Meet Stephish Liu | Illustrator

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

Hi Stephish, what do you think makes you most happy? Why?
Scribbling on paper has always been one of my favorite ways to forget loneliness and reveal my hidden emotions. Happiness blooms inside me whenever someone tells me my drawings make them feel heartwarming and less alone. I was always alone when I was young, waiting in a cafe or at home for my mom and dad to return from work. Therefore, I tended to draw a little girl accompanied by her animal friends and spirits. Sometimes the little girl would enjoy her alone time in a cozy room or sailing through a storm on her adventure. Thanks to this process of expressing my feelings in my own way, I gain much courage, relief, and a deeper understanding of myself.

Besides drawing my own stories, I also enjoy creating illustrations for other people’s narratives or from new information I learned. To illustrate new subjects, I need to engage deeply with other people’s perspectives and do a lot of background research. I love my job because it can diversify my perspective and quench my curiosity. I discover immense satisfaction when I gain new experiences from hearing different stories and expanding my knowledge of the world around me.

What makes me happier is seeing the smile and tears on the faces of others when my art touches their hearts. Drawing has been a therapeutic practice for me to feel less lonely and more positive. It brings me joy when I know someone shares the same feeling as me and that my art can also help others convey their hidden thoughts, frustrations, or happiness.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’m a Taiwanese illustrator living in New York and looking forward to growing my career in the States. I am passionate about creating illustrations for stories, especially for branding, packaging, posters, books, and my own stories. I’ve published a poetry picture book, Comma, illustrated two children’s books, Dream of Melody and Rooting, and a Taiwanese poetry book, Kuan-Im. My recent work has been listed in World Illustration Awards, HIII, Communication Awards, and 3×3 Illustration Annual.

I grew up in my mom’s flower shop in Taipei, and I was once a florist there before pursuing my art dream in the states. Many of my illustration projects are related to plants and nature. Wild sage on hiking trails, the cold air redolent with pine needles, and the velvet feeling of red roses’ pedals from my neighbor’s garden always excite me.

“Aromagical” is one of my most recent projects related to plants. I created a series of 10 illustrations during the pandemic years based on aroma meditations. I depicted different remedy stories and the visual worlds that fragrances presented for me. And I want to introduce this series and aromatherapy to more people; hopefully, it can drive away someone’s loneliness, stress, and anxiety as it drove away mine. For example, “Sailing Through the Lonesome” is a piece in this series I created from the smell of Rosewood. The aroma can be like a wooden boat for a tired but perseverant worrier. Giving a sense of reliance, It carries the worrier through the dark tunnel and passes through the puffy clouds to a bright new world. “Symphony of Metamorphosis” introduces the power of Jasmine. The mellow fragrance can enhance self-confidence and courage to socialize so one can become more relaxed and natural in a group. In my drawing, A pair of butterfly wings appear on the girl standing on a Jasmine pedal, giving her the courage to join the musical party in the flower. There is a meadow inside the Jasmine flower, and a red piano is waiting for her to play.

Another influence from my mom is her religion. She always shares Buddhism tales with me that she thinks are beneficial to nurture our mindsets. I’ve never felt tired of listing to those philosophical stories. Buddhist concepts have inspired some of my illustrations. For example, “As dream” is a digital piece I created in 2019. It’s a large illustration that composes of 12 independent images. The 12 life concepts from Buddhism and a story from one of the greatest philosophers in China, Zhuangzi, inspired me to create this piece. Zhuangzi once dreamed he was a butterfly, all the time thinking perhaps his real life was as a butterfly dreaming it was a human. The dreamer in my drawing is a woman with butterfly wings. I want to express that dream is lifelike, and life is but a dream. The illusion of life segments surrounds the sleeping woman, conveying how lives begin and how our feelings drive us to pursue our desires, with consequences that we may bring into our next lives after reincarnation.

