

Today we’d like to introduce you to Rasato Ma.
Hi Rasato, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
Like most dream chasers, the origin of the story comes from my love and pursuit of illustrations. From being hesitant at the beginning to making up my mind to go to the UK alone to study, explore and comprehend illustration, I gradually found the field I determined to devote myself to in the future – editorial illustration. After graduation, I had to face the change of status. From a student to a society, I had to think about how to make a living. Personally, illustration is not just a matter of love but rather a talent or companionship or a second virtual world where I can hide away.
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?
I believe that everyone will definitely experience setbacks. I would say the choice itself is a challenge. Most friends, classmates, and friends around me suggested that I continue to use traditional materials such as colored pencils and charcoal to continue creating, but I resolutely chose digital art to open up and develop my future career path. During the initial creative process, my digital work looked terrible. They had lost a sense of ease and character, with no compositional plan, clear visual hierarchy, color variation, etc. After experiencing countless frustrations and ups and downs, I walked slowly along the road near the student apartment, thinking about what to do to improve that situation. It felt like the first time I drank an American style, astringent and bitter.
The second option was my decision to move to London to live and work after graduation. Honestly, instead of finding a job that was relevant to my background, I was working part-time at a retail store. I devoted all the remaining time and energy to creation and tried to establish a network and contact art directors to obtain commissions. During that year, I understood that illustration was part of my life, but it wasn’t everything to me. What I mean is that illustration comes from my perception of life, and it can’t shine and shine when I’m tired of life. Therefore, I (you) ought to learn to take good care of myself and live a good life on the road to persist in my dreams.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
So, I am an emerging new freelance illustrator from Shanghai, China. Committed to editorial illustration, but recently, I have been thinking about how to better use illustrations in commercial projects such as packaging or posters.
Sensitivity has always been with me since childhood. To some extent, it may be that I chose illustration as a major because of my personality. I would be more interested in editorial topics such as relationships, family, friends, etc. For example, it’s easy to empathize with the author when I read an article that moves me. Because of this, my illustrations mainly focus on the three aspects of narrative, color, and texture because, from my perspective, this can establish a suitable and evolving platform for the audience to communicate with each other, and even in a kind of way. The form of empathy allows the illustrations to be appreciated and accepted by the audience more comfortably.
In terms of the thing I’m most proud of is probably keeping creating. I submitted to some competitions in the early stages, but the results were not satisfactory. I felt a little frustrated at the beginning and even questioned my illustrations. But when I think about it, my ultimate goal in drawing is not to win awards but because of my passion for it and the illustration itself. Regardless of whether I win an award or not or whether I am commissioned, I will keep drawing along the way.
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
Honestly, I have no idea because there are still so many uncertain possibilities between the present and the future. Just like when I was in London at the end of 2023, I told my friend that we should travel to Europe together in the summer of 2024. And now I’m in Shanghai, and she’s in London, and that trip may not be possible.
Despite this, I would like to talk about my little wish for the next 5 to 10 years – I hope to become a successful illustrator in editorial illustrations. I am prone to anxiety when goals are not successfully achieved, and the source of anxiety may be fear of the unknown or impatience to skip the outcome. Humans are often afraid of unknown things, so I believe the most effective way to achieve this goal is to keep drawing – no matter what I draw, don’t stop, keep drawing!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://rasato.me/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rasato3240/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rasato-ma-931b67224/