We were lucky to catch up with Tonia Yiu recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Tonia thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

One of the most meaningful projects I worked on was a collaborative design challenge I joined earlier this year. In this challenge, I teamed up with two of my peers to create an online platform within one week. We created a prototype website called Oracle, and its goal is to promote sexual heath and wellness towards all genders. It was the first time I had worked on a group project with a topic that I was truly passionate about. I am so happy that I stepped out of my comfort zone to work on this, because it ended up being such a fulfilling experience. I loved the collaboration process and learned a lot about communicating with people from different creative backgrounds, which are skills that have helped me in a professional setting too. It has also encouraged me to come out of my shell and be more open to trying unexpected things. Overall, it was an unforgettable experience and I am so proud of what my team has accomplished in such a short period of time.

Tonia, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’m an illustrator and motion designer currently based in Savannah, GA. I like to create illustrations and 2D animations that explores heartwarming narratives, endearing characters, and vibrant designs. I am often inspired by nature, animals, and my childhood experiences growing up in Hong Kong. My passion for visual storytelling comes from reading picture books as a kid. It has led me to pursue my degree in Illustration, focusing on children’s publishing and editorial. This past year, I have started learning motion design and discovered my interest for creating animations in After Effects. Having the skills of illustration and motion design not only helped further develop my visual style, but also opened up more career opportunities. But no matter what type of work I am creating, I always try to bring in compelling storytelling elements that can connect with the audience.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

There are so many online resources and inspiring content for creatives that I wasn’t aware of when I started my studies in art school. Some of the educational platforms include School of Motion, Schoolism, Proko, and School of Visual Storytelling. Other than that, also, artists and designers like Anoosha Syed, Michelle Lam, Bobby Chiu, Ben Marriott and Jake Bartlett put out amazing content for free that not only have helped with my technical skills, but are also inspiring and encouraging. Aside from that, one of the things I wish I had done is to be more willing to try out different creative outlets when I still had the resources in art school, instead of being too tunnel-visioned into just illustration. Experimenting with different things would definitely help gain more understanding into myself and develop a career path that’s best for me.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

I always hoped to have a business of my own. I really look up to entrepreneur artists who formed their own businesses selling their illustrations as different types of products, like prints, toys, and clothing. It amazes me how they are able to build their own audience that would be willing to support them. Another long-term goal of mine would be to write and illustrate my own picture book. Reading children’s books was one of the main reasons that inspired me to pursue an artistic career, so it would be incredible if I could have the opportunity to create my own.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.toniayiu.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/tunni.art/
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/tonia-yiu-tn/