“Hi everyone, welcome back to day 365 of going to the gym because my height starts with a five and I need muscles.”
An artist, content creator, and friend of many, Jinhao Lee puts forth an example of self-discipline that everyone around him strives to be. From spending hours on detailed portraits of his loved ones to posting his journey with fitness everyday for a full year, Jinhao is always striving towards his next goal in the name of self-improvement.
Art has been a constant in Jinhao’s life ever since taking weekly art classes in elementary school, but only last year did he begin to feel free to explore art when he made his portfolio in AP 2D Art at Enloe. “That’s when I really started to think about what I wanted to create and how to express myself through art,” says Jinhao. With portraiture at the center of his portfolio, Jinhao’s art often references images from his camera roll of his friends and family. However, that isn’t to say his art is restricted to just portraits. Jinhao highlights how he will sketch images from his life like objects in his garage and sometimes he “just paints whatever.” At Enloe, Jinhao has employed his art skills to give back to his community. On top of doing things such as face painting for the National Art Honor Society at Enloe and making prom decorations for StuCo, Jinhao’s physically largest contribution to the Enloe community has been his part in painting the expansive mural located in Enloe’s dance hallway. Although Jinhao’s art is often in service to others, Jinhao still recognizes the value his art brings to himself. He responds, “I really enjoy creating art for myself, but it also brings me a lot of happiness when I paint someone and they can recognize [themself]. One time I painted a friend and his mom saw the painting and she was like, ‘Oh my gosh is that my son?’ It’s just a really small thing and I’ve been [enjoying] painting things that can make people smile.” Jinhao notes he never truly burns out from art because he is always “interacting with new mediums.” Jinhao states, “Whenever I get tired from a project, I just start a new one and it makes me excited.”
In addition to artistry, Jinhao also inspires through his discipline to self-care and fitness. Spontaneously starting his 365-day documentation of his fitness journey in July 2024, Jinhao clearly shows his advocacy for personal fitness. “I had just been getting a lot of content on my reels page of people just doing things and I was like, ‘Why not try this?’ and taking care of your body is one of the greatest acts of self-love and I just invested in it.” Jinhao notes that through his reels, he held himself accountable to show up everyday and also created proof of his commitment. Through that commitment, Jinhao gained confidence both mentally and physically. His best advice for anyone thinking about starting content creation is to just start. Everyone experiences the fear of posting anything, but you will always get better with time. Jinhao recalls, “I look back on my day one video and I was so quiet speaking at 2 words a second. You could really tell when I started to be more conscious of how I was speaking to the camera. You don’t know how it will go until you do it. It’s like a lottery ticket, but it’s free.”
Aside from art and content creation, Jinhao participates in other activities such as rock climbing and competitive table tennis, while also staying involved with board positions in various Enloe clubs such as ASA and NHS. By constantly involving himself in these activities, Jinhao never stops the rush of chasing the next benchmark. “[Recently I’ve been] addicted to climbing. It’s just a new way to push myself physically,” he says.
With a mindset that isn’t self-centered, but rather always looking to be a better version of himself, it’s no surprise that those around Jinhao view him as level-headed, proactive, and virtuous. Laura Kohli, one of our editors-in-chief and a close friend of Jinhao, says that her favorite part about him is his self-awareness. “He knows who he is and what his values are. He understands why he responds to [others] the way he does. I think it makes it easier to be friends with someone when they know who they are.” Enloe alum Fischer Teti, who got close to Jinhao through mutual friends and Enloe’s ping pong club, describes Jinhao as the difference between nice and kind. “We spend a lot of time thinking together and talking about issues in our lives and using each other as a support system. He’s also very fair and generous with things like his time.”
Wherever he ends up, he will surely thrive while striving towards his ideal self. Jinhao, from The Eagle’s Eye, we wish for your biggest dreams to come true and that you never stop soaring.
