Artist spotlight : Ting-en Tsai
ARTIST STATEMENT:
Hi! I am Ting-en (first name pronounced like "tin-ehn"), a Taiwanese graphic designer and illustrator based in New York City. My design work and interests range from cosmetics, luxury, fashion, and lifestyle to editorial and publishing. My illustrative work has received recognition from American Illustration, the World Illustration Award by the Association of Illustrators, and Communication Arts.
When I am not working, you can find me taking long walks across the city, doodling on my iPad, or petting dogs at the park.
For inquiries or collaborations, feel free to email:
tetsai.tsai@gmail.com
Social Networks :
Instagram Handle: @tingentsai
Website : https://www.tingentsai.com/
Ting-en Tsai
1. Inspiration & Style
What initially inspired you to become an artist, and how did you develop your unique artistic style?
Answer: I can’t remember when I started drawing. Maybe around the age when my hands were able to hold crayons? Throughout the years, I gradually developed my style via consuming media I enjoyed, such as comics, anime, editorial illustrations, and the funky yet ornate artwork from Medieval manuscripts.
2. Creative Process
Do you have any rituals or routines that help you get into a creative mindset when starting a new project?
Answer: Coffee! Making myself a cup of coffee with maple syrup or condensed milk calms me down and helps me focus.
3. Artistic Influences
How do you balance historical or artistic influences with your personal style and how do these influences manifest in your work today?
Answer: I sometimes worry that I am drawing in others’ styles instead of my own. But on the other hand, I want to believe that things that are made by my hands were filtered through my mind, hence are in my own style. Also, I secretly believe that only us, the artists, overthink our styles, while the viewers simply enjoy our work the way it is.
4. Emotion & Expression
How do you use your art to evoke emotions, and what role does emotion play in your creative process?
Answer: I find it difficult to make something if the subject doesn’t evoke any emotion in my mind. Art is emotional, in my opinion. I try to depict subjects via my own emotions, the only emotions I get to experience first-hand.
5. Standout Projects
Can you share a project that stands out to you and describe the creative process behind it?
Answer: Neighborhood, New York, New York is a series of five motion illustrations. Each piece depicts my memories and experiences of a neighborhood in Manhattan, postally labeled as New York, New York. A “protagonist,” stylized as genetically cartoonish to be perceived as apart from the pedestrians, is placed in each illustration. The existence of this protagonist invites the viewers to experience the emotions, senses, and atmospheres of the illustrated neighborhood through an immersive pair of shoes I was once wearing.
6. Feedback & Growth
How do you incorporate feedback from critics or audiences into your work, and how do you balance this with your own artistic intuition?
Answer: I appreciate constructive feedback and cherish the people who are willing to spend their time brewing it. I try to see if there’s a balance point between the feedback and what I feel the most comfortable when it comes to making new things.
7. Motivation & Inspiration
How do you stay motivated and inspired, even when facing creative blocks or challenges?
Answer: Not sponsored but I really enjoy the app Pinterest. It shows me lots of diverse visual arts, from illustrations and graphic designs to interior design and fashion photographs. Another way is to go somewhere I usually don’t go, such as a museum, a café, or simply a park far away from my usual area.
8. Exhibiting Work
How do you feel about exhibiting your artwork with The Holy Art Gallery, and what does this opportunity mean to you?
Answer: This will be one of my first exhibitions and I am excited about this opportunity. To me, a new artist in the NYC art scene, this is a great chance to get my art out there into the world.
9. Future Goals
What are your long-term goals and aspirations as an artist, and how do you plan to achieve them?
Answer: I want to publish a graphic novel/comic book. As for how I plan to achieve it, I would like to keep the ongoing project a secret for now. I also post short comics on my social media, so if you’re interested, follow me on @tingentsai on Instagram!
10. Audience Connection
What do you hope viewers take away from experiencing your art, and how do you aim to connect with them on an emotional or intellectual level?
Answer: Through my Neighborhood, New York, New York work, I hope they take away the memories, the fun, and shock, and the experiences I have had living in Manhattan for my first few years of residing in NYC.
