Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Yadi Liu. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Yadi, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

When I was a college student back in China, I always loved art, especially illustration, and have taken on a few small gigs during my college years. But I never had the courage to make a living as an artist. However, after I became a full-time illustrator in a company after graduating, I drew a lot of different styles of illustrations in my work, which made me feel more and more lost. In order to be able to regain my original passion and find my own artistic voice. I decided to come to New York to start exploring my career as an artist.

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?

When I was a sophomore back in China, I shared my work on the Internet. Fortunately, I was discovered by VOGUE editor Chao Haihai who gave me my first illustration project, but I did not continue to persist after that since I thought I am not good enough to make art for a living. But in the later years, I always regretted why I was not braver after the amazing opportunity. So, I came to New York and went to the Fashion Institute of Technology to continue my MFA program. Trying to find my own artistic voice and become a brave person. During my study, I met many outstanding artists and professors in this field who taught me how to become a professional illustrator. After graduating, I send self-introduction emails to art directors. Although many of them did not respond, luckily, I got my first job with Washington Post art director Clare Ramirez (now she worked at Hollywood Reporter).  Then I keep making art and started being noticed by many clients who I never reached out to before. Then it just naturally snowballed into more opportunities.

My job is to provide creative illustrations for different clients, sometimes I am responsible for simple animations as well. And I also exhibit my work in galleries. I think the authenticity of being myself is the key that makes my work unique. Every time I create, there will be a sense of release. The bold and dynamic shapes in my art are the release of my inner freedom naturally. Regarding the commercial project, I enjoy the process of combining my artistic voice with the spirit of the brand, so I have always treated commercial works as my personal projects, cherish every opportunity, and regard every project as a new subject for my art journey.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

When it comes to resilience, I definitely have something to say. When I was in college, I always wanted to go to New York to study art one day, so I started preparing for the English test and portfolio. Because my family cannot afford the high tuition fees, most art schools in the US are private schools. So the best and only public illustration graduate program I can choose is the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT). After graduating with an undergraduate, I applied for FIT for a total of 3 years. Although I was rejected every year, I still worked at my day job and continued to prepare for the application with my salary. I finally got admission with the intention of applying for a lifetime. Then during the 3 years of studying and living in New York, I have been working hard and thrifty. Now I am slowly moving towards the life I once longed for, doing what I love, and I am very grateful to myself for the long persisting.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

I think the biggest mission for me is in my limited journey which I only have once. I am curious about how I can live to the maximum. This is what drives me to keep exploring and moving forward.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.yadiliu.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yadiiart/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yadi-liu-03b370141/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/YadiLiu_art
• Other: Behance: https://www.behance.net/yadiliuart