TEACHER FEATURE // Grace Bello Interviews Illustrator Yuko Shimizu for The Atlantic

We've highlighted 3rd Ward fiction teacher Grace Bello and her sidesplitting creative writing a few times, including pieces published by McSweeney's and Splitsider and adapted for the stage by Lively Productions. Now we're excited to point you towards her fascinating interview with Japanese artist and illustrator Yuko Shimizu for The Atlantic.

Bello talks with Shimizu, whose work has appeared in the New Yorker, Playboy, Rolling Stone and many other publications,  about everything from the Internet and animation to her favorite illustrators and her habit of listening to WNYC while she works.

Here's Shimizu's take on trends, along with some helpful advice for aspiring artists and illustrators:

What's an art or illustration trend that you wish would go away? 

Whatever is a trend, I wish it would go away. There's always something that's very popular right now, at this moment. And a lot of people go, "Oh my God, there's a goldmine out there!" and they try to do it. And a lot of people's work starts to look the same. And those people might get work at that point, but then the trend goes away, and then the next thing comes along, and you're not in fashion anymore. I feel it's a bit sad to chase the trend -- any trend. Especially for young people who want to be illustrators, I hope they just do their own things and do not chase the trend.

Read the whole interview here.

For more of Bello's recent work we highly recommend her excellent series of interviews with comedy writers Patricia Marx, Merrill Markoe and Margaret Sanger for The Hairpin. For more of Shimizu's work, check out her website or her recent book for Gestalten.

-- John Ruscher