Muguang: A Collective Journey
When visitors read the introduction to Muguang at the exhibition, perhaps some of them felt a sense of resonance. What began with just five people who loved sketching outdoors has now grown into a group of thirty-nine. Ironically, while our numbers have increased, fewer members continue to focus on sketching, and more are drawn to competitions and awards. This is not necessarily a bad thing—perhaps it simply reflects how we have all grown in different directions.
In the early days, when our membership was small and my own workload was heavy, Vice President Cai Cai-zi took responsibility for organizing sketching activities. He was deeply committed and contributed enormously to Muguang. Later, he left because of differences in vision, but I have always remembered his words: “Even if our ideals do not align, we both want what is best for Muguang.”
There was a time when I struggled with recruiting new members, which forced me to reflect: what makes Muguang different from other art associations? If we only hold an annual exhibition and one general meeting, there are many older, more resourceful organizations that already do so. I began to consider a different path—how to bring together those who share the same ideals, so that we could form a true collective force.
In pursuit of this, I observed other associations, attended countless openings, and engaged widely—not only to learn, but also, unexpectedly, to increase visibility for myself and for Muguang. Over time, our reputation grew, and many expressed interest in joining. Yet I chose carefully, focusing on those who were willing to contribute, especially younger members. To build a strong organization requires a team, and with a team comes many responsibilities. I was fortunate: gradually, some members stepped forward to help, while those unwilling to contribute—those who sought only recognition or gain—eventually left.
There were also voices of doubt: that Muguang’s success relied on southern mentors, that we borrowed others’ prestige, or that I sought fame for myself by taking credit for everyone’s efforts. Such words angered me deeply. From the beginning, I envisioned Muguang as a collective endeavor. The age of fighting alone has passed; today, strength comes from unity. Yet it is rare to find people who truly share your ideals and are willing to strive alongside you.
From Teacher Ma Fang-yu, I learned the principle of acting for the benefit of others—a philosophy that echoes the spirit of Teacher Ho Chao-chu, who selflessly shared his knowledge with anyone. Guided by this, I embraced social media and established the Muguang website to create visibility for our members. Slowly but surely, this began to bear fruit.
In recent years, with Alice serving as Secretary-General and several members stepping forward to assist, my own workload has eased. At this stage, I realized that improving by sixty percent is easy, but to progress beyond that requires far greater effort and wisdom.
This morning, as our association gathered works for the exhibition, I used the waiting time to reflect. To nurture an individual is never easy; to build a strong collective is even harder. But only when each of us sets aside personal ambition can we come together to achieve something truly great.
大家在展場看到的沐光介紹，不知道是否有些感觸。當初五個人從喜歡寫生，到目前已經有39位。可是喜歡寫生的人卻變少。追求比賽得名的人變多了。我覺得這也沒有什麼不好。或許是大家都成長了吧？當初人少，我的工作又忙。所以副會長蔡蔡子，他負責辦理寫生活動 。他非常的負責，做了很多事情，後來因為理念不合而離開沐光。但我喜歡他說的一句話，我們雖然理念不合，但是我們都是為了沐光好。後來我在外面的招募會員遇到了瓶頸，讓我思索了很多的問題。沐光和其他的畫會有什麼不同？如果都只是一年辦一次展覽，一次會員大會。比我們歷史悠久有資源的畫會太多了。所以我開始思考很多不同的層面，如何讓畫會可以挑選會員，讓更多相同理念的人聚集在一起成為一股力量。所以我開始讓自己做了很多事，觀摩了很多的畫會，參加了很多的開幕式。都只是為了要學習，然而卻意外的讓自己以及沐光曝光度增加。經過了幾年沐光的知名度大增，很多人表達意願要進入沐光。但是我一定都先挑選願意幫忙及年輕一輩的。因為要變成一個大的團體需要有一群人，而一群人就會變得需要處理很多事情。我的運氣不錯，裡面有幾位慢慢開始願意幫忙，而不願意幫忙只會計較或者只想爭名奪利的人也慢慢地離開。有人說沐光能有名氣都是因為南部的前輩，都是因為沾了誰的名氣。而我只是利用大家的幫忙想要成名，所有的光芒都在我的身上。聽到這些閒話，其實我真的很生氣。我從一開始沐光的定位就是想要打團體戰，因為我知道單打獨鬥的時代已經過去了，需要眾人集結的力量，但是要找到和你有相同理念又願意一起奮鬥的人不多。南部的馬芳渝老師教導我要做「利他」的方法。其實這樣子的理念就和何肇衢老師無私教導任何人一樣。所以我就採用了社群媒體還有成立沐光網站增加會員曝光度，也慢慢產生了一些效果。這2年Alice擔任了沐光的秘書長。再加上幾位願意來幫忙的人，我的工作量減輕了，這時候要思考的是要進步60 %很容易，要再往前的話就更多困難了。今天早上是畫會在收集展覽作品的時間。趁著等待的時間記錄了一些回憶。要成就一個人，要壯大一個團體並不容易。只有大家將自己的私心縮到最小，才有辦法成就大事。
感謝Alice以及理監事，還有所有沐光會員的幫忙。
台灣沐光畫會 