Meet Dajia Zhou

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Dajia Zhou. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Dajia , so excited to have you with us today. So much we can chat about, but one of the questions we are most interested in is how you have managed to keep your creativity alive.

I have many ways to keep my creativity alive. For me, drawing every day is a habit that keeps my mind engaged. I love finding inspiration from different places. My illustrations and comics are often sparked by real life. For example, I enjoy socializing and getting new story ideas from conversations with others, which sometimes leads me to create something new based on an existing story. I also like to spend time alone, doing people-watching art for inspiration. Coffee shops, parks, and public libraries are perfect spots for this, where I can sit quietly in a corner and observe. I also get ideas from various forms of media, like watching films and reading books.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

I’m a freelance illustrator and cartoonist, currently working on an illustration series about People-Watching in NYC, which I plan to publish it as a book. For me, New York is a city full of diversity and excitement, a place where so many different lives and stories intersect. Through my eyes and my art, I want to capture the beauty of the city and its people, sharing what I observe in a way that feels both personal and imaginative.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

I think the three qualities that have had the greatest impact on my journey are passion, bravery, and resilience. In a field like art, where uncertainty and unpredictability are part of the creative process, these qualities are crucial. Passion keeps you motivated and curious, bravery helps you take risks and face challenges, and resilience keeps you going when things don’t go your way.
My advice for those just starting out is to cultivate these qualities. Stay passionate about what you’re doing because it will help you get through the tough times. Be willing to take creative risks to bring your work to market. Most importantly, develop resilience – setbacks are inevitable, but it’s how you bounce back that counts.

One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?

I’m a freelance illustrator and cartoonist currently based in Brooklyn, NY. I mainly do illustrations event posters, book covers, and comics, with occasional forays into 2D animation. I’m open to commissions, so if you’re looking for someone to bring your ideas to life through illustration, feel free to check out my Instagram: @zdajiaa for potential collaborations! I’m also happy to connect with illustration or literary agents who might be interested in representing my work.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.dajiazhou.com
• Instagram: zdajiaa

Image Credits

Drawn by Dajia Zhou