Subin Yang

The path of the manga-obsessed 5-year-old Subin Yang from South Korea to the freelance, New York illustrator she is today was not always easy. Along the way: visa struggles, job rejections, taxes and imposter syndrome. Today, she counts The New York Times, The MET and Google among her client list. Below, she shares a relentlessly determined creative journey, including lots of cold emailing and asking for help.

About my work

My creative practice
I’m a freelance illustrator currently based in Brooklyn, New York. Although my work is mostly digital, I try to emulate the organic nature of paper collages by making bold, crisp shapes and hand-drawn linework. I’ve always been drawn to themes of identity, culture and home, often exploring them using food as a visual metaphor.

Influences and inspiration
My first and foremost inspiration for making art as a 5-year-old growing up in Korea in the 90s was manga and anime, specifically Sailor Moon. I still remember the moment I saw this particular original artwork by Naoko Takeuchi and thought, ‘Wow, I’ve got to recreate this’. That was my first time making a master copy.

My next big revelation was during college application season in the early 2010s, when I saw Yeji Yun’s mixed-media digital illustration. At this point, I’d only drawn with traditional tools but was searching for the right media to make super graphic and colorful artwork – this was it!

Later in art school, I remember being deeply moved by Louise Bourgeois’s work, made from fabric, sculpture and giant metal. Her deeply personal pieces seemed to express the same themes over and over again and were very relatable to me at the time.

My training
My art training came from being an otaku and an introverted artistic kid, spending all of my free time drawing and sketching. Thankfully, my mother was really encouraging and took me to lots of art museums and extracurricular classes where I just kept drawing. Korea is very big on grasping the technical and foundational skills from the beginning, so I got lots of practice. This continued until I finally decided to go to art school after graduating.

While I’ve always been interested in the same aesthetics, themes and styles, it was only at art school that I really got to experiment. Those early foundations really helped me blossom as an artist finding my voice.

Favourite recent project
The cover for LA Times Weekend. I’d loved working with AD Jaya Nicely on food editorial a few years ago. When I got the email from her again, I was already on board just from seeing the sender information at the top of the email chain. I got to draw a dreamy bookshelf scene full of cookbooks and lots of kitchenware, using all of the colors I like. A dream assignment.

Cover for LA Times Weekend

A day in the life
I try to get up in the morning and sleep at night, which has proven to be quite hard even after years of freelancing. When I get up, I take my time to prepare a nice brunch for myself and then head out for a walk in my neighborhood. I go through my emails or check if any deadlines are approaching; if there's work to do, I get to it. If not, I do my housework and go running or do some yoga. At night, I eat dinner with my sister, who returns home from her job as a graphic designer.

A starter pack for my job:
Imposter syndrome, loneliness and bad posture. When you finally get the things swirling inside your head onto a physical medium, the spark of joy is worth the struggle.

This really captures the essence of my art process:

Tumblr compilation of “10 Years With Hayao Miyazaki”

How I got here

Starting my creative journey
I was fresh out of art school in Portland, Oregon, as an international student with a degree in illustration, a portfolio full of farmers-market-related drawings and 1 year of OPT (international student visa after graduation) left. I applied to quite a few full-time positions in all sorts of companies: toy design, interior design, children’s wear, graphic design and major corporations. I got into none. 

I had seven paid jobs in that year, which still didn’t give me any clues on how to extend my stay in the States and be financially independent from my parents. In the last three months of my student visa, I decided to visit New York where my sister was studying. I earned no money during that time, but I met so many creatives, got help from so many strangers and learned so many tips on figuring out my visa situation. I went back to Korea inspired and ready to plan my way back.

Landing my first few jobs, clients and/or commissions
Going back to my big decision to pursue art school in the States, it was basically like deciding to bankrupt my parents. So you can imagine that I was determined to make it and make my parents' money worth it. For starters, I used every single resource at my school: I asked my teachers for advice, begged for jobs, took internships and any extra scholarships or projects, asked the admin office for graduates' contact information. Every day, I cold-emailed designers' and editors’ email addresses that I found in the back of magazines or books. After a year or two, I started getting emails back.

