When Ying Zhou  was three her mom taught her calligraphy and painting. The brush was always with her growing up. After four years at the Art Institute (China), Ying was inspired to create "New" designs by using different materials for making brushes.She believes it doesn't matter where the materials come from,

the beach, forest, farm, or even road kill.  My creative ideas come from nature, the trees, and the mountains, waves of water, the earth and you.

 The ancient soul in each of my brushes:

Most people are not aware that the brush has been a key part of Asian culture for over five thousand  years. Over  those many years the brush has been the principal tool through which the mind, thoughts  and passions are  expressed. The form of the brush is simple. However, Found in that simplicity is a great tension cultivated through careful skill and training. You can see that tension in the softness of the bristles and how they contrast  with the hard handle. The bristled of the brush can be made from a wide variety of materials. When bound together to from  the tip of the  brush they becoming a piece of sculpture that is fine as found in the best expressions of  any culture in the world. Truly the brush can become a one of kind object, each with its own voice through which my soul can  speak and tell  the world of many things that are deeply rooted in my culture.
As the Asian philosophers say about the essence of the tip of the brush;  Soft is soft, Soft is not soft, Soft is soft.

 To truly understand that poem you must use one of Ying's brushes with love in your heart and with an  idea or feeling you wish to express. Once you have finished expressing yourself in this way, you will fully understand the  depths of the philosophy found in the words.