Meet Changyu Zou | Illustrator

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

Hi Changyu, where are your from? We’d love to hear about how your background has played a role in who you are today?
I am from China and my parents made me take painting and piano lessons when I was young, which influenced my choice of career later on. I grew up as an introvert, and I think painting and music allow me to immerse myself in my own world. So when I grew up and chose a career, I thought being an illustrator would be a good choice.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
A lot of my illustration work is inspired by words. I especially like poetry, which uses the most beautiful words to express what’s most real in the poet’s heart. Although these words sometimes are very abstract and not easy to understand, they can give me unlimited imagination. I like to convert my feelings about words into images. I believe that visual language and text have been influencing and blending with each other, so I try to use visual art to express and describe words. I’ve been learning to draw since I was a kid, and I don’t think it’s easy to do. I think the hardest thing is to develop my own artistic style in the process of learning. I think persistent practice and persistent thinking is something I have learned in the past few years, and I can gradually develop my own artistic style through continuous practice.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I live in Savannah now, and if my best friend were to come to visit I would show her around downtown. Because I think Savannah’s architecture is very unique and historical, there are many beautiful buildings and fountains downtown that I would like to show my friend around first. Then I would take her on a tour of the Savannah College of Art and Design campus. I studied here, and our school buildings walk all over Savannah and maintain their own character for each major. And many of the buildings are filled with student artwork, like an art gallery, which I think is a valuable place to visit.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I feel that what I have achieved today would not have been possible without the help of my parents. So here I would like to shoutout to my parents. A lot of my inspiration for painting now has to do with books, which is closely related to the habits I grew up with. My family loved to buy me books from a young age, I have found that words are powerful, and I enjoy the endless thinking and imagination that words bring me. So I’m grateful to my parents for keeping me in the habit of reading from a young age.

Website: https://changyuzou.com/

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

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/changyu-zou-490bb5251/