Meet Yiyi Chen | Freelance Illustrator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Yiyi Chen and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Yiyi, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
Keep creating. As a freelance illustrator, it is not easy to get good commissions and the income is very unstable at the beginning of the career. For me, keeping creating my personal illustrations is a good way to maintain my passion for the career and keep my illustrations exposed to potential clients.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Keep drawing and keep creating make my life meaningful and colorful.  If you check out my recent personal work, you will find out I like to depict the unnatural in contemporary life like we live in neat cubes, we work everyday, we worship money. Because these unnatural moments around my life make me feel uncomfortable. So I keep creating those illustrations to express how I feel to shout out that the life we take for granted is unnatural. After I created illustrations as a way to relieve my discomfort, I gained enough motivation and enthusiasm to keep drawing. Moreover, this allows my work to remain unique and genuine, not to be carried away by market fads or negative comments.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Restaurant: Cafe Intermezzo/Dim Sum Heaven/Okiboru Ramen/Jang Su Jang/Sweet Spot/Mamak Hang out: Ponce City Market/Piedmont Park/AMC Phipps Plaza

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My roommate Jun who is also an illustrator always gives me great suggestions for my work. And my professor, Megan gave me great support when I was facing the pressure of graduation. She shared her experience as a freelance illustrator and help me to build up a solid portfolio.

Website: https://www.yiyichenart.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yiyich_chen/

Image Credits
Copyright: Yiyi Chen