Ivy Zheyu Chen is a New York-based artist and illustrator who explores random thoughts and whimsical word-image interaction. Her work is collected by the Metropolitan Museum, Whitney Museum, Yale University, Jameel Arts Centre and many more.
LISTEN TO MUSIC WHILE YOU WORK? ANYTHING SPECIAL IN YOUR WORK SPACE THAT UNLEASHES YOUR CREATIVE JUICES?
No music. I usually listen to podcasts — especially comedy ones. Other people's voices are calming and give me a sense of company through the solitude of working at home. My attention to the punchlines and narratives somehow alleviates me from the pressure of constantly judging the image-making.
WHEN YOU GET A NEW PROJECT FROM BLUE Q, HOW DO YOU BEGIN? WHAT’S THE STARTING POINT?
I started with a lot of sketching — projecting myself onto the subject. Say my subject is a penny coin, I would imagine myself as a penny. What would I encounter? How would I feel? What would I say? It quickly gets the ideation started.
HAVE ANY SPECIAL TRICKS OR INSIGHTS INTO HOW TO CONNECT WITH YOUR AUDIENCE AND MAKE ‘EM RESPOND?
The only trick I have is being honest with myself. If I’m truly honest, I connect to my inner world, and then I naturally connect to others. When I reveal something deeply personal in the work, someone would pick it up and say: that’s exactly how I feel! Whenever that happens, I’m always baffled in joy. Maybe we are not that different on a human level.
WHERE DO YOUR BEST IDEAS COME FROM? (DREAMS, SHOWER, MUSEUM, TRAIN?)
My best ideas come from the moments in between things. When my mind is not caught in anything. Every now and then, a thought would pop out from nowhere that feels spot on — speaking a certain truth of mine. And somehow I couldn’t wrap my head around how I got there. It’s almost magical.