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Shirley Wu

@shirleywu.studio

2.8K followers 45 following 110 posts

chinese-american artist, software engineer, dataviz designer, keynote speaker, published author && a work-in-progress learning to take up space ✨ 🔗 shirleywu.studio

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Shirley Wu @shirleywu.studio · Jan 7

hello and hny 🥳

after a year away from socials (other then some ig stories here and there) i've realized how much i've missed the "old" days of twitter when i unabashedly shared "ugly" work-in-progress

so here's one of my portfolio re-design 8 years in the making 😂

hope you're doing beautifully ♥️

screenshot of work-in-progress portfolio website with images of past projects.

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Reposted by Shirley Wu

CodeTV @codetv.dev · 27d

There are no losers on Web Dev Challenge, but that won't stop @shirleywu.studio from trying to win.

Watch the full episode: codetv.link/wdc/s2e8

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Reposted by Shirley Wu

Rahul Bhargava @rahulbot.bsky.social · 12d

Weekend read: @shirleywu.studio stirred up rich discussion with her series on the state of data storytelling. I'm in the "data experiences" camp -- we can use data to bring people together IRL and tell impactful data stories that drive understanding and change. www.shirleywu.studio/notebook/202...

beyond the plateau: the next decade with physical data experiences, a hopeful reimagining - Shirley Wu

After reflecting on what might have caused a creative plateau in data visualization in "what killed innovation", I turn my attention to where we could go from here. I share why I’m especially excited…

www.shirleywu.studio

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Shirley Wu @shirleywu.studio · 1d

thank you for reading this pt3! my pt2 got a lot of attention bc it was so clickbait-y, but this was the post that was the most important to me, about where i hope we go from here. so i'm really happy to hear we're in the same camp ☺️

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Reposted by Shirley Wu

sailor mercury @sailorhg.com · 2d

tokyo friends, @shirleywu.studio and i have been working on a datavis + ceramics art show that will open next week!

ephemeral:
capturing seven decades of blooms and foliage in ceramics

📆 2025.10.16(thu)–10.19(sun) 1–7pm
🎊 10.17 (fri) 6–8pm opening party
🗺️ such as gallery, shimokitazawa, tokyo

a photo of a ceramic sakura, maple leaf, and ginkgo, with the text “amy wibowo and shirley wu present: ephemeral 陶器に映し出す、桜と紅葉の70年の季節。(translated in english: capturing seven decades of blooms and foliage in ceramics)

2025.10.16(thu)–10.19(sun) 1–7pm
suchas_gallery shimokitazawa, tokyo

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Shirley Wu @shirleywu.studio · Jul 18

I finally compiled (most of) my thoughts on how I use AI and I'm curious: what is your sacred space?

🔗 www.shirleywu.studio/notebook/202...

where AI cannot follow: creative boundaries, ethical use, and reclaiming space from generative AI - Shirley Wu

An in-depth reflection on practical and ethical boundaries for using generative AI tools like ChatGPT in writing, coding, and art-making—plus thoughts on local models, data privacy, and finding space ...

www.shirleywu.studio

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Shirley Wu @shirleywu.studio · Jul 18

this was such a beautiful experience thank you for inviting us to playtest ♥️♥️

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Reposted by Shirley Wu

sailor mercury @sailorhg.com · Jul 6

i’ve been working on a puzzle hunt set at the sf conservatory of flowers, and finally got it to a testable state! tysm to @shirleywu.studio, alex, and @indirect.io for helping test it!

a dark green postcard with white script text that says “a flower by any other name, a linguistic and botanical puzzle hunt set at the conservatory of flowers”, held by a hand in front of lots of tropical plants

an envelope and papers on top of an iron garden table, in a conservatory green house

a water garden in a conservatory of flowers, featuring water lilies and lotus leaves

a dark green envelope with a gold flower wax seal, held in front of tropical plants

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Reposted by Shirley Wu

Moritz Stefaner / Truth & Beauty @moritzstefaner.bsky.social · Apr 7

Just arrived in Tokyo! 🇯🇵🌸❤️

For any #dataviz folks who want to say hi, there will be a casual event with @shirleywu.studio and me on Thursday!

peatix.com/event/4371157

Looking forward to seeing you there!

FLYING TOKYO feat. Moritz Stefaner, Shirley Wu

真鍋大度が国内外のゲストを迎え開催するクリエイティブ・イベント「Flying Tokyo」。今回は、データビジュアライゼーションの第一人者である Moritz Stefaner 氏...

peatix.com

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Shirley Wu @shirleywu.studio · Mar 28

Yes! Classic ✨

Shirley Wu @shirleywu.studio · Mar 28

🙌🙏

Shirley Wu @shirleywu.studio · Mar 28

Oooh yes that’s an interesting point! I realized pretty early on that most tech companies don’t seek me out bc they don’t want to invest in custom d3 their engineers have to maintain, and most of them use a JavaScript charting library instead

Is at least my impression 🤔

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Shirley Wu @shirleywu.studio · Mar 28

No I didn’t! What?? This looks amazing, bookmarking!

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Reposted by Shirley Wu

Jan Willem Tulp @tulpinteractive.com · Mar 28

Cool!!! Bookmarked for reading later (soon!)

P.S. you know this site, right? infopoetry.densitydesign.org

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Shirley Wu @shirleywu.studio · Mar 28

a cartoon of a cat with the words yay written on the bottom

ALT: a cartoon of a cat with the words yay written on the bottom

media.tenor.com

Reposted by Shirley Wu

Desireé Abbott (she/her) @callmedeeray.bsky.social · Mar 14

Shirley's newsletters are a true treat to read. If you're into #dataviz, you should absolutely subscribe.

Shirley Wu @shirleywu.studio · Mar 13

taking a moment to celebrate: i've finally completed the move to @buttondown.com and deleted my substack 🎊

and as an added bonus i learned how to setup my own custom sending domain so now all my newsletters actually come from my own email ✨

if you're interested → shirleywu.studio/notebook

A pop-up confirmation message from Substack on the website shirleywu.substack.com. The message states: "Ok! The publication is being deleted. This may take a minute or two." There is an "OK" button at the bottom of the pop-up.

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Shirley Wu @shirleywu.studio · Mar 28

my guess is tufte 👍

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Shirley Wu @shirleywu.studio · Mar 28

I don't actually think this is what potential clients think (bc my clients don't really tend to be engineers), but rather just proves my point that there's a strong subset of the public that has a very narrow view of what dataviz should look like. and that i want to dispel that

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Reposted by Shirley Wu

Dominikus @do.minik.us · Mar 28

HN comments for @shirleywu.studio's last blog provide a fascinating glimpse into the minds of definitely non-datavis people:

Datavis is done, simplicity should be everything, web as a platform was a bad idea...

Is this what potential clients think? Is this where the crisis in datavis comes from?

What Killed Innovation? | Hacker News

news.ycombinator.com

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Shirley Wu @shirleywu.studio · Mar 28

🎊Part 3 of my #dataviz trilogy OUT NOW🎊

What if next wave of innovation comes from what we currently call “Unusual” (ie data sculptures & hyper-local events)? I explore “data experiences” & how deep community connection might drive meaningful cultural impact.

🔗 www.shirleywu.studio/notebook/202...

beyond the plateau: the next decade with physical data experiences, a hopeful reimagining - Shirley Wu

After reflecting on what might have caused a creative plateau in data visualization in

www.shirleywu.studio

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Reposted by Shirley Wu

Jason Forrest Agency @jasonforrestagency.bsky.social · Mar 21

Hello world! jasonforrestagency.com

Jason Forrest Agency

Shaping how business sees data

jasonforrestagency.com

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Shirley Wu @shirleywu.studio · Mar 21

adam thank you for including me in amongst such an amazing list of people, also thank you for summarizing my work so well 🙏

Reposted by Shirley Wu

Adam Fortuna @adamfortuna.com · Mar 13

New blog post! Seven People That Inspire Me To Be More Creative

adamfortuna.com/inspirations...

So many people are doing fun & amazing things. I wanted to celebrate a few of them ♥️

Including @cassidoo.co @jason.energy @excid3.com @maggieappleton.com @shirleywu.studio Chelsea Fagan & Nadia Odunayo

Seven People That Inspire Me To Be More Creative

Here are a few people whose work inspires me to be more open and creative.

adamfortuna.com

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Shirley Wu @shirleywu.studio · Mar 21

oh what that's so weird! when i follow the link it's taking me to the subscribe page...if you don't mind I can add your email directly...?

Shirley Wu @shirleywu.studio · Mar 21

two weeks ago I published www.shirleywu.studio/notebook/202... re: plateau in innovation I've felt in #dataviz last few years.

I've been furiously working on the follow-up (so many thoughts!) & it'll finally be out next Monday 🎉 if you'd like an email notification: www.shirleywu.studio/notebook

what killed innovation?: the past decade of interactive graphics, a brief recounting - Shirley Wu

Over the past decade, interactive data visualization has gone from bold experimentation to polished, predictable formats. I’ve been reflecting on why—and after speaking with some of the best in the fi...

www.shirleywu.studio

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Shirley Wu @shirleywu.studio · Mar 18

today's planets progress 🌌

feeling much better about it than before but still not 100% happy, will keep tweaking 👩‍💻

A digital artwork featuring clusters of glowing golden and white speckled circles of varying sizes, arranged in a spiral pattern against a deep blue and purple cosmic-like background. Faint concentric circular lines add a sense of depth and movement, evoking the imagery of celestial bodies or a data-inspired galaxy visualization.