By Jessica Nguyen
A card spins in the air. Several more follow, flipping and flying in quick pursuit, before neatly landing back onto the deck and into the hands of Andrew Hsieh—not a hair out of place.
While many use cards to play Goldfish or Solitaire, Hsieh uses cardistry to transform these 52 cards into art. Whether you get the chance to see it in person or on video, the way Hsieh works with them is captivating and you can’t help but be mesmerized by the way his hands and the cards move. It seems so easy and natural to him, almost as breathing is to us.
Cardistry is only one of Hsieh’s passions along with photography and videography. With just a camera and a deck of cards, he can create something truly fascinating. All of this started from a photography book laying around and his dad’s old camera.
“I use my style to create a visual theme that’s eye catching. I enjoy using things, like music, special editing effects and rhythm to emphasize the subject of the video or photo,” Hsieh said. “There are endless possibilities with it and the community of cardists is very welcoming and supportive.”
Compared to his older brother and younger sister, Hsieh is more quiet and introverted, but still finds a way to express himself.
“[Photography and videography] is a way to share my thoughts because I don’t talk a lot,” Hsieh said. “It’s my version of talking.”
Every photo and video that Hsieh makes continues to raise the bar. He treats them as motivation and a chance for him to continue learning new things and becoming even better. In the future, Hsieh hopes to turn his photography and videography into a career, although he is uncertain if that will happen.
“It is scary because right now [photography and videography] is a hobby and I don’t want it to become something that I have to do,” Hsieh said. “I want it to just be something I want to do.”
Hsieh’s love for photography has opened many doors for him, such as Baron Banner.
“I joined [Baron Banner] as a photographer…[because] I wanted to go outside my comfort zone,” Hsieh said.
As a freshman entering high school, Hsieh is already involved in not just Baron Banner, but also the track and field and cross country teams. He started running to prove his brother wrong and once he started, he never stopped. An important part of being involved in a sport for Hsieh is teamwork. He lives by a quote from the elite runner Eliud Kipchoge who said, “100% of me is nothing compared to 1% of the whole team.”
“Teamwork is key to success and it is much better than trying to do things on your own so I always try to do things with others,” Hsieh said.
Due to COVID-19, Hsieh hasn’t been able to fully experience high school. However, he is looking forward to going back to school and being able to see his friends.
Hsieh’s favorite subject in class is math because of how logical and clear cut everything is. Outside of school, he enjoys watching “Avatar: The Last Airbender”, “Home Alone” and listening to music from Christian French.
Don’t let his shy demeanor fool you. He’s a cardist, photographer and videographer. On top of that, he’s passionate, creative and caring and so much more. That’s who Hsieh is.