Today we’d like to introduce you to Cindy Kang.
Hi Cindy, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I’m an illustrator and picture book maker based in New York City. I was born in Seoul, South Korea, then moved to the US to attend high school in Connecticut. My creative passion led me to New York for college, and I have stayed here since.
It was natural for me to choose art as a career because I have been drawing, painting, and daydreaming since I was a kid. Everywhere I went, I always brought a little notebook to draw or write in. One of my vivid childhood memories is when my mom took me to the doctor’s office filled with people exhausted from a long wait. After knowing there would be an endless waiting time, I got so excited to use all that time to get lost in my daydreams.
Shortly after graduating from the School of Visual Arts with a BFA in Illustration, I started getting illustration commissions for editorial and advertising projects. I have created illustrations for a diverse array of clients, including Samsung, P&G, Macy’s, Penguin Random House, Laurence King Publishing, and Audible, to name a few.
After a few years of working as an illustrator, I realized my genuine interest was in the stories. As I started to focus on the narrative aspects of illustrations, I got into the world of picture books that had everything I loved: art, characters, and stories. Now I also work on picture books for children and spend most of my time exploring various characters and stories.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It was definitely not smooth. There were times when nothing was happening that made me doubt and regret my choices. But even when things seemed to work out well, I was stressed and frustrated from the heavy load of projects and many different reasons.
Keeping the work-life balance was just one thing. Most of my struggles came from learning how the illustration business works. Art school teaches students to focus on honing their art techniques and ideas rather than building a professional illustration career.
Despite knowing there is a limit to learning all of the practical things in the classroom, I wished there was a little more guidance, as having only a half-semester to learn about the professional world didn’t feel enough. Dealing with the business side of an illustrator, such as promotions, social media, finances, copyrights, licensing, contracts, and negotiations, was all overwhelming to learn solely from experiences.
Another big struggle came from feeling alone, questioning if it is really right to be an artist when the entire world seems to not care about artists. But I was fortunate to have many friends in a similar creative career that helped me throughout. We would share advice and encouragement that lessen each other’s burden.
Through these years, I realized the importance of having a supportive community and trust in yourself. They keep you creating. When I faced difficult situations, I kept creating and remembered that all the struggles and mistakes would eventually give me lessons to grow as an artist.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My work is a visual narrative, and they are colorful, warm, and emotive. They often accompany stories about social issues, psychology, community, and culture. I aim to create works that feel very human–imperfect, vulnerable, and genuine–that people can resonate with and feel comforted. Often combining both traditional medium and digital tools, I create painterly illustrations with rough textures of various brushes and pencils.
I love all stories, such as stories of childhood, family, happy or sad events, challenges, or even silly imaginations. What mainly intrigues me from these stories around us is the mind and emotions of people and how they grow from their experiences. I get thrilled when I am asked to work on projects on these topics because they are exactly what inspires my art.
I enjoyed working on the Therapy Toolkit published by Laurence King Publishing, which included 60 illustrated cards that guide the readers to reflect on each theme of self-therapy and explore their emotions. Another is my first children’s book, King Sejong Invents an Alphabet, about a compassionate king who invented the Korean language Hangeul for his people.
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
Diversity, great restaurants, and river parks. My least favorite thing about NY is the subway that gets delayed, rescheduled or stops in the middle of the tunnel. I trained myself to use that time wisely to read or write down funny ideas on my note.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.cindysykang.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/cindysykang
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/cindysykang
