We recently connected with Michelle Li and have shared our conversation below.

Michelle, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

I really enjoy how one of my illustrated book projects turned out. I illustrated Schoolgirl by Osamu Dazai, and I learned so much from every step of the process. Although I feel I have improved a lot since then, it was the beginning when I started to incorporate more type into my illustrations. In high school, I was really into calligraphy, but it never occurred to me to combine the two in an illustration. I’m now discovering how much I enjoy blending different methods and materials to create intersections. I feel like now looking back, it was such an obvious thing to do, but I think I controlled too much of my work to really try an explore what felt right. The theme of a schoolgirl navigating the turmoils of her life felt like a goodbye piece to my teenage self, which was something I think I needed at the time. I really liked how I tried to capture each ephemeral moment of the book in images to convey the sweet but uncomfortable feelings of growing up.
I also always try to make my next projects sound more exciting than the previous ones, so I hope to continue this path of learning and discovering interesting intersections to work with!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I just started an etsy shop with a high school friend of mine, who is also a designer, where we mostly sell our prints, stickers, charms, etc! In our shop, we offer prints, stickers, charms, and more (in the future). I feel the most pride when I see our work come together and reflect how much we’ve grown both technically and creatively.

I’m really obsessed with sunonebird, an illustrator that focuses on silly cute creatures that are sometimes slightly odd (in a good way), and they’re someone I really look up to in selling creations and creating their own illustrated universe.

When we first launched our shop, we chose not to limit ourselves to a specific niche, so we could explore and develop our creative styles. Our items often focus on maximalism and exaggerate feelings of discomfort, ephemerality, and the exploration of our unique aesthetics. It’s really rewarding to compile our work and see how our ideas and techniques have evolved over time!

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

Recently, I’ve been diving into more children’s picture books and really appreciating their artistry. Rereading these books with as an adult and background in art literacy has been a fun exercise in analyzing how they are illustrated and the visual techniques they employ, especially in wordless picture books. Currently, I’m revisiting Tuesday by David Wiesner and The Snowman by Raymond Briggs, and I really love how they convey mood, atmosphere, and narrative purely through images.

I’ve also been visiting the Detroit Institute of Arts and also exploring medical illustration and anatomical drawings. I find that the human body intersects with so many disciplines—medicine, art, culture, science, and politics, and I’m would like to continue exploring these intersections in my own art practice.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

Currently, I’m on my path to becoming certified as an art teacher. I don’t really think I’m pivoting from my original career plan, but it’s definitely a change in my focus. I’m excited about the opportunity to teach and to be part of students’ and artists’ journeys as they develop their own visual worlds. I think art is really overlooked in schools, and it’s really important in a person’s life and development. I’ve also had some not so great art teachers, and would like to make a better impact as a teacher in inspiring creativity and also connecting art to many applicable topics in one’s life! I sometimes feel like there’s a stigma that views teaching as a fallback for those who have failed in their industry, as if it’s the only option left. But, I see it more as a matter of being able to teach only if you’ve truly mastered your craft, and there’s something really beautiful about inspiring young students and helping them see the world differently through art.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://micheelili.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/micheelili
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/micheelili/
• Other: https://moldyjelly.etsy.com