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

Hi Wanru, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
Risk brings changes in my life. To be honest, I wouldn’t say I like changes. However, I have to admit that I can try new things and explore new opportunities by taking risks, which leads to greater rewards.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am a person who loves stories and I always tell stories with my illustrations. Becoming a professional illustrator is not easy, and it always requires a lot of effort to convey the story I want to tell and to create an engaging picture. These challenges can be approached by immersing myself in the story time after time and repeatedly pondering the composition of the picture to get closer to. I worry that my picture expression is sometimes too straightforward and sometimes too obscure, not the most appropriate appearance. But when I look back at my past works, especially one or two years ago, I can see myself at that time through those drawings, which is a very special experience.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Savannah is a popular tourist city with many historical buildings and southern specialty snacks. If I plan a one-week itinerary, I think we can completely go through all the landmark sights here and try all the delicious food

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would like to take this opportunity to thank my roommate Siqi Zhang. During these years of being away from my family and coming to the United States, she has given me much support and encouragement. She is an excellent filmmaker and I enjoy discussing new scripts with her. Her stories always give me a lot of inspiration for my illstrations. In addition, I also want to thank my friend Susie Lu and Leigh Lei. Whenever I encounter a bottleneck and confusion, they always help me get out of it.

Website: https://onerule.myportfolio.com/

Instagram: @wrrrrgong

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wanru-gong-514bb0232/

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