I am a Baltimore-based freelance illustrator with a passion for visual reportage and stories drawn from life.
I am inspired by the diverse people, cultures, foods, and memories of the places I have traveled and lived. My focuses include visual journalism; portraiture; editorial, food, and travel illustration; and the children’s market. Current events, sustainability, climate justice, multiculturalism, and small businesses are of particular interest. In my spare time I can be found journaling, taking long walks with my sketchbook, improvising recipes, and working out (healthy body, healthy mind!).
:: An informal interview with Yifan
What are your preferred pronouns?
She/Her
Where do you call home?
Currently, Baltimore!
What is your program and year of graduation?
Illustration Practice, class of 2021
How has this scholarship impacted your thinking and process during your time in graduate school?
The Leslie King-Hammond scholarship has given me access to an invaluable community of inspiring artists and educators. It has also enabled and motivated me to think about ways to engage with the greater Baltimore community through my visual journalism work, sustainability initiatives, and collaborations with local small businesses and non-profits.
What have you been working on? Share the driving questions and inspiration that informs your work as an artist, designer, educator and/or activist.
I am currently working on my thesis, a collection of 2020 vignettes in the form of drawn narratives, illustrated interviews, zines, and other visual fragments. The project examines how individuals and small businesses (in Baltimore and beyond) are adapting and finding resilience in the midst of uncertainty and hardship brought on by a global pandemic, political unrest, natural disaster, and more. It also serves to preserve some of the personal stories of this specific place and time. The chosen topics are closely linked to my interests and identity—the latter including visual journalist, Baltimore resident, and Asian-American immigrant. But the aim is also to evoke some of the collective emotions and spirit of our current times. My hope is to bring meaningful stories to life and make the world a more connected, empathetic, and sustainable place; while continuing to stay open to new perspectives, methods, and ways of thinking and making.