We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Yan Shao. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Yan below.

Yan, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you tell us about an important lesson you learned in school and why that lesson is important to you?

Hi, my name is Yan, and I am currently a second-year student in the illustration practice program at Maryland Institute College of Art. Prior to attending MICA, I earned my undergraduate degree in illustration from the School of Visual Arts in 2022.

My passion for drawing began in elementary school, when I discovered my love for comics and eventually started drawing on my own. From that moment, I knew that drawing would be my lifelong pursuit. The process of translating my imagination or the world around me onto paper is incredibly fulfilling.

When I was in the first year of graduate school, I accidentally broke my right arm. There was a possibility that the surgery could damage the nerves, leading to restricted hand movement. I was so worried that this would affect my studies and my future career as an artist. I had to wait for nearly a month to undergo the surgery, and after the surgery, my arm needed to be immobilized for two weeks, so my joints became very stiff after removing the cast. I couldn’t move as freely as before, and at that point, I realized that the recovery period from the stiffness was even more mentally challenging than the initial pain from the injury. Additionally, the scene of the accident would occasionally flash in my mind. Thankfully, with the encouragement and support of friends, I recovered pretty well. That also made me realize that how much I love illustration, also came to understand that the power of the mind is far stronger than the body.

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.

My undergraduate and graduate majors are both in illustration. I am currently a second-year graduate student, and I will graduate next summer. In addition to illustration, I also work on animations, design, and some 3D modeling in my spare time.

Apart from sketches, most of my artwork is created using digital media. Since last year, I have started to create more handcrafted installations that bring the objects in my artwork to life, such as woodcut, sewing, and ceramics.

Many people say that my artwork gives them a sense of peace and tranquility. My illustrations tend to lean towards lifestyle and are mostly inspired by my own experiences and feelings. More often than not, negative emotions from life inspire me, but I do not express them in a sad or gloomy way. I am skilled in decorative illustration, so I like to express these negative emotions in a beautiful and aesthetically pleasing way.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I believe that, for me, the key to personal growth has been a change in my illustration style. Previously, my style would change depending on the different themes I worked on. However, I later realized that when I put all my artwork together, they didn’t even look like they were created by the same person. Since then, I decided to change my illustration style and try to make all my artwork have a unified style. After finding my own art style,I found that the point is to keep my own art style while showing the theme correctly at the same time, rather than changing different illustration styles based on topics. Everyone’s art style truly reflects their personality, experiences, and stories. I think that in terms of style, exploring your unique way of expression is a crucial aspect of art.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Timely delivery of tasks while ensuring quality, along with effective and timely communication.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.yanshao.org
• Instagram: yanshao_xz
• Other: Wechat: Augxzzz

Image Credits
Yan Shao