’s drawings [of Winnie the Pooh] and loved it so much that she gave it as a birthday gift to the birthday boy. It was a beautiful moment.”

Through his art, Justin has found a way to connect with the community and make a positive impact on people’s lives. A window into his inner world, art helped tell his stories to others. “I really think that Justin drawing for so many years is godskeep, and I really hope he can continue to draw more pictures to inspire other people’s life,” Wanju concluded.