Last month, YCIS Beijing student Annie Ding was interviewed by JingKids magazine.

Like many talented artists, Annie’s parents encouraged her to draw since she was a child and she fell in love with art. It was when she was a young girl, Annie explains, that she decided to become an artist.

Although she made up her mind to become an artist a very long time ago, Annie admits that it was a long and tortuous road to convince her parents about art school. Annie also received an offer from Berkeley, University of California, and was encouraged by her parents to study there, believing it would help her secure a better career. Eventually, Annie followed her heart and accepted her place at Rhode Island School of Design to study illustration and graphic design.

During the interview, Annie joked: “I hope that in following my dreams I won’t end up a down-and-out!” Of course not – we know that anyone who works as persistently and with such commitment as Annie will enjoy the very brightest of futures!

To read the full interview with Annie, please click here.