We were lucky to catch up with Yiming Liu recently and have shared our conversation below.
Yiming, we’re so excited for our community to get to know you and learn from your journey and the wisdom you’ve acquired over time. Let’s kick things off with a discussion on self-confidence and self-esteem. How did you develop yours?
I think a lot of people who learn to draw lack confidence, and a lot of my friends around me are already very good at it but they still don’t feel confident in themselves.I build confidence in setting and achieving goals，I will set a short term goal for a year and a longer term goal for 3-5 years. working towards achieving goal can boost my confidence as me see myself making progress.It also keeps me motivated and active when I paint and work.
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?
I’m a concept artist and have been in the industry for 5 years , now working for Blizzard Entertainment Overwatch as a character concept artist. I do character legendary skins，mythic skins a， weapon skins，etc .
I find it very interesting that I am doing a job where the task is to visualize abstract concepts in my mind. I am a person who likes and enjoys challenges, and this job is like a jigsaw puzzle, where I get satisfaction and pleasure from putting together the pieces of the puzzle.
I also like to do my own personal work outside of work, a lot of my personal ideas can not be realized in the work, but it is a pity not to do it!
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
The three most important qualities should be passion,dedication and modesty.
While the job is fun, it takes a lot of passion to back it up, and when first embarking on the journey a lot of people tend to stop because they don’t have a job or a follower. With a strong interest, you also need to have dedication, because painting progress is usually very slow, the process is like working out at the gym, sometimes it takes a long time of intense practice to achieve the results you want.As an artist it’s easy to be egotistical, that’s why it’s important to be modest, I think if an artist can be receptive it’s going to make them progress faster.
Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?
Because I’m surrounded by really awesome artists， I often feel overwhelmed by the gap between us, and in those moments I often do two things. Take a Break and Seek Professional Help
I will step away from the source of stress, sometimes few minutes,sometimes few days, can provide much-needed relief.I also highly recommend taking up hobbies and doing something else to regulate when the pressure is too much.
I also turn to my mentor when I just can’t figure out what to do, which solves most of my problems in my field of expertise, If feelings of overwhelm persist or significantly impact my daily functioning, I may seek support from a mental health professional. Therapy or counseling can provide additional coping strategies and support tailored to my individual needs.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.artstation.com/ymliu
- Instagram: ymliuart
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/yiming-liu-610l