In the meantime, I used all my free time to make whatever I wanted, including the kind of projects I’d love to get hired for. At this point, Instagram wasn’t even a big marketing platform, but being the lonely introvert I am, I was already using it like my diary and sharing my work online. That eventually led to me being discovered by art directors.

Biggest challenges along the way
Initially, it was finding out how much a freelance illustration career is actually just becoming a one-woman business. I thought I just had to make good drawings! I had to learn to read through contracts, make invoices, communicate my ideas in a formal and clear manner, negotiate, buy the tools I need, promote my work, do taxes, and figure out health insurance all by myself – as a foreigner to boot. I honestly still don’t know for sure if my self-made contract looks legit, and I sure hope I’m doing my taxes right. I don’t have anyone in my family who does anything similar, so naturally I ended up relying on my teachers again – shout out to the illustration and design department at PNCA.

I also had a hard time finding a balance between commercial, commissioned work and making work for myself. I’d work until I was completely burnt out and didn’t want to draw at all. It’s a hard balance I’m still working on, but you figure it out over time. Just don’t put so much pressure on yourself that you can’t enjoy making silly art anymore!

Everyday skills I’ve found helpful for my creative work:
Being okay with being alone with yourself: I draw best in my solo artist cave, but it can be isolating. Then, being self-motivated. You have to draw like it’s work, but really because you love it and it’s your practice.

My social media and self-promotion vibe is…
My formula is a little bit of personal life, a little bit of personal artwork, and announcing whatever new project I’ve worked on that’s ready to come out. I think the personal work part is the most important: show the world what you're most into right now and go hard with your fangirling, hobbies and interests, maybe even your dream job. I’ve found that the artworks that resonate most with people are the ones I’ve felt the most earnest passion for. Even better if it’s in trend or in season!

Three things I've found useful in my career:

My greatest learnings when it comes to making money and supporting myself as a creative:
When it comes to money, you do have to work like a professional. Be clear, be on time, be pleasant to work with. Be humble but professional: own up to your mistakes and wins and take yourself seriously. I had major imposter syndrome for years (who am I kidding, I still do) and would try to put down my achievements to luck. Don’t be your own enemy!

To cover some of my living expenses, I’ve just started babysitting on the side – it’s been so much better for my mental health to get out and work with children. I’ve been in a bit of a rut mentally and work has dried up a little. I’d been avoiding drawing altogether, but now I’m slowly coming back to wanting to make art.

Advice

My most useful career tips
I tell myself this: don’t take projects so seriously. A job is a job, do your best and be on time. As an avoidant perfectionist and procrastinator, this helps alleviate some of the weird weight I put on myself that prevents me from just starting anything.

Where I go to feel connected as a creative
To get out of my creative rut, I’ve been going to parks, gardens and into nature in general. As a digital creative who mostly works indoors and from my bedroom, it’s so important to take myself out on a mental health walk to touch some grass.

My favorite places to spend time are art supply stores, bookstores and libraries. I can spend hours looking for new or old vintage children’s books and testing out new art supplies. Also, going out to meet people and try new things! When it comes to making artwork, nothing inspires me more than a new experience – it can as simple as going to a new grocery store, buying a new ingredient and trying a new recipe! It’s a new story you can turn into an idea for a drawing.

What I'd say to someone looking to get into a similar role
Take it slow and enjoy the time where you have no responsibilities other than getting out there and being a young person ready to try everything for the first time.

Draw as many things as you want. Share your work, your process and your other passions or interests online. The more you share with people, the more they’ll know what kind of person you are and what projects you’d be a perfect fit for.

I used to listen to the Korean indie song ‘None the Better or Courage’ (없는게 메리트) by Rooftop Moonlight (옥상달빛) every day as I sent out cold emails and doodled on my laptop. I took the lyrics to heart: ‘Having nothing is my merit, all I have is my youth, I’m going to run with my arms open to hug the whole world, I have nothing so I have nothing to lose, I’m really ok, I’m not that sad, I smile with a small courage I open up from my pockets.’