The arrangement most of us have made with ourselves and our future lives is: do what we do well, move on, plug away, praying that what we do is something that affects us and possibly others in an emotional, metaphysical, satisfying and hopefully non-harmful way, and hope to God that we enjoy doing it for the rest of our lives. The thing is, somewhere along the line a large percentage of us begin sacrificing this creative integrity to some degree for the promise of fame, fortune or simply outright survival. Let’s face it, the almighty dollar will continually rule over all else so that we may provide for our loved ones and/or ourselves. Finding the avenue down which we can travel to maintain a level of our own being and still put food on the table and a roof over our heads is tricky. Ask any artist.

Cryssy Cheung has a year left at the School of Visual Arts, yet she is already well versed in the life of a post-collegiate artist. She began interning with Vault49 doing graphic design work two years ago and continued freelancing for them after the internship. Currently she works with graphic design company Nathan Love, collaborating with other artists on projects for companies like Nike, Coke and Guinness. Working commercially isn’t Cryssy’s passion, but it has the benefit of putting food in her stomach. And it’s not exactