Hsi once studied painting in Brussels, Belgium and has always displayed a penchant for poetry. She admits, "Before I laid eyes on my homeland, my approach to writing was as the poet Hsiao Hsiao said, 'I live and grow alone, thus do I compose poetry and paint.' I never worried much about reader response; all that mattered was whether or not I was satisfied."
曾赴比利時布魯塞爾習畫，一向擅長寫詩的席慕蓉坦言：「在沒有見到原鄉時，我的寫作風格正如詩人蕭蕭形容的『自生自長，自圖自詩』，心中並無讀者，只要自己滿意就發表」。