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

Xuan, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

One of the things I appreciate most about my parents is they respect my will and give me my own space to explore whatever I want. In the environment I grew up in, most parents let their children do a lot of homework and go to after school, they had very little free time and opportunity to make choices on their own. My parents gave me a lot of freedom to play on my own and hang out with friends, I find out what I like during that period of time. I got a lot of time to work on a painting or play video games, which might seem inappropriate for other parents. When I grew up I wanted to keep pursuing art as a career, they keep supporting me even though my family is not very wealthy. I would thank my parents for letting me make my own choice, with their help, now I’m working on my dream job.

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’m an illustrator based in Brooklyn, NY. I create dreamily, intricate images with mysterious atmospheres. Searching, journey, destinations, and migrant are the subjects often depicted in my work. Insects and cities, nature and space are the elements I frequently use. In order to present a tranquil, restrained emotion, I work on both digital media and traditional media to create images, sometimes I even combine them. For example, I collect textures from monotypes, woodblock print, gouache, and watercolor, and I add more digital layers, this way I generate my unique style. My inspirations are usually from my ordinary life and this chaotic society, the huge contraction sometimes questioning myself about where I’m I and what I’m doing. When I get too confused, I have to keep painting, to create something certain and real for myself. Most of my commercial illustrations are digital work. But I have kept my hand drawing practice, that’s my secret to keep the image vivid and loose. Instead of repeating one style, I am continuing to evolve and develop new ways of painting. With a diverse foundation of visual language, I can always provide the most suitable visual plan for my clients. Now I’m focusing on editorial illustrations, movie posters, picture books, and zines. I also do mural design, tattoo design, and ceramic in my free time. I’m always open to new challenges and opportunities, if you have some cool ideas and want to make it happen, let’s make it happen.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

The biggest struggle that almost every artist experiences is unstable income. It’s hard to cover all the living expenses only by commissions. Not to mention the low budget in many cases. In terms of the illustration industry, many illustrators are underpaid for a long time. I would encourage society to be aware of the living conditions of artists’ communities and how hard it is to keep creating art. Changing the game and raising the revenue levels is not easy, it needs effort from artists, art directors, top editors, and wherever the position you are. I’ve seen many talented artists struggling to keep the balance between making a living and making art. Artists should be united against Irrational offers, and ask for better budgets from ADs, CDs, editors, or whoever is in charge. I long for a society with fewer starving artists.

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

The moment I see my work be released or printed out, I couldn’t feel more accomplished. In recent years I often feel what illustration can do is very limited. It may not be important to others but it’s valuable to me. As a creator, seeing people enjoy my work and generate thought from it or even gain strength is more than enough.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://xuanliu.art/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/xuanillu/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/xuanillu

Image Credits
Xuan Liu