Today we’d like to introduce you to Vyolet Jin.
Hi Vyolet, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
The seed for becoming an artist was planted way back in my childhood. I remember I was always the kid who was keen about Art class and loved doodling with my friends. However, growing up in a finance/business family, I never thought that I could expect any artist’s dream to bloom. My journey of becoming an artist didn’t start until I tried so hard to persuade my parents that I loved drawing so much that I wanted to have a dedicated career as an artist. Much to my surprise, they supported my passion.
Since I started, I’ve received artistic recognition from organizations worldwide, including the Society of Illustrators, 3×3 Magazine, Art Director’s Club, Graphis Competition, Communication Arts, the World Illustration Award, and the Shenzhen Biennale Competition etc.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It definitely has been a challenging path. For a long time, I felt I needed to continue adding details to every corner of my work, resulting in an overcrowded illustration. By this, I don’t mean the image looked visually jarring, but my work lacked a focused meaning.
I’ve learned to broaden my sights to encompass different perspectives when developing my pieces. For example, where I would previously have researched only illustrations related to my subject area, I now branch out to draw inspiration from different media. This has included photography, graphic design, less obviously related mediums such as creative makeup, music pieces that fit the emotion I want to portray, and even stylistic furniture.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m a New York-based independent illustrator. Having graduated from SVA’s MFA Illustration as Visual Essay program, I learned to define my own style, which is highlighted by purposefully cluttered and chaotic subjects. My subject matters range from advertisements and editorials to children’s books and cultural media such as fashion.
My audience might know me from my fairy-tale visual language with energetic, offbeat colors that build a beautiful fantasy utopia. My illustrations usually depict lovely things, with a bright and vivid color palette to describe my feelings about the world. What I’m most proud of is developing my own style, one that is really aligned with my highly sensitive personality. I hope that my design choices present a different view of the world through my perspective, one where everything I feel can be expressed by a burst of color.
What sets me apart from others is that I like to break the rules by drawing my subjects from a playful lens. For example, I might illustrate the human body’s free-form and over or under-emphasize the features that are core to my message: from eyes to hands to poses. As another example, I might represent ordinary objects in an unnatural manner to highlight the not-so-serious tone of my image.
What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
A lesson I had to unlearn was that my work had to be perfect before presenting it to others. During my studies, I was consistently advised to only showcase my work when it was flawless and fully refined. While this advice holds merit, I carried this perfectionist mindset into every aspect of my art, resulting in excessive detailing and extended timelines for completing projects. As a consequence, I often ended up submitting my work at the last possible moment.
This pattern eventually led me to a realization. I recognized that my obsession with perfection hindered my artistic growth and caused unnecessary stress. It was at this point that I challenged this belief and experimented with a new approach. I began emphasizing the essential aspects of an image, letting go of the need for absolute perfection. This change in perspective allowed me to create more freely and confidently, focusing on conveying the core message of my artwork rather than striving for unattainable perfection. Once I embraced this shift in mindset, my artistic process became more enjoyable, efficient, and uniquely my own.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://vyoletzjin.art/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vyoletzjin/
