We’re looking forward to introducing you to Sheila Zhang. Check out our conversation below.
Good morning Sheila, it’s such a great way to kick off the day – I think our readers will love hearing your stories, experiences and about how you think about life and work. Let’s jump right in? What are you being called to do now, that you may have been afraid of before?
It was probably for an important project.
Last year, I had the honor of being invited by New Weekly to create a cover illustration for their magazine. I had never worked for such a well-known magazine like New Weekly before. But once I actually started working on it, I was surprised to find that I wasn’t nervous as I expected myself to be at all. Maybe it’s because big magazines usually have very tight deadlines, so I just thought, as long as I can finish it, that’s good enough, there’s no time for perfectionism. Compared to when I work on my personal projects, where I often procrastinate, drawing for an important project like this no longer makes me nervous. Doing my best with what I can and completing the project—that’s already the best I can do.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
When I started creating an artwork, I always asking myself what kind of emotions I want to bring and share to the audiences and myself through the work. My goal is to make illustrations that people can resonate with or brighten their mood. Therefore I focus on using bright, cheerful colours, lively characters to achieve the playful, childlike vibe in my work.
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What breaks the bonds between people—and what restores them?
This is a question that still troubles me on nowadays, but I think I’ve found an answer that convincing enough for me — what breaks the bonds between people is the lack of trust, and what restores them is communication and empathy.
The conflicts can be always resolved through a polite and rational conversation, but people are always having a hard time to proceed it. When the communication is absent, people begin to doubt each others and even surmise the worst possible thing about what the others might think.
That’s why I believe if we can approach each other with a sincer heard and an open mind, the connections between us will become much deeper.
What fear has held you back the most in your life?
The fear of being a failure.
This is somthing that still troubles me — I’m deeplu afraid of failing, or I rather not do anything if I can’t do it perfectly.
The more we fear of being a failure, the more likely we are going to fail. Because we are doing nothing to avoid to fail, but at the same time this take us away from the success too.
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. What’s a belief you used to hold tightly but now think was naive or wrong?
If we’re talking about Illustration, then I’d say it was my old belief that I insisted not to use any “fancy” brushes. I only sticked with the default brushes to train myself not to relied on the texture effects that the special brushes could create, because it made me feel it was “cheating”.
Of course, now I realised how ridiculously wrong I was. Now I totally enjoy using all kinds of textured brushes to add more fun in my creative process.
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. When do you feel most at peace?
Life drawing in public—especially on trains if I manage to get a seat! On trains, people are usually minding their own business and don’t even notice me staring at them like a weirdo. Ideally though, sketching in a park on a busy weekend feels both peaceful and exciting. People are more active there, and the interactions between them are so much fun for me to capture.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://renkonart.portfolio.site/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/renkon1118
Image Credits
Sheila Zhang
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