I don’t have a distinguished style. But I enjoy experimenting with different expressions on different projects. It’s like an actor presenting special performances for various stages. I tend to forget who I am and try to find a new persona for a new project. However, one can still recognize some characteristics I often have in my work, such as using warm color palettes, fluid strokes, loose colored pencil lines, opaque color shapes, and small symbolic items.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
New York is a busy city, but I like to live or travel at a slow pace. Aside from visiting the famous tourist attractions, drawing together in Central Park or Devoción coffee shop in Williamsburg is what I preferred. I live in Queens, almost an hour by subway from Manhattan; the Strand Book Store in the East Village, with nearly 100 years of history, is always my reason for visiting the city. If we feel like walking, we can check some art galleries in Chelsea, Edward Hopper’s paintings in Whitney Museum, and have sandwiches on the High Line while the sun sinks below the horizon. Or, if it’s beautiful weather, we can find a hiking trail and take a train from Grand Central to Hudson Valley, leaving all the hustle and bustle behind.

For people with a sweet tooth, I do have some ideas. Harbs, a Japanese cake shop I visit from time to time, serve incredible Mille-crepes and Teas. The cream in layers melts in your mouth with the most refreshing fruits, bringing about the most satisfying sensation. Also, don’t miss the banana pudding at Magnolia Bakery. It is a heavenly dessert made of fluffy vanilla pudding, fresh bananas, and vanilla wafers. Before heading home, we can get seasonal ice cream from Trader Joe’s. They always surprise me with the most unexpected flavors based on different cultures, such as Ube, Taiwanese Boba Tea, and Horchata.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Paulo Coelho states in The Alchemist, “When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.” Remembering my favorite quote, I’m grateful to all the people I have ever met who believe in me more than I believe in myself and anyone who broke my heart or doubted me. I trust that every moment in my life shapes who I am. The light and darkness in my life raise my confidence, emotional awareness, and compassion, which all become essential for my drawing inspiration.

I graduated a year early from a business school, Soochow University in Taiwan, in 2019. As soon as I graduated, I realized I wanted to improve my art skill by getting an art education and experiencing a different life in a foreign country. Hence, I used crowdfunding to publish an illustrated poetry book called “Comma” and held five original art exhibitions to fund the tuition for studying art in New York. “Comma” is a book that collects the poems and doodles I made within the five years before I got a formal art education. The year I published this book was a pause between my two different lives in Taiwan and New York, so I named it Comma. I sold around 4000 books and 50 pieces of framed illustrations. Thanks to all the people who supported me and gave me a chance to begin my journey.

My mom is the only person in my family who genuinely support me in pursuing my dream with all her heart and believe that I’m doing something valuable that can bring people joy. Besides my mom, there are two other people I can never thank enough—Bob Chou, my sponsor, and Marshall Arisman, who has mentored many, including mine. Bob is an expert in the financial world, and he noticed me and my art when I was fundraising for my tuition. He told me that he saw something shine within me and how my art made him smile and drove his depression away. I was fortunate that Mr. Chou decided to help me grow into a better artist by financially supporting me. He believes my drawings can make more people smile if I become more powerful. Whenever I fail to draw something and doubt myself, his belief lifts me and reminds me of my original goal—to share positive energy with my art.

The second person I’ll never forget is Marshall Arisman, the chairperson and founder of the School of Visual Arts (SVA) MFA Illustration As Visual Essay program. I am lucky and blessed to have him as a mentor in my grad school life. It was his last year of life when I graduated from SVA. He was a wise gentleman and a profound educator. I learned something every time I chatted with him. Marshall could always point out directly what I was afraid of and give me the motivation, advice, and confidence to face problems. I will forever remember his keen eyes that stared into my soul while he spoke to me. “Don’t let drawing be an excuse for escaping from reality. I know you may think you still need to prepare, but I’m telling you, you are ready to show your work to the real world and get jobs,” it was the last piece of advice and encouragement Mashall gave me.

Website: www.stephish.art

Instagram: @stephish.art

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephish/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Stephish.illustation/

Other: email: hello@stephish.art