Today we’d like to introduce you to Feifei Ruan.
Hi Feifei, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
I studied graphic design in college and worked as a graphic design intern in China. I felt that there was something more out there that I want to learn. So I attended an MFA program at the School of Visual Arts to study visual storytelling. It was 2013, the first time I visited New York City. After graduating from the program, I stayed in NYC and started my career as a freelance illustrator.
The beginning is always the hardest. I handed out many business cards, postcards, and zines to editors and art directors at different art events. That’s how I got editorial commissions in the early stage. After some years of development, now my main focus is on book covers, packaging, and advertising.
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?
Shifting from nine-to-five to freelance is like stepping out of a comfort zone to enter an unknown land. You don’t know when the next paycheck would come or where the next client would be.
There were moments when I almost gave up and ran back to graphic design. It was faith that kept me going. Like walking in a dark tunnel. There was a voice telling you to move forward, not backward. That’s where the light is. — And there it is.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m an illustrator and visual storyteller. My work can be seen on book covers, magazines, websites, packaging, apparel, and murals. My style ranges from eastern classics to science fiction and fantasy. Clients include Apple, Mercedes-Benz, Philips, Burberry, Tiffany, The New York Times, BBC, WWF, and United Nations.
The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
I learned that my typical freelance lifestyle is called “quarantine”. Working online and remote became the current/future trend.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.feifeiruan.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ruan0v0/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/feifeiruan
- Other: https://www.behance.net/feifeiruan
