We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Dawn Xintong Yang. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Dawn Xintong below.
Dawn Xintong, thank you so much for taking the time to share your lessons learned with us and we’re sure your wisdom will help many. So, one question that comes up often and that we’re hoping you can shed some light on is keeping creativity alive over long stretches – how do you keep your creativity alive?
I believe inspiration and creativity stem from life, as well as continuous practice. Therefore, I often use my sketchbook to document my inspirations and ideas in daily life. I also do a lot of sketching exercises during commuting or leisure time, capturing scenes like subway passengers, coffee shop customers, friends, or colleagues. I find that photography is also a means of preserving creativity.
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?
My name is Xintong Yang. You can just call me Dawn. I originally came from a small city called Zhuhai, in the south of China, near Hong Kong and Macau. In 2018, I went to the Minneapolis College of Art and Design for my Master of Fine Arts Degree. After graduation, I became an illustrator, animator, and art educator based in Brooklyn, NY.
Most of my inspiration comes from my life experience, song lyrics, and books. It is important for me to find balance in life, such as between my logical and emotional sides. Therefore, I like to express this understanding of balance in a lot of my illustrations.
At the beginning of my career after graduation, I struggled to find a job for a long time. Fortunately, François Chaperon, the Creative Director of GQ France at that time, extended an opportunity to me, and that’s when I embarked on my path as a freelance illustrator. The main themes of my commercial illustrations revolve around lifestyle and technology in editorial contexts. Lately, I have also been taking on projects related to advertisements and product illustrations. Now, my clients include the New York Times, Adobe, Garden & Gun Magazine, the Washington Post, V Magazine, etc.
Simultaneously, I continue to work on personal pieces and engage in various artistic experiments, hoping to achieve new breakthroughs.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
As an illustrator, focusing on improving your technical skills by practicing regularly is very important. Daily sketches or drawings are a great way to collect ideas. Hard work is always the key to improvement!
I think being open mind and experimenting with different themes is also a way to stay creative. It will help you step out of your comfort zone and have your unique style.
On the other hand, networking is also very important for being an illustrator. I like to use social media, like Instagram or Behance, to show my works and connect with other illustrators. And I also like to seek feedback from the artists I know.
One last thing: growth takes time. So, let’s enjoy the journey, stay true to your vision, and constantly strive for improvement.
Awesome, really appreciate you opening up with us today and before we close maybe you can share a book recommendation with us. Has there been a book that’s been impactful in your growth and development?
I will pick ” Framed Ink: Drawing and Composition for Visual Storytellers” by Marcos Mateu-Mestre.
This is a fabulous book about the essential skills for storytelling and composition. I used to study in animation major when I was in college. The reason for reading this book is to learn more about making storyboards. What I learned from that book still influences how I create my illustrations.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://dawnyangart.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dawn_xt_yang/?hl=en
- Other: Behance: https://www.behance.net/dawnyang
Image Credits
Personal Photo credit: Ceci Han
