We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Tianyi Xie. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Tianyi below.
Tianyi, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s the kindest thing anyone has ever done for you?
I remember sitting on the balcony with a friend when it was already late afternoon. I watched the pink afterglow fade to a dark purple. The only sound in my ears was the wind and the rattling of the leaves. We just sat there in silence as I was going through a very difficult time. I just felt so tired. We just sat there until the evening, watching the stars. I don’t know why, but this scene has always been there in my mind. It reminded me of many, many things. I think that although human life is painful, there is no shortage of goodness surrounding us like the stars as long as we live. And just because living itself is painful, these kindnesses are precious. I am grateful for the company of friends. It is a blessing that we can spend time together without words.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I am an illustrator, concept designer. My job is to create visual concepts for projects or products. For example I create a cover for a book, or an illustration. I use my brush to transform fantasy into visible reality. Through my illustrations I make the reader feel the atmosphere, the scene, the spirit. And as a concept artist. I also create character images, environments and prop designs for games or animation. Providing the right image for the project. The reason I got into this industry is simple and cheesy, just because I like to draw and I share it with everyone. I want to be able to draw for myself and make myself happy, that’s all. It is also because of this that when I work for my clients I want to be able to work through all the problems and requests while striving for the perfect result. In my work, I like designs that have a sense of “space” and storytelling. I want the reader to have room to imagine the derivation through this work.
Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?
I think reading helps me to create my art. Books not only solve puzzles, but also broaden the horizon. I like to read mystery novels and some documentary literature. The reason is that there are many great works of speculative fiction that explore human nature and have great storytelling. They all provide me with a lot of inspiration for my artwork. I think my current painting style has been largely shaped by these excellent texts. It also makes me marvel at the interconnectedness of art.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.
I think it’s really quite common for this kind of experience to be difficult to understand. But it’s not anybody’s fault. Because everyone leads a different life and naturally has a different perspective. They may if I start demanding that everyone understand the choices I make, I lose myself. My mother, for one, doesn’t fully understand me. Even though she always supported me to do what I wanted to do. But we often had different ideas about my thoughts and choices. This is bound to bring conflict. But there are always good and bad things, and there are always people who don’t understand, and there are always people who do. So I think peace of mind and faith is a very important thing. If you are going through these difficult things right now, don’t give up your persistence. Do what you want to do. Maybe what you are doing now is not what you want to do, but who can stop your passion?
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.tianyixiestudio.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tianyixie8/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tianyi-xie-42657a21a/
Image Credits
Tianyi Xie