We recently connected with Yichun Xie and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Yichun, thanks for joining us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

When I was about six or seven, I was reading a magazine and saw an illustration in it. At that time, I sensed the beauty directly from the picture, which was so shocking that I immediately wanted to draw something beautiful by myself. Later on, I found that I could experience pleasure and satisfaction in the process of doodling, just like the Creator who could express himself freely in his universe. I also realized that I was better at drawing than many of my peers, which gave me great confidence. When I was in high school, I began to seriously consider my future career path and started to think about which college and major to pursue. Although my parents had different opinions about it at the time, I still chose my passion, drawing, because I believed it was closely related to my future career, and I wanted to do what I loved and was good at, which would make me happier, more motivated, and have more possibilities.

Yichun, 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?

Hi! :) I’m an illustrator and album designer. I’m accustomed to drawing with digital tools and also love creating handmade crafts. I like finding inspiration in music, literature, and movies, and visualizing what I see, and how I feel about them. My work has atmosphere and emotion, dreamful characters, metaphors, and hidden storylines.

Some of my projects are illustrations of my favorite literary works, following the development of the storyline and my understanding of the characters to create images, and some of my works are composed through the tunes and lyrics of music. I can feel the warm or cold emotions from the music, feel the happy or sad protagonist, and then I translate the emotions I perceive into colors and concrete images.

And in my more personal original works, there is always an unreachable image in my work, just like a star, which can be understood as an impossible ideal or an unreachable lover, “The pursuit of the unattainable” is the core of a large part of my original works so far, which I think is closely related to my personal life. I use drawing to conduct self-dialogue and emotional digestion. Some feelings are so subtle that it is difficult to clarify them with words, so I prefer to capture them in the form of drawings, which is interesting even if they are interpreted differently by others. At the same time, in the process of my creation over the years, I have realized that the content I express is silently evolving along with my experience, just like a river. My creation’s theme is gradually gaining new thoughts and themes as my experience grows.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I love literature and music. For me, they are not only for entertainment, but sometimes they can guide me or even save me. In many cases, the inspiration and guidance I get from books and music help me establish the direction of my life, as well as support my spirit when I am lost. Collaborating with a musician or author I love has always been a vital component of my creative goals. I’m happy that last year I got to work with a band I really like, and I designed their vinyl. It’s a rare moment in my career when I could cooperate with artists I admire and create beautiful works together by giving full play to our abilities.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Self-expression and empathy with the audience are the most rewarding aspects for me. The former is the thrill and meaning of the creation, while the latter makes me feel that I am not alone. When my graduation project was exhibited, I placed a notebook next to my work for the audience to leave a message. I found it rare and precious to see messages from strangers I had never met, sharing intimate emotions and stories and heartfelt feelings. Meanwhile, in my daily life, when I am a reader and viewer, I feel very moved when I see works that resonate with me. It feels like our spirits meet across the limits of time and space. So I value this communication between the artists and the audience, and it makes me feel highly rewarded.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.xieyichun.com/
• Instagram: @yichun_xie_