Meet Lisk Feng

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Lisk Feng. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Lisk below.

Lisk, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?

During my teenage years, I wanted to become an illustrator. I was deeply passionate about learning various techniques. I was so dedicated that even while showering, I would think about how to create a water reflection in Photoshop. As a high school student, I focused on improving my digital illustrations. After high school, I pursued illustration in college and began to dream of creating my first book. I received commissions during college and felt that this was my true purpose. I worked extremely hard to achieve my goals.

However, I experienced burnout for the first time.

I moved to the US and started as an MFA student. A short-term solution for my burnout was to change my environment completely. I began to feel slightly better, but my goal of drawing was still to get more jobs and become a freelance illustrator. I wanted to be in New York and start doing what I love. This motivated me to work harder after finishing school until I experienced burnout again after three years.

I began confronting the real problem at the heart of my drawing efforts. What is my purpose in continuing to create illustrations? What do I genuinely love to draw? Why do I want to pursue this for the rest of my life? Do I genuinely enjoy drawing, or am I motivated by the desire for fame, money, and attention?

I looked back and noticed many natural elements: light, shadows, trees, oceans, waves, insects, etc. All my metaphors for editorial illustrations were somehow related to Mother Nature. I started to love plants, go to the beach and lakes, admire the lights flickering on the water, feel the breeze, and smell the dirt before the storm. I finally slow down and think about my momenten of my creative life. I feel utterly happy when I paint nature. And I have no plan to stop anytime soon.

I started to create nature-related nonfiction children’s books. I dreamed of drawing Snow Mountain and Corral Reef. There, I have Everest and The Great Barrier Reef; I dreamed of drawing shadows and lights, and There Was a Shadow was born. My feelings towards the world and my work changed. I took my time and developed longer projects and have enjoyed creating them since then. Sometimes, I looked in the mirror; I saw my facial expression loose. When I need a cure, there is always one.

I want to do more books that speak from my deep within. And there is still a lifetime left to chase this purpose.
I am finally happy that I am lucky to be an illustrator.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

Lisk Feng is an award-winning illustrator who was initially from China and is now a freelance illustrator in New York. She graduated with an MFA in Illustration Practice from Maryland Institute College of Art in 2014, with many publications and advertising projects seen by the world, such as The New Yorker, Apple, Penguin, Airbnb, The New York Times, Chanel, etc. Meanwhile, her illustrations received some awards and recognitions, such as two times Silver Medal from the Society of Illustrators, the Communication Arts Excellence Award, the 3X3 Silver Medal, American Illustration winner, etc. She also published children’s books with Flying Eye Books, Abrams, and Kids Can Press. She was awarded one of the Art Directors Club’s 15 young gun artists among all artists from all fields worldwide in 2017. She was also selected on the Forbes 30 under 30 Art and Style list in 2019, won the Bologna Ragazzi Award with the book Everest in 2019, and the D&AD Silver Pencil Award in 2020. She is the Society of Illustrators 2023’s vice president and now the chair of 2024’s SOI.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

trust, optimism, and awareness.
If you’re stuck, be patient and try to look inside. Sometimes improvement awaits after a long pause.

What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?

I make sure to take short breaks when I start to feel overwhelmed. After Covid, I found myself in a difficult situation. This year, I finally decided to travel to my home country after six years. I also got married in my partner’s city, Guangzhou, and it was an amazing experience. Guangzhou is a tropical city, with wild philodendrons growing on the trees. The gigantic root systems from the big trees cannot hide underneath the earth, so they grow on top of the pavements. Colorful buildings, the best coffee I had in years, best friends coming over to your important days and laughing out loud. I was surrounded by love and beautiful moments. The day I left Guangzhou, I saw huge clouds, almost from animation.
I feel fully charged after the short break and am able to return with many new ideas.

Contact Info:

• Website: [email protected]
• Instagram: @liskfeng