We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Yifan Wu a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Yifan, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you recount a story of an unexpected problem you’ve faced along the way?

Here are several most unexpected problems I’ve encountered and I wish people could talk about them more.

1. Work-life balance

I’ve never had work coming at me at an even pace. Somehow it is always either a wave of commissions flooding over me or an eerily quiet inbox persists for weeks or even months.

In the former situation, I used to be torn between the choices of either crunching on commissions that couldn’t fit into my schedule or rejecting clients and risking them not coming back. After a few times of getting a fluttering heart rate and shortness of breath in late-night deadline crunches, I decided it was either dying a little inside or actually dying. It was not easy (and hasn’t gotten easier now). Some clients did not return after I had to decline their projects that didn’t fit into my schedule. The first time turning down an assignment felt terrifying (also the first time I requested a price raise), but deep down I knew it was the right choice. I strive to be efficient and communicative, but I can’t make my career by crunching, or by sacrificing my work quality for quantity.

During the quieter period, anxiety used to set in. But after living through a few cycles of “full workload – little workload”, I’ve learned to embrace the natural ebb and flow of work. Work will return. Now is the perfect time for personal projects, whether related to illustration or not.

2. Working alone

Being a freelance illustrator means spending a significant amount of time alone – while I deeply appreciate this, it can also feel isolating sometimes. Currently, I’m based in an area with few illustrator peers. And I often find myself missing the vibrant artists’ community I had taken for granted in grad school. I think it is beneficial to live in a place where offline meetings and hangouts often happen. It gives you more insight into navigating and thriving in the industry and a space to discuss challenges and frustrations coming along with your career.

3. Fatigue in a career that I love

I never thought fatigue was something I would encounter – I love doing illustrations! But there are times I feel unmotivated to draw anything. It’s not only the irregular workflow that contributes to this weariness, it could also mean that I have not created something I genuinely enjoy for a long time.

As a freelance illustrator, the reality is that I don’t always get to illustrate what I love in the style I prefer. Grinding long hours on projects that lack personal connection dims the little flame of inspiration that only visits in idle moments. I remind myself that if I want to create art for a lifetime, I need to have a healthy relationship with work.

4. Believe in your voice

Compared to design, Illustration is a fiercely competitive field. There are just so many talented illustrators! Knowing that art directors face an immense pool of talent, I often feel very grateful to be considered and trusted for commissions.

That being said, I don’t think it’s a zero-sum game among illustrators. Every illustrator can have a unique voice, stylistically and intellectually. This is why I think even though competition exists, the successes of some illustrators should not diminish opportunities for others. There are visions only you can bring to life, visions those who have already established themselves could not.

Sometimes people who wish to enter the industry ask me for advice. I always think following the trend is a bad idea. Even if you can make money with it for now, it won’t do you good in the long run. You already have your unique style. But you need to do a lot of work to discover it.

Reflecting on my journey, I started with limited illustration skills five years ago, learning and evolving along the way. While I always think I can do more personal work, I am much happier with my work than before. That is what matters most in the end. I spend so much time working, it should be something that I enjoy doing and am proud of. It also helps me get commissions I enjoy to work on.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Hi, my name is Yifan, a freelance illustrator based in the US. I love making highly conceptual illustrations as much as making beautiful work.

I got into this industry by doing editorial illustrations. It all started by sending cold emails to art directors at magazines and newspapers. It wasn’t easy for a new graduate to get editorial commissions. Because I didn’t get to learn many technical illustration skills in grad school (it was more about exploring different forms and media for storytelling), I had to hone my skills, producing decent enough illustration work from a portfolio dominated by immature student work. I was a penniless, kinless foreign post-graduate. It was kinda audacious to teach myself illustration while trying to make a freelance living from it, all while navigating life in the expensive New York City.

I was fortunate enough to be commissioned by art directors first from the Wall Street Journal, then from the Real Deal, The New Yorker, The New York Times, etc. The satisfaction of being able to come up with a smart elegant solution to a complex concept is the most rewarding part about editorial. But it’s impossible to survive solely on that. So I also worked with studios and agencies on design projects for various brands. Sometimes I would work for clients directly on building their brand visual identity. Last year it was my first time working on a picture book.

I think what sets me apart from others is two things. One thing is that I try to be highly conceptual and keep a distinctive aesthetic at the same time. It’s pretty common for highly conceptual editorial pieces to adopt a typical look, characterized by simple, clean, flat graphics — a method suited to tight deadlines and low budgets. While I appreciate the effectiveness that kind of visual conveys, I aim to push the boundaries by delivering work that not only upholds a strong and clear message to the context but also possesses a certain quality, carving its own path in visual representation.

Another thing is that I have several visual styles. I don’t think having a diverse range of styles is necessary. If you showcase too many styles on your website, you risk confusing the viewers. Most people only remember one style about you. But from a designer’s point of view, this diversity proves to be useful. It enables me to solve different problems for different clients. It also contributed a lot to my revenue when my signature style had not fully formed and was not strong enough to support me.

While I try to be visually consistent when promoting my work, I don’t limit myself from exploring new things that I never show publicly. I have a lot of fun making gifs. Some are just black and white, with simple shaky lines, playful, and unrefined, which is very different from the work I show to my clients. They are not great for monetization but just fun to make. I always have a soft spot for “uncompleted” personal work that exudes a vibe of “who cares”. Sometimes I do fantasize about using a pseudonym to begin an artistic career on a different path. I hope to lean towards this voice more in the future.

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

IIllustration is a vastly underappreciated field. The power of brilliant illustrations is overlooked. I can’t tell you how many times I have seen brands who are clearly not short of budget opt for generic, cookie-cutter illustration designs, or use designs that seem to be emulating someone’s style. It is frustrating because you know some starving, talented artists could have done it much more brilliantly. There is also a huge disconnect. Big companies are investing billions of dollars to develop features that nobody needs, all while the compensation for their visual artists remains disproportionately low.

In short for companies: Hire human artists. Trust illustrators and let us be creative. Embrace originality – don’t ask your in-house designers to copy an illustrator’s style. And pay us well, because illustration plays a huge role in helping your brand stand out and elevating your brand identity.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

I highly recommend The Illustration Department Podcast.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.yifanwuart.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yifanwuart/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yifan-wu-159a46157/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/yifanwuart