We recently connected with Rong Xu and have shared our conversation below.

Rong, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

I have known since kindergarten that I had a hard time concentrating on many things, except for painting. It was the only activity that could keep me quiet for a while. I told my parents that I wanted to be a painter in the future, not only because of my own interest but also because of my misunderstanding that painting could make a lot of money (lol). However, I don’t regret my decision to work in the art field. In fact, I believe that being an illustrator is the best career path for me.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I consider myself an illustrator, a visual artist, and a potential art educator. I spent 4 years in NYC studying illustration at the School of Visual Arts, and I am currently pursuing my further artistic study in illustration at the Rhode Island School of Design.
I basically work with any subject for commissions lol, while for my personal works and interests, I draw a lot of inspiration from the Chinese cultural context. Topics that fascinate me include the historical evolution of Chinese women’s consciousness and the expression of Taoist philosophy in astrology and so on. Although these subjects may seem exclusive to a certain culture, I believe they have tremendous value and are worthy to be seen from a global perspective. Working on these topics fills me with enthusiasm.
Illustration has a lot of potential as a form of visual narrative, its effect could be influential, but at the same place, it could be dangerous and visually misleading when we are discussing topics that are not familiar in every detail to the public. I am right now an illustrator and I also consider myself a potential art educator, I’ve been exploring ways of narratives that use subjective aesthetics to portray as objective a perspective as possible. I believe it’s my responsibility to deliver messages sensibly, while there are a lot of illustrators who don’t pay enough attention to their visual information’s accuracy. It’s not only a problem with the general ideology and consciousness of illustrators, based on my personal experience studying in art school, I think it’s also a problem with the education system that cultivates illustrators, and that’s the primary reason that motivates me to become an art educator.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I have always been passionate about art from the very beginning. I followed my instinct and love for art when I decided to pursue it as a career. However, as I progressed through my education, I realized that this level of motivation was not enough to support my further exploration in the field. Recently, I found a new goal for myself, which is to become an art educator.

In the movie “Lucy”, a conversation between the protagonist Lucy and the doctor had a significant impact on me. Lucy was lost and confused after she accidentally gained the superpower from a biological substance, she asked the doctor about the essence of life. I can’t recall the exact words the doctor used, but generally, the essence of life is for the knowledge to be passed on. This inspired me in the first place to see how meaningful it could be to enlighten others with knowledge.

My journey in art education began in elementary school with traditional Chinese art education, followed by the British education system during high school, and then to the United States, where I earned my Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. Throughout my experience, I realized that my journey in the art education system was pretty rich. I’ve witnessed the advantages and shortages of many various education systems and I used to be one of their practice object. So I hope my knowledge and experience can make some contribution to the field of education, it is very meaningful and joyful to help others to get enlightened with art.

In 2021, I had the opportunity to teach at an elementary school in Lhasa, Tibet, where I noticed a lack of resources for art education. Nevertheless, the children’s passion for art was very strong. So I gave them a class about the artistic expansion of mindset, their response and acceptance were surprisingly good, and it fueled my confidence to pursue my goal of becoming an art educator.

To equip myself with more comprehensive knowledge and insight in the field of art, I enrolled at the Rhode Island School of Design(RISD) in September of this year to pursue further studies in illustration. In order to become a competent art educator, it is necessary and absolutely important to be a knowledgeable and accomplished artist first.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Illustration differs from pure art in its narrative nature. My strong desire for expression led me to become an illustrator. For me, the most rewarding thing about being an illustrator is when the audience understands and connects with the content, emotion, or thought I aim to express. Though I was equipped with fairly strong productive skills, I used to doubt my ability to do emotive arts but during the creation of my illustration series “She”, I finally found a way to put emotions into my work. The “She” series is basically about the progression of female consciousness throughout Chinese history with each piece depicting a cultural phenomenon. I empathized and resonated with the characters which helped to put emotions into my work. During the creation of the series, I referenced many relevant sources and images. The grief, helplessness, and courage of our mothers supported me spiritually, and I even teared up a few times during the creation.

To celebrate International Women’s Day this year, I launched a campaign to send free postcards featuring the “She” illustration series to women all over the world. I made over a hundred sets of postcards and sent them out without any charges. The original purpose of the campaign was to honor women and their stories, but I was surprised by the number of letters I received in return. The replies from the recipients made me realize the power of visual communication. They got the emotions I put into my work and felt encouraged, it gave me a sense of achievement much more than ever.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.gnorux.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gnorux/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gnorux/