Meet visual artist and illustrator from Taiwan, Miss Cyndi.

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I grew up in a small family without siblings or cousins to play with. Both of my parents were very busy at that time, and my mother used to give me a box of color pencil and a small stack of paper whenever she had to do the housework. So, it is fair to say that drawing and painting played an essential role in my childhood, and even becomes part of me as I grew up.

For the obvious reason, I chose to study art & design in college, and decide to begin my career as an artist or a designer after graduation ever since. For years, I have realized that the more I dig into the world of arts & design, the more enthusiastic I am about drawing, painting, and illustrations.

As a self-employed artist, I see myself as a creative perfectionist. I like to explore different things in daily life, turn my observation into inspiration, and embody them through illustrations. Most of my material for creating come from my deep thoughts or soul-searching, such as the interaction between couples, family, friend and all the things that you can think of happening in daily lives. I never feel tired while drawing because that’s the way I express myself and the things in my head. So, think of my illustrations as a kaleidoscope, peek inside and you can see many facets of me and my little world.

Describe the city you’re living in and what it’s like to live there.

Most stereotypes will think there is nothing of any interest at all to see or do in Taoyuan. Maybe It’s a place that is cold and windy in the winter. Maybe you couldn’t find any nightlife or fun here. But there are plenty of malls or department stores which are approachable. There are many things you can do there on weekends. Taoyuan has many fantastic fruit markets with great selection and good prices. The place isn’t quite as crowded in terms of traffic. There are also some nice parks in Taoyuan. If you’re into sports and outdoors stuff, it’s a decent place.

What’s more, Taoyuan City has been Taiwan’s fastest growing county for almost a decade now. It seems to be getting better. In my opinion, this is a splendid place to come and relocate to.

Taoyuan City has been Taiwan’s fastest growing county for almost a decade now. It seems to be getting better. In my opinion, this is a splendid place to come and relocate to.

What is the best and worst thing about living in your city?

The best thing in Taoyuan is that you can either get a bigger place for the same rent or a cheaper place comparing to Taipei. Unfortunately, Taoyuan doesn’t have many art exhibitions or museums. However, bus shuttling between Taoyuan and Taipei are plenty, so it’s still possible to reach the exhibition held in Taipei without too much trouble.

Give us 3 words that describe what it’s like to be a creative in your city.

Leisurely, independent, solid

How did you start your career in art?

In the beginning, most of my works are digital art and graphic design. Such as advertisement design, CIS design, poster design, book cover design, web design, and so on. I’ve been working as an intern in a publishing house of culture and education for 2 years. When I was in college, at that time, I got a better understanding of the process of publication. After graduation, I worked in a news media for 1 year, my duty is to design banners and poster for the website. Salary of web designer was fine in Taiwan, But I find myself stuck in a rut.

During those years, I realize that I like to discover new things, explore new territory and I’m really interested in art. Most of the art and design skills as I learned from books and the internet by myself.  So there’s no limits or boundaries on my way to pursue my passion for arts and design.

Later, I was admitted to art graduate school, it’s also the time I truly got a better understanding of illustrations, and start the self-employed life. I practiced and practiced so as to perfect my skill of hand-painting and try to find out the “true me” in the world of illustrations. Compared with computer graphics, I prefer creating my works physically. Though computers improve my efficiency in production, the texture and tone of paint can bring to the artworks is still irreplaceable. So now I’ve been practicing to combine the advantage of these two skills not only to improve efficiency but also to preserve the character of my works.

I practiced and practiced so as to perfect my skill of hand-painting and try to find out the “true me” in the world of illustrations.

Were the people around you supportive of your decision on working as a creative?

I respect all the opinions people are giving me about my work and sometimes you can really learn from their suggestions or get inspired. That being said, each of my inspiration has a place in my heart more or less, be it the stories told by friends or lovers, vague memories, life experiences of my own, can give me an epiphany every now and then. I think everyone is an independent individual but also needs to support each other, it’s just the way humanism works. And I am really fortunate that my family and friends are really supportive no matter what.

What are some goals and ambitions you have for your future work?

I envision myself having more capacity and capability to broaden my creative horizon like being involved in movies, musicals, dancing performances or even concerts. That would be very exciting if my work could be seen in different medium and platforms.

I envision myself having more capacity and capability to broaden my creative horizon like being involved in movies, musicals, dancing performances or even concerts. That would be very exciting if my work could be seen in different medium and platforms.

If you could collaborate with any person in the world who would it be?

“I’m realizing that when it’s pointed out to me that I’m female, it’s as if I’m marginalized by my very identity.” by Karyn Kusama. She is an American film and television director. I know her because of the all-female horror anthology ‘XX‘ and ‘Destroyer‘. I love watching most of her movies and her idea about the ‘Girlfight’.

How would you describe the women around you?

Women in Asia are often expected to be virtuous and submissive, after marrying, they almost always take the domestic chores. My mom is no different. She was at home with me until I’m 12 and I’ve seen her taking care of our family, do most of the chores just not get a chance to pursue her career other and then being a good housewife.

When I was a child, I wish I will never be my mother when I grow up. Now that I’m 30+, a lot of my friends become mothers. I understand how hard it is to raise a kid, go to work, and also need to do the housework, and it takes enormous mental, physical energy, and determination to pull them off. So I don’t think women in Asia are just virtuous and submissive. In my opinion, they are adaptable and powerful like superwoman in the real world.

I understand how hard it is to raise a kid, go to work, and also need to do the housework, and it takes enormous mental, physical energy, and determination to pull them off. So I don’t think women in Asia are just virtuous and submissive. In my opinion, they are adaptable and powerful like superwoman in the real world.

Were there any local female creatives that you looked up to when you were growing up?

When I was young, the female creative is scarce here, most of the well-known creative are men. Including my teachers and professors what makes this ubiquitous in Asia is due to women are not given enough chances and trusts to show for it. But, in recent years, more and more female creatives are getting noticed, some of them are brilliant and successful who are mothers continues.

Are there any challenging aspects of being a female in your industry?

I don’t think there are challenges with having my gender.

I think it’s really important to develop and define your style so that people know what to hire you for.

Do you have any advice to young women who are aspiring to work in your field?

I think it’s really important to develop and define your style so that people know what to hire you for. I definitely have tips: know your preferences and strong suit: Are you more into line or form? Do you have a great sense of coloring?  What do you like to draw? People, animal or buildings? When you find out what your basic interests are you can start to build a style based on that.

Or you can just draw whatever you feel right then you’ll find out what works and what doesn’t.  Do not give up, take judgment too seriously only respectfully and have faith in your work and yourself.  At some point, most of that intimidating stuff goes away. it’s like growing up all over again.

Photos courtesy of Miss Cyndi.