Meet Xiao Xu | Illustrator/Graphic Designer

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

Hi Xiao, where are your from? We’d love to hear about how your background has played a role in who you are today?
I was born and raised in Shanghai, China. My formative years unfolded within the confines of a Shikumen house, specifically on the first floor of one adorned with the literal translation of “stone warehouse gate,” nestled in an alley. As a kid, my energy does not cease. Each evening, my grandmother’s calls echoed from the kitchen window, beckoning me home for dinner in the inner alley. My ceaseless movement often led to encounters with various neighbors, who generously fed me an array of delectable dishes.

Living there brought me joy and a liberated spirit, even though my mom signed me up for various hobby classes, as is common among Chinese parents.I bit my dancing teacher after three classes because I did not want the teacher to bend my back; I quit drumming because my neighbors hated my da-dum-da-boom; I flipped the chessboard because I couldn’t win my semi-professional mom – the only so-called hobby that lasted is drawing. I was always doodling, whether it was on the margins of my textbooks, on top of the poets and writers’ photos, or on sticky notes of teachers that I’d fly around in class. Today, I’m so fortunate that what once I used to find who I am when I was a child becomes something that defines who I am.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Please tell us more about your art. We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about. How did you get to where you are today professionally. Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way. What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?

I am an illustrator and graphic designer, currently working at a digital agency. My role involves creating content, both in illustration and graphic design, for individual film campaigns and streaming services, including companies like Focus, A24, Pixar, and Disney Plus. I still indulge in some personal doodling of imaginary children’s books by documenting and exaggerating daily trivialities, as well as freelancing projects in a combination of illustration and graphic design – and I think the ambiguity I was able to recognize while I was drawing myself really helped me, till today. It leads me to a faint agenda that I was not aware of before – whether reading into something as I’d call beautiful or ugly, elegant or rough, true or false, I become insistent and resilient towards it, and I stand for it; although, there is no binary answer towards things. What I read is a mixture of all, including my own emotions at that particular moment. I appreciate my ambiguous sensitivity and the sentiments towards cherishing such sensitivity. That is why I’d become a total wreck whenever my clients’ thoughts go south with mine when so much emotion was dedicated to the work. I believe that is a big perk of me, and that is the one perk that carried me on till today.

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’ll take them to the Huntington Garden and Santa Monica Beach during the initial two days, inviting them to enjoy the California sunshine. If they want, we’ll embark on adventures to Disneyland and Universal Studios. I am convinced that steering clear of a jam-packed and exhausting schedule is essential. For the remaining days, I planing asking them joining me at home for communal cooking sessions, shared meals, playing video games. We might also go and visit the Getty Museum.

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?
Yes, I consider myself a lucky person, though not a lottery-winning type of lucky. I’ve been fortunate enough to meet and work with some truly amazing and lovely individuals throughout my life and career – from the laughter shared with classmates over my whimsical recreations of poets and writers to the support of my colleagues over my sometimes brutal honesty. Of course, I also feel lucky enough to have my childhood hobby cherished and protected by both my parents and my mentor so carefully, that I can still carry on what I loved since young. Sometimes things seem lucky, even random, but the truth is there are so many others staying behind you, guarding all your good wishes till they come true.

Instagram: @xiaoxu_art