Meet Decue Wu

We were lucky to catch up with Decue Wu recently and have shared our conversation below.

Decue, thank you so much for joining us. You are such a positive person and it’s something we really admire and so we wanted to start by asking you where you think your optimism comes from?

In my 10-year+ illustration career, I’ve experienced both highs and lows, including creative blocks. As an illustrator, the absence of work and client commissions can be painful. Even when working daily on sketches, there are moments of inspiration drought and difficulty starting. Especially after graduating from graduate school, the lack of client commissions often left me feeling lost. However, I gradually found ways to pass the time and improve myself by learning different techniques, studying works of excellent illustrators, and drawing inspiration from my surroundings and daily life experiences. This led to a series of personal works featuring my cat, my passion towards to fashion and the living environment in Los Angeles. Surprisingly, these personal works brought many job opportunities, prompting me to maintain a positive outlook to balance creative droughts and busy work periods.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I’m a professional illustrator and art director currently living and working in Los Angeles. During weekdays, I work full-time as an art director at a tech company, overseeing various aspects of product visuals, ranging from designing visual systems to art directing icons, illustrations, branding, and more. On weekends or in my spare time, I take on freelance projects and occasionally work on personal pieces. The latest exciting news is that I welcomed my daughter Yunni in February this year, and I’m looking forward to incorporating her into my creative work soon. Another exciting project I’ll be sharing in June is a series of large-scale fitness mannequin sculptures I designed for a gym in Shanghai. I can’t wait to see the final results of the installations!

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

In my career, three key qualities have profoundly influenced my success: time management skills, patience, and initiative. Time management is crucial not only for illustrators but also for freelancers. Cultivating good client relationships, meeting deadlines, and balancing multiple roles require effective time management to maintain a stable workflow. Patience is essential, especially during creative blocks and slow periods. It’s important to remain patient and use these times to improve one’s skills or simply relax and rejuvenate away from work. Lastly, initiative has been crucial in my career. Most opportunities have come from actively seeking them out. As an illustrator, staying informed about market trends, client needs, and building a strong network with peers requires proactive effort and investment, which in turn creates a supportive environment for professional growth.

Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?

At the moment, my most desired collaboration or type of work is mural painting. This is a creative category I haven’t yet explored but am extremely interested in. When I mention murals, I envision either creating a piece of artwork and having it printed and installed on a wall or billboard, or physically painting the mural by hand directly onto a wall. It’s such an exciting way to create! Potential clients for mural projects could include restaurants, boutique shops, cafes, Warby Parker eyewear stores for interior decor, commercial establishments, and more.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://decuewu.com/
• Instagram: @decue_wu
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/diyou-wu/

Image Credits

Decue Wu aka Diyou Wu