We were lucky to catch up with Zehui Zhang recently and have shared our conversation below.
Zehui, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.
I think a lot of creators begin their interests by drawing on the walls. My parents still occasionally tell me that the strange figures and shapes I drew confused them for a long time. Art has always been my main hobby. I spent almost all of my break time drawing and reading comics, but I hardly ever thought about becoming an illustrator. My father had a very clear plan for my college and career. He expected me to become a highly educated psychologist or engineer. Even though I wasn’t particularly interested in either of those careers, I didn’t object. I feel incredible now recalling these experiences. I am grateful to my art teacher. He constantly reminds me that I need to know what I want. I love art and I believe that love allows me to do my best work. Therefore, I decided that I wanted to apply to art school, even though the application deadline was only six months away. I browsed through a lot of art school websites and social media, which post some of their students’ works. I thought the level of my work at the time was almost good enough for admission. After my parents agreed, I decisively changed almost all of my applications.
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?
I’m Lan, a senior at School of Visual Arts. Influenced by Renaissance and contemporary illustrators, my work is dominated by delicate lines and fantasy themes. I try to use these to shape a sophisticated, streamlined space with a unique atmosphere. Subtle moods and fluid compositions always inspire me. These qualities make me specialize in book illustrations and children’s illustrations. As an illustrator who loves traditional media, I enjoy handcrafting a variety of book samples. This allows the client to visually see my ideas and designs. At the same time, we can efficiently communicate our feelings and make suggestions.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
This question has been mentioned often since the birth of AI. What is the value of the artist compared to the fast progressing AI. AI tries to build complex, perfect images. It uses exact composition, light and shadow to complete the expression of art. However, perfection should not be the pursuit of artists. As mentioned in “ION” and “PHAEDRUS”, inspiration is necessary in art. It is a magical thing that can make people empathize. A work of art should express ideas or ask questions. Emotions, questions and ideas are precious. For me, it is important to cater to the needs of the market, but the soul that inspiration brings to the work is also essential.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
In the beginning, I created my art with the intention of recording something figurative such as some landscapes, favorite animals or delicious food. It’s like some people like to keep a diary every day. As I grew up, my works became associated with many desires. Some of them may still be about real things, but they are more abstract concepts. I feel and explore the pattern of things, like the rhythm of lines and the development of society. Letting each artwork record the junction of reality and fantasy is my current creative purpose.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://zzhang63.wixsite.com/my-site-4
- Instagram: itslan2002
- Linkedin: [email protected]