Interview: Maggie Li

We caught up with Maggie Li to find out more about her work, the challenges and perks of freelance life, and how an art teacher encouraged her to pursue her artistic dreams.

Can you explain your job in two sentences? 

I illustrate for books, magazines and digital media. I’m also an art director of a children’s magazine called Okido.

What’s a typical workday for you? 

My week is split in two, one half I spend art directing Okido magazine with a brilliant team of scientists and creatives. The other half of the week I’m either doing commissioned work, illustrating a picture book or coming up with new ideas/stories.

What are the perks? 

The freedom of working mostly for myself and having my own schedule.

What are the challenges?

Finding motivation and inspiration can be difficult at times, especially this year. The lack of job security is a constant worry but after 10 years of it, you get used to it! I used to panic the very minute I finished a commission and had nothing else lined up. Now I try to enjoy that free time a bit more and use it to work on personal projects or just completely switching off. This year has definitely taught me that it’s also fine to do nothing at all.

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I don’t come from a very artistic background, my parents ran a Chinese takeaway and put a lot of importance on academic success over artistic.

What are you most proud of? 

I just finished my first 2 authored and illustrated children’s book which were years in the making. They come out early 2022 and I’m really excited to see them out in the wild.

How did you get into doing what you do? Were there hurdles along the way?  

I don’t come from a very artistic background, my parents ran a Chinese takeaway and put a lot of importance on academic success over artistic. Growing up I had no idea what it was to be an illustrator and make your living from art. I could only visualise being a fine artist and having your work displayed in galleries. An art teacher at school encouraged me to apply for an art foundation course and that’s when everything started to make sense. Art foundation opened my eyes to
illustration and graphic design and I saw what I could do with my skills. It still took a lot of convincing for my parents to understand my choices but I think they’ve come round to it now.

Is this the career you thought you’d have? 

More or less, yes! I’m not sure I imagined moving into children’s books but I found myself gravitating more and more towards it. I think the longer and more involved projects vs shorter editorial work has suited me more in the long run. I still enjoy a quick turnaround commission though!

What advice would you offer someone wanting to break into the industry? 

Make work that you would want to get commissioned for. Spend time on personal projects and also enjoy things outside of illustration. Draw lots! Sounds obvious but I wish I drew more and experimented more when I was starting out. There’s so much pressure to find your voice early on and establish your ‘style’ but all of that takes time. Enjoy the process and have fun!


Maggie Li: Website & Instagram

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