Meet Mingde Shao | Illustrator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Mingde Shao and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Mingde, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
I think I have my own persistence and pursuit of beautiful things or special visual experiences. For example, I feel mentally happy when I see beautiful graphics or compositions, so engaging in creation actually helps me satisfy my pursuit of beautiful visuals. I want my designs and illustrations could make other people feel happy, so I need to make sure they move me first.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My art is characterized by its whimsical and playful nature. I’m passionate about creating cartoon-style illustrations that capture the essence of everyday life and bring a smile to people’s faces. I draw inspiration from observing the world around me, from the people I meet to the little details of daily life that often go unnoticed. What sets me apart from others is my ability to infuse daily life humour and relatability into my illustrations, making them both enjoyable and relatable to a wide audience. I believe that storytelling is universal, and my art reflects that. I’m excited about the connections my illustrations create with people, as they often say, “I’ve been in that situation!” or “Tell me more about the story in your illustration.” These connections are what make my work meaningful and unique.

My path to becoming a professional illustrator and graphic designer wasn’t always easy. It involved years of honing my skills, learning from both successes and failures and building a portfolio that represented my unique style. I need to constantly help myself build self-confidence through recognition from others and myself, thereby stimulating my more creative side. I love the process of constantly creating interesting content and then showing it to others and learning and improving based on feedback. Of course, this also requires people around me who can work hard with me to share work with each other. I am very lucky that at every stage of my life, I can meet several people who have the same hobbies as me and create together. They are the ones who really help me on my path.

Along the way, I’ve learned a valuable lesson:
Stay true to your style: It’s essential to develop your unique artistic voice and not be swayed by trends. Authenticity is what makes your work stand out. But more importantly, you need to learn and practice the basic to achieve that. Looking for my own style is always not easy, I am still developing with it and seek for inspiraetions from other artists in order to make it more dramatica and accessable.

I want the world to know that my art is a reflection of the joy and humor in everyday life. I aim to connect with people through relatable, lighthearted illustrations that bring a smile to their faces. My work is a celebration of the beauty found in the ordinary, and I hope to continue spreading that positivity and inspiration through my art.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I would want to take them to Chinatown. I have to say that most of the food in Chinatown is delicious and authentic, and I was surprised when I went there for the first time to taste the same flavors I remembered from my childhood. In addition, there are many antique shops here selling interesting cultural decorations or jewelry. There are some well-designed objects and even works of art. I believe this will be a place that friends who like art like me will like.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’d like to shout out to Vivian Hou who recommended me for this interview. She really helped me a lot！

Website: tomsmd.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tomsmd/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mingde-shao-a75752231/