monicaCREATIVE NOTES / Curiosity & growth
Following an idea across Monica’s portfolio
As of October 2026, Monica (Zhan Yining, 詹以宁) is a Primary 5 student in Hong Kong who takes a hands-on role in coding and also creates with AI assistance. Her website brings together drawings, handcrafts, writing, performances and interactive projects. A useful way to explore that breadth is to follow how an interest can take different forms.
Begin with something that interests you
The home page offers one selected work from each category, making it possible to begin with a genuine interest. Colour may lead to a drawing, a story to the writing collection, and an urge to experiment to a game. There is no required sequence. Form a small question before opening a page: how is the brick handbag put together, or how does playing music change the garden? A focused question gives a visit a direction without turning the whole portfolio into a checklist.
An interest can find a place in another medium
Crystal Blocks gives this connection a specific origin. Monica visited a Morandi exhibition as a younger child and liked the low-saturation colours. When designing her falling-block game, she considered using those colours, then brought in Mondrian-inspired composition, Zao Wou-Ki’s artistic atmosphere and English vocabulary. A preference from looking at art became a question for making something. That connection between an exhibition and a game makes cross-disciplinary exploration concrete: an artistic experience can supply the starting point for a coding project.
Make room for something to try and discuss
The Idea Playground provides a star animation with controls for colour, speed and additional stars, followed by a way to turn an idea into a creative invitation for AI. Story Lab asks readers to predict before changing a recipe or experimental setup. In both cases, an action produces something to discuss. What changed? What stayed the same? Did the result fit the prediction? These are useful questions for a shared visit because they refer to an observable choice, rather than asking only whether an answer was correct.
Keep a record you can return to
Bringing drawings, writing and interactive projects together creates a record of connections that visitors can return to. Look at the landscape drawing, then encounter it again in Melody Garden’s picture book. Read the Crystal Blocks creation story, then play with more attention to its colours and rules. For your own exploration, record one discovery and suggest a change you would like to try. Return with that question on another visit, allowing one observation to lead into the next.
Two more questions
How can these works help us understand self-directed exploration?
Follow an interest into another medium. Colours Monica liked at a Morandi exhibition became a question about game design, then a palette that players can choose.
Do I need coding knowledge to explore the work?
No. Begin by looking, reading or playing, then ask a question about one detail you would like to change.
Explore the works in this note
Profile information was supplied by her family. These notes were prepared by the Monica portfolio editorial team from the original works, performance records and playable projects on this site, with AI-assisted writing and translation. Descriptions of existing work are distinguished from activities readers may try. The articles are editorial introductions, not first-person accounts written by Monica.
Profile and editorial notes →