We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Nimo(Linqian) Jiang a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Nimo(Linqian), thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?
I think it was when I was 16 years old. I was attending a regular high school instead of an art high school, drawing every day after doing my homework and trying to keep a balance between school and art. When I received the questionnaire about my career and future direction, I started to think seriously about what I wanted to do in the future. It became clear to me that I could not imagine a future where I could not paint, so I filled out the questionnaire for art school. With this one moment as a starting point, I began to pursue a life as an artist.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I am a China-born illustrator who received my MFA Illustration Practice degree from the Maryland Institute College of Art in the United States. I started in the illustration industry during my undergraduate years in college. At the time, I was using the internet and social media to promote my work and try to attract attention as a budding artist. This had some success and brought me to the attention of a few companies and art directors. I think I put a lot of emphasis on the expression of emotions in my work. I see art as a means of expression and say subtle things that can’t be put into words. This is what I am most proud of about myself, that I have always been able to be sincere with my work and successfully convey these subtle emotions to my audience.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
To be able to live in a world of imagination, and not have to find a single answer. I think art gives people a free space to express things that they cannot express because of social pressure or reality. There is no law of gravity or Occam’s razor, you can create if you want to, and you don’t have to think about whether it’s right or not. This sense of creative power and freedom is the most interesting and rewarding aspect of art.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
I have a very broad goal guiding me. I think my own life has changed a lot because of the fictional narratives I used to read, and my character, values, and ideals have been influenced by the stories. So throughout my creative life, I have tried to include narrative in my work and expect that this narrative has the power to change others.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.nimojiang.com
- Instagram: @nimooko