We recently connected with Connie Chau and have shared our conversation below.

Connie, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

Like many kids other there, I liked drawing when I was small. I enjoyed it and never stopped doing it, but I had never thought of making it my profession. No one back then mentioned the job of an artist. In fact, no one around me knew what artists were and what they did. So I did not even think of joining the creative industry at all. My dream career was always teacher, chef or police. However, something happened in my life that changed my mind and led me to the way I am.

I grew up in a typical Asian family. Along with the born-to-have gift – Autism Spectrum, numerous misunderstandings have happened between my family and me. Conflicts usually happened between my mum and me. I could not clearly express what I felt. Instead, I cried and yelled a lot. My mum could not understand me, so she punished me a lot. My father was not expressive at all. Most of the time, my father rathered kept his mouth shut no matter what. Back then was nearly impossible to communicate what we wanted and needed. The traumas between us have made us impossible to get as close as before, which has become one of my regrets in life.

It wasn’t long until I discovered my difficulties in socialising. I couldn’t phrase my words well most of the time. Besides, I am introverted and there was so much happened in the past that I could not open to others easily. Though I had a couple of friends, honestly saying, I didn’t feel the strong bond and trust between us. As a teen around 14, I had a strong desire to build connections and have those fun crazy times with friends like the others out there. I was jealous, but helpless, since I didn’t know how to get there, and I thought my entire life would be like this, having a barrier between everyone, but I haven’t stopped seeking solutions.

Drawing was just a hobby to me, nothing more. Those famous guys were legends just because of the blessing of miracles, just because they were special. I genuinely believed that until I went to high school. When I was 16, I chose Visual Arts as one of my electives. Not a big fan of the course design but I did get more chances in practicing art creation. And that was technically the first time I was entirely immersed in a creative world. My classmates and I made our first tries, and we discussed and made mistakes. In the end, we created our work in very unique and stylistic ways. That was my experience of understanding the power of visuals. While admiring everyone’s work, amazing moments kept blasting in my eyes. I saw their personalities through their work. I already got the message they were conveying without explanation. It was like a telepathic moment where you look at the work for only five seconds and it speaks itself in your brain, along with feelings and thoughts that emerged in your mind, it was an intriguing moment. Vice versa, my peers could understand my work, and even had some insightful thoughts about it. I am super into details and every time they spot them, it was satisfying and amusing that there’s a nonverbal way to express my thoughts. I had never truly understood what drawing could bring me besides joy, but since then, I discovered the power of images, and once again re-experienced the joy of the creative world. And most importantly, drawing has given me the courage and motivation to express more either through images, or through myself, which has also led me to where I am, and what I am going for. I am happy with the way I am living, with the connections I built bit by bit. And the fact that there is an improvement of the relationship between me and my parents is very positive and it brightens me up a lot. I want to help people with my talent. I want to speak for those who are not expressive, like me, like my father. I believe in the power of images, and this is why I want to be an illustrator.

Connie, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am currently studying at SCAD, still have a lot to learn to become a professional, but a big part of my life is actually dedicated to my focus. I have spent more than ten years learning traditional drawing skills at Moon’s Gallery in Hong Kong. Although I didn’t dream of becoming an artist, I was passionate about mastering different drawing skills. My dearest teachers, Mr Man-wai Yan, and Ms Hiu-fan Choi have taught me a lot. My mature skills and mindset allow me to learn professional skills in SCAD more efficiently. And recently I am trying out different genres of illustration, kind of giving myself some challenges, at the same time, gaining experience and building portfolio.

I love to work on figure drawing because human is extremely expressive, and figures could enhance a work subtly, yet, I like to challenge myself with other subject matters, and I do provide both stylized illustration and painting commissions of any subject and themes in real life. It feels odd as an illustrator that the services I provide are too broad. By means, I have different art styles, and if my clients want a specific art style from my previous work, I can make it work. Other than that, I provide options of traditional media (e.g. watercolour, gouache) for painting commissions, and it is totally up to the client’s preference. I don’t want to be limited so I don’t narrow down my capability, and I wish my talent can be shown as much as possible, so if anyone needs or wants some drawings, I can be the first one who listens to their story and visualize it in a lovely way.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

My boyfriend is a systematic person, and he prefers to plan everything before even starting. Me, act completely differently. I dislike planning, but I didn’t mean that it is a guaranteeing move. As a creative, I believe sometimes fewer plans are better than more plans. Do not get me wrong, I am not saying from now on, abandon all your plans in your life. No. Planning is still crucial no matter you are a student, employee, or entrepreneur. But in the creative world, there are a lot more changes and unknowns. For me, I always have some directions first, but I tell myself, if I don’t get to the path I want, it’s okay, there are always other solutions, and life is not a smooth way. Besides, I am emotional and easily hindered by emotions. If I made a beautiful, ideal plan, but things went all off, I could have a serious breakdown. Three years ago, I didn’t even think of going to SCAD, what I was aiming for were a few local universities which my family could afford. They had nothing to do with illustration but those were the “best” universities. However, my exam result wasn’t ideal. I screwed the talent test and the interview. I was hopeless and depressed, my mind was blank after all. Yet, my boyfriend insisted me to try to apply to SCAD. I was so uncertain but I did try my best to polish my portfolio and perform better in the interview. Eventually, I succeeded and got a decent amount of scholarships. Though the expenses in SCAD is higher, I am certain that this is the right choice. So sometimes, step back and relax, let the life guide you.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

Many people are not clear about the value of art, they may be messed with modern art too much that anyone can make art. I have seen people messaging me on social media and requesting a drawing. After I got the details and gave them the price, they were probably not happy with it but didn’t even negotiate and left the chat immediately. It felt so bad like I just did something wrong. Artists are facing a lot of disrespect, and we need respect. The price you are paying for is not just a drawing, but the skills and knowledge the artists have built for years and years. Besides, we make time to discuss what you want and dedicate our best to fulfil your requests. It is so annoying that people just walked away. We truly wish everyone can respect us more, and not be afraid to reach out. We need opportunities to spread their work, reputation and expand connections. Artists are flexible characters and we can always talk, so I hope people can trust us, respect us, and support us more. We are not bad guys. What we do is make the world fun and colourful!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.conniechau.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conniechiwaaart/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/connie-chau-842663237/
• Other: ArtStation: https://www.artstation.com/conniechau0105

Image Credits
Fig 1: Autism Fig 2: Learn to Read with Dr Crow Fig 3: “We Cats, Furry Road” Fig 4: Welcome Home Fig 5: Hansel and Gretel in Feudal Japan Fig 6: First Halloween for the Quadruplet Kittens