Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Rita Tu. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, Rita thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What do you think it takes to be successful?
Well, I don’t think I am a successful creator yet. I am just a lucky person who turns passion into my career. But I think that sometimes, to get things done successfully, we need to relax and keep calm when we are most tense. I remember the time when I worked on two big projects simultaneously. One is a children’s book project with the Dandelion children’s book house; the book tells the story of a little girl who went to Chengdu City for the Spring Festival. The other is an advertising project with Wells Fargo. This project asked me to create illustrations of five tigers. The client will print them on the calendar and display on the website to celebrate the Lunar New Year. These two projects are very different, but they are all related to Chinese New Year culture somehow. The deadline was approaching, and faced with such challenges, I felt nervous because difficulties arose in both projects. No matter how I tried to search the references and photos online, the drawings were unsatisfactory. The tigers looked rigid, and the drawing of Chengdu City looked unrelated. I felt hopeless and tried to make more drawings during the night. However, more time for working didn’t make my drawing look better, and I abandoned most of them. Until one day, I realized that the more nervous I was, the more I could not achieve the desired result. During that time, we were still quarantined because of the epidemic. It’s been a long time since I’ve traveled, and I have become numb. So, I decided to go to Chengdu for inspiration, even though it seemed unwise.
As I walked the streets of Chengdu, I felt my perceptivity was being awakened. Even as the deadline approached, there was an inner peace in my body. Inspiration comes naturally, and I felt confident to finish the children’s book. While taking photos in Wuhou Temple, I accidentally found many stone sculptures of tigers. That was a happy accident, I sketched to capture the details and add it to my tiger illustrations. If I hadn’t calmed down at that moment and decided to travel, if I hadn’t stayed relaxed while traveling, I would never have been able to experience this. In the end, I finished the projects in time, and the result was great.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My name is Qianwen Tu; people also call me Rita Tu. I am a visual art creator and a freelance educator. As a freelancer based in China, my work encompasses a variety of creative pursuits. I specialize in creating visual art, designing online courses, and organizing offline workshops. These are professionally fulfilling and provide me with a continuous source of energy, enthusiasm, and joy, enriching my life immeasurably. When I was five, my mother introduced me to painting, sparking a deep love for scribbling on paper. A blank sheet feels like a world to create, with a charming sense of freedom. My mind fills with whimsical fantasies, and I never feel lonely. From early on, I decided to pursue an art career, though I wasn’t sure what that entailed and had a deep longing for a job in the arts. In my hometown, aspiring to be an artist isn’t expected; most students focus on academic subjects, while art students also invest considerable time in artistic training. I am a lucky one. In junior high, my parents and I discussed this, and when they realized my true passion for painting, they chose to support me. Thus, I entered my first art class and embarked on a long learning journey. Through the art college entrance examination, I enrolled at Jiangxi Normal University to study Digital Media major. The study included animation and motion art. My professors encouraged me to do further studies.
On the other hand, I wanted to combine my hand drawing with the movement. After completing my undergraduate degree, I went to Savannah College of Art and Design to further research illustration. I learned a lot and made many experimental art pieces during the study. Learning art has benefited me greatly; the world is diverse and has endless possibilities. This incredible journey has its challenges and surprises, and every step I take and every sight I see makes me more like myself.
Upon graduation, I became a freelance illustrator and corporate with my agency, Spinning Yarn. My work includes children’s books, animated illustration, poster, advertising, etc. My artworks combine traditional hand-drawn elements with digital solutions, as both methods are powerful expressive tools for me. Normally, I will hand-draw all the elements and scan them into the computer to color and edit. I think this working process maintains the beauty of hand-drawing while combining the flexibility of digital art. Fortunately, my works have earned me some recognitions and honors. Around this time, some online education platforms began inviting me to teach online, sharing my artistic philosophy with a wider audience. And so I started designing my first online art course.
The course not only teaches painting techniques but also focuses on helping participants open up their senses and explore their creative expression. I believe everyone has a unique way of expressing themselves, and I learned a lot from the participants while teaching. While online courses are convenient and efficient, they also have the drawback of distance and latency, preventing deeper interactions with participants. So, a few years later, I began to organize offline workshops. My workshop is called “Rita’s Creative Camp,” each workshop often collaborates with unique art residences. It’s a three-day activity, inviting people from all over the world who are interested. The location is very flexible; some are in the city, and others are closer to nature. We learn how to open up our senses and connect with the world, drawing inspiration from different landscapes, creating together, discussing and exchanging ideas, becoming mirrors for each other, and illuminating each other. These touching moments have made me realize that I am doing something meaningful, something that fills both myself and everyone else with love.
I believe that artistic expression can promote communication between people, enhance cognition, broaden horizons, and even heal wounds. I will continue to advance on the path of creation and sharing, exploring more possibilities.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
Being creative, the most rewarding aspect is the ability to express my thoughts through work, to communicate and share with more people, and to experience the diversity of life. Whether it is a painting, a motion piece, a workshop, or a lecture, the form of creation is unrestricted. When I tell stories through picture books, see my idea being used in products, and watch people expressing, weeping, and hugging each other during my workshop, I always feel deeply moved. All the processes and outcomes let me feel the diversity and enhance my perception. It’s meaningful to me. This wonderful experience is where the rewarding aspect of being a creator.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
After becoming an art student, I began attending an art preparation class to prepare for the Chinese art college entrance examination. It is a unique system and a complex journey. Along the way, I made many friends and met many nice teachers, which was a fulfilling period for me. While learning the fundamental skills of drawing, I learned how to draw a proper composition and how to color. However, the focus of learning at that time was more on how to prepare for the exam rather than how to explore self-expression. Showing too much individuality was not allowed and was considered “poor” by teachers. It seemed that there were tangible standards and rules for everything that was considered “good” or “beauty.” From my current perspective, this is unreasonable. During this time, I lost the enthusiasm for drawing that I had as a child and worked harder mainly to meet the exam standards. These standards gradually became a hindrance. When I no longer had to draw for exams, I became confused, not knowing what to draw and losing my creative drive. My works once became delicate but empty, and I didn’t particularly appreciate that state of mine but didn’t know how to change it. For several years, I couldn’t create works that truly satisfied me. Although I realized that, through further learning and exploration, this was closely related to my personality and that I needed to improve myself, many standards from the prep class also became constraints that I needed to let go of. This journey taught me to let go and return to my original aspirations.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ritatu.art
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ritatuart?igsh=YzhlbXE3OW1ld2tq&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100010247416281&mibextid=LQQJ4d
- Other: Weibo: https://weibo.com/u/6651280368 Little Red Book: https://www.xiaohongshu.com/user/profile/63a1571b000000002702a410?xhsshare=CopyLink&appuid=63a1571b000000002702a410&apptime=1705251980
Image Credits
Qianwen Tu (Rita Tu)