Mooncasket is a designer and illustrator from Hong Kong who is known for her cute and quirky character doodles. Part of a generation of up-and-coming Hong Kong creatives, Mooncasket’s murals, zines, stickers, and other DIY creations can be seen across the city. Neocha had the chance to speak with Mooncasket about her thoughts on culture and creativity.
香港设计师和插画家Mooncasket以她笔下可爱而古怪的个性卡通形象而为人熟知。作为新一代崭露头角的香港创意人才，Mooncasket的涂鸦、独立杂志、贴纸和其他 DIY作品分布于这座城市的各个角落。最近，Neocha有机会与Mooncasket对话，来了解她的创作理念，以及她对文化和创意产业的理解。
Neocha: How did you get started as an artist?
Mooncasket: I’ve been drawing since I was a kid, but I hadn’t picked up a personal style until recent years. I was one of those people who went to art schools, but never took being an artist seriously until the motivation just hit me one morning, and I was like, “Yeah! I should try and do this for real!”
Neocha: 你是怎样成为一名艺术家的？
Mooncasket: 我从小就开始画画，但一直到最近几年我才开始形成自己的个人风格。我觉得我就是艺术学校里那些从未认真想过成为一名艺术家的学生，直到有一天，我突然充满了动力，觉得“是呀！我应该试着做一名真正的艺术家！”
Neocha: Tell us about your characters. Where do they come from?
Mooncasket: My everyday surroundings inspire me, and I like to add an ironic, playful twist to everything. Also, a mixture of cartoons from the ’80s and ’90s and old-school monster films inspire me. The characters I draw are like my imaginary creature friends. If you’re having a crappy day, I hope they make you smile inside as much as they do for me.
Neocha: 跟我们介绍一下你笔下的角色形象吧。创作他们的灵感是什么？
Mooncasket: 我身边的日常事物就是我的灵感来源，我喜欢在我的创作中加上一点幽默讽刺的元素。另外，80年代和90年代的漫画作品，以及老式的怪物电影也是我的灵感来源。我笔下的角色就像是我存在于二次元的朋友。如果你今天心情不好，我希望他们能让你发自内心地笑一下，就像他们能让我开心一样。
Neocha: What is the creative scene like in Hong Kong now?
Mooncasket: The creative scene in Hong Kong is definitely growing. It’s great to see more artists coming out and creating, and the public definitely appreciates local creativity more. I can’t say it’s easy to make a living as an artist here, but there are always solutions to keep a roof over your head, by having other jobs while you continue to do what you love. In my case, I’m also working as a freelance graphic designer.
Neocha: 现在香港的创意行业发展如何？
Mooncasket: 可以肯定地说，香港的创意行业正在不断发展。我很高兴可以看到越来越多的艺术家出现，进行创作，而且大众也比以往更欣赏香港本土的创意作品。虽然在香港要靠艺术为生并不容易，但是在这里你总能找到自己的办法来维持生活，你可以一边兼职做其它工作，一边继续做自己热爱的事情。譬如我的另一份工作就是自由职业平面设计师。
Neocha: How do you balance your own creative vision when doing client work?
Mooncasket: I used to draw darker imagery, usually in black and white, and I started making zines because I didn’t know what to do with all of my doodles. The response that came out of that initiative was pretty good. So I thought to myself, if I wanted to make a living from my doodles, I could try tweaking my style a little to appeal to a larger audience. After that, my work has become more colorful, and I’ve created friendlier looking creatures. Depending what clients prefer, I’m keen on doing either of my styles. My best advice for up-and-coming creatives is to not being afraid of trying new things!
Neocha: 当你为客户工作时，你如何平衡自己的创意理念？
Mooncasket: 我一直以来的绘画作品都比较黑暗，以黑白色为主。随着我的作品越来越多，我还开始去制作zine杂志（Zine杂志是独立出版的小型杂志刊物），反响很不错。所以我对自己说，如果我想靠画画来谋生，我可以试着调整一下我的风格，来吸引更多的观众。在那之后，我的作品色彩更加丰富，我创作的角色形象看上去也会更可爱。取决于客户的喜好，这两种风格其实我都喜欢。对于新一代的艺术家，我的建议是不要害怕去尝试新的事物！
