We recently connected with Winnie Liu and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Winnie, thanks for joining us today. Can you take us back in time to the first dollar you earned as a creative – how did it happen? What’s the story?

The first dollar I ever earned from my work was at an art market during college! I attended my first anime convention as a freshman in high school; seeing the endless rows of booths filled with original and fan art creations filled me with awe. I didn’t know until that point that it was even possible for artists to make a living selling things like stickers, bags, and keychains. It opened a completely new and unspeakably exciting perspective for me. I vowed to table at an artist alley at the earliest chance I could. When I was a sophomore in college, I came across applications for a local art market in my hometown, and immediately jumped at the opportunity. It was a very small, free-to-attend event; the applications weren’t even juried, they were first-come-first serve. That preceding summer, I worked late every night after my internship moulding polymer clay into pins, cutting stickers, and stitching zines. When I sold my first item at the market, I was absolutely elated. There was hardly a better feeling than someone wanting to own my art because it brought them joy. I’m so grateful for my first art market experience; I had an amazing time and it solidified my dream to continue selling my work at artist alleys.

Winnie, 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?

Hi, I’m Winnie, an LGBTQ+ Chinese-American illustrator, designer, and lover of the color pink! Whimsey is my middle name—I always try to inject some fun in my work because I don’t believe that growing up means one has to outgrow cute things. I’ve wanted to be an artist for as long as I can remember and after graduating from the Pratt Institute in 2020 with a degree in Communications Design and Illustration, I started my creative career in New York City. Most days, I’m designing books at Ulysses Press, an independent publisher that focuses on highly targeted niche groups that aren’t being offered the books they want by the big corporate-owned publishing houses. I love working on titles with a self-help or pop culture focus, such as mental health workbooks and anime cookbooks. Through Ulysses Press, I am also a published author! My book “Moshi Moshi: A Travelogue” is an illustrated travel diary about my travels in Japan when I studied abroad there during college. When I’m not working on books, you may know me online as the artist “Winnie is Pink”. I adore creating physical products with my art that can bring a little joy to people’s everyday life, such as stickers, tote bags, mousepads, mirrors, and jewelry. I run an online store as well as table at various artist alleys to sell my merchandise. I think what really sets me apart is my expansive skill set. Besides book and graphic design, which are the focuses at my day job, I also illustrate, hand letter, and do all the tasks needed to run a product-based small business, such as manage social media, photograph merchandise, maintain an online store, budget expenses, coordinate with manufacturers, and more. As a freelance artist, I’ve been lucky to do some incredibly varied work for clients, such as illustrating for physical products, animating motion graphics and gifs, and organizing/designing interior spaces. If you love adorable goods in the vein of Sanrio and anything kawaii, please check out my brand “Winnie is Pink” on Instagram or Twitter. You can buy my products on my Etsy store or at in-person events in the northeast US (check my socials for announcements). And if you need illustration or design work, I’m always open for freelance opportunities as well!

Have you ever had to pivot?

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

Expressing myself through art comes in countless forms, and I value all of them. I love making cute things because they make me happy, and if sharing that joy with others also inspires some happiness in them, that’s even better. I love being deeply absorbed in an idea, and after lots of hard work, having that passion be immortalized in something that can be seen or held such as a painting or book. I love paying homage to media that have inspired or left a meaningful impression me through fan art. I love helping clients problem solve with my creative skillset and point of view. I love being able use my abilities in positive ways, such as donating a portion of profits from my business to charity, or creating a piece of art as a gift for someone. All of these moments are extremely rewarding and fuel my passion to keep creating!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://winnieispink.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/winnieispink/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/winnieispink/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/winnieispink