We were lucky to catch up with Nicholas Chuan recently and have shared our conversation below.

Nicholas, appreciate you joining us today. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

This is my third year as a full time illustrator. When I was younger, I used to draw a lot, and I got my hands on Photoshop when I was around 14, and since then I played around it as a hobby, and because I am a huge football fan, I often combined two of my biggest interests into one – which is creating football posters and wallpapers.

I chose to pursue architecture as my major around 4 years ago, and delving into art as a career doesn’t really come to mind as there’s always a stigma in my culture where it’s often held in higher regard when going for a more prestigious job title.

Unfortunately, COVID hit and we entered lockdown – which was a hard time for me and my family. I wanted to contribute and help my parents out financially, so I started regularly publishing my art onto my socials again, sending emails to different agencies and created a LinkedIn account, going for a freelancing route.

I started to land some small gigs in the early 2021 and eventually got a huge opportunity creating posters for the UEFA Champions League Final. More eyeballs were drawn into my work because of that, and I have gotten a lot more opportunities since then. Eventually, I dropped out of architecture to fully pursue my dream as a sports illustrator.

Working full time as an illustrator is hard at times because freelancing means I don’t get consistent gigs, and in the earlier days, there were certainly some rough patches, and often times back then, I prioritized on getting things done as quick as possible to accept more clients, and neglecting the needs to produce better quality artwork. But what I learnt from my experience is, producing good quality work is always the main responsibility, and if great ideas and effort is put into my work, clients will follow.

Nicholas, 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?

Hi everyone! I am Nick, I am a digital artist and art director based in Malaysia, with a focus on the sports industry. I started my journey around 8 years ago as a football enthusiast passionate about art and design. Now, I collaborate with clients looking to elevate their brands with stories, visual identity, and ideas through fresh and engaging graphics and illustrations.

I have worked with some of the biggest brands in the world such as UEFA, FIFA, Red Bull Racing, Manchester United, Kansas City Chiefs, NHL, Liverpool F.C., and many more. I also

I was also part of the content creation team for HBS during the FIFA World Cup 2022 and FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 – in which I took on the position as one of the digital artists.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

As I was in my early twenties, I always wanted to make my family proud and inspire my friends who are still in early adulthood. So for me, being able to represent people around me and my country on an international stage is the most rewarding part as a creative. I am always grateful that I can be a part of the sports creative industry that provides me amazing opportunities to network with people around the world, and gaining insights into the behind the scenes of the sports world.

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

We are being pushed to see a lot of AI-related content these days and the creative space is starting to lose the soul that it once had. In my view, AI can be used for fun, but it can be damaging and discouraging once it’s being used on a larger scale.

For individuals like us, we can start small by giving encouragement and positive feedback to the creatives on social media, or purchasing artist’s products as an act of additional support. For brands, I think it’s important to drift away from AI related content for commercial gains and hire creatives with better compensation. This would encourage the up and coming creatives or people who have passion in art to realise their potential and pursue their ideal career path, causing a ripple effect where new creatives will keep on entering the space and grows the commmunity.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.chuangraphics.my/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chuangraphics/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuangraphics/
• Twitter: https://x.com/ChuanGraphics
• Other: Behance: https://www.behance.net/chuangraphics