Meet Linzi Chen

We were lucky to catch up with Linzi Chen recently and have shared our conversation below.

Linzi, appreciate you making time for us and sharing your wisdom with the community. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others overcame obstacles can be helpful. One of those struggles is keeping creativity alive despite all the stresses, challenges and problems we might be dealing with. How do you keep your creativity alive?

For me, the root of my creativity is my love for painting. In your observation and exploration of life, you must have eyes to discover beauty and details and maintain curiosity and sensitivity to the world around you. I usually carry a small sketchbook with me to record the pictures you are interested in and also to record the sudden ideas that flash in my brain, which may be the inspiration for my next painting. Of course, inspiration is diverse, music, travel, news, etc. in life can all be the source of inspiration.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I am an illustrator and fashion designer from China, currently living in New York. I studied fashion design for my undergraduate and master’s degrees, and this year I graduated from the MFA program in illustration at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York.

I love fashion and observing people, objects, time, and space. As images are being formed with emotions in my mind, I let them flow out naturally onto the paper. Realism is my main style, and I mostly use watercolor and digital to create my fashion world. My art and fashion work are more than just mere clothing. As I embark on my creative journey, I aspire to express the emotions and thoughts from my inner world through the lens of fashion and my creativity.

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?

The most recent thing that influenced me was the choice of painting medium for my graduation work.

For me, I prefer traditional media materials to digital painting, but I have to admit that digital painting is more convenient and faster. So I tried the new painting software Rebelle and the final work effect not only retained the texture of traditional watercolor paint but also retained the convenience of digital painting. This experience of trying new technologies and tools is very important to me, and I found tools that are more suitable for my creation. I think that being brave to understand and try new media will bring different surprises.

In addition, based on my past experiences, I think being brave is very important. Be brave to change majors, be brave to try new painting styles, be brave to try all kinds of things you like, be brave to express your ideas, and so on.

What’s been one of your main areas of growth this year?

I graduated in May this year, and my graduation work was completed. I spent a year creating this work. In the beginning, I didn’t think it would have any impact on me in the future. I just wanted to do my best to complete this work, and it was a summary of my three years as a graduate student. But when I was halfway through, I felt that this work was just the beginning of my future creation. The more you paint, the more ideas you will have. Through the constant overthrow and reconstruction in this process, I also have a preliminary plan for my future creation. I think the graduation work is not an end, but a beginning.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.linzichen.art
• Instagram: linnzi_chen