We were lucky to catch up with Sheya Chen recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Sheya thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

Back in elementary school, I was super into manga magazines and anime. Even then, I thought, “How cool would it be if I could do something like that someday?” When I got to high school, I found out I could actually major in art and go to an art school. That felt like my chance to turn art into a career. From that moment on, I knew this was the path I wanted to take.

Sheya, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’m a freelance illustrator with a BFA from Tsinghua University’s Academy of Fine Arts and an MFA in Illustration as Visual Essay from the School of Visual Arts in New York. Over the years, I’ve worked on projects across games, film and music in China, Japan, Canada, and beyond. I’ve also published my own art collection book, taught on various online art platforms, and held solo exhibitions internationally. Right now, I’m focused on developing a personal animation project.

How did you build your audience on social media?

Honestly, when I first got on social media, I wasn’t even thinking about “building an audience.” I was just excited to see so many artists online and loved checking in every day to see new art, leave comments, and share my own stuff. Being in that creative environment really helped me grow, and over time, people started noticing and liking my work. I was getting comments from some of my favorite artists as well. Now we are good friends.

For anyone just starting out, my advice would be: don’t worry too much about things like “how many followers” or “how many likes” you’re getting. Just focus on sharing your work and connecting with artists you admire. Building an audience takes time, so make sure you’re enjoying the process. If you’re genuine and engaged, the growth and connections will come naturally.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

The most recent pivot for me happened this year. After hitting a lot of career milestones— securing solid assets, working with tons of clients, publishing my own art book, holding exhibitions, teaching online classes, and graduating with my master’s— I started asking myself what I really wanted to do next. I remembered that as a kid, I’d always wanted to create an animated short in my own style, and right now, that feels like the most exciting thing I could do.

So, this year, I decided to turn down all my commercial work and hired professionals in the animation field to help bring this project to life. It’s the first time I’m working as both the organizer and the creator on a long-term project. It’s definitely been an interesting experience.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://sheyachen.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sheya_tin
• Twitter: https://x.com/dingkuang1

Image Credits

1.YesterdayOnceMore-Kite
2.YesterdayOnceMore-Ballon
3.YesterdayOnceMore-Newsstand
4.YesterdayOnceMore-Yard
5.Solo Exhibition_Bloom
6.ArtBook_YesterdayOnceMore
7.ArtBook_TheBlueBoat
8-10. Animation Project_WOLO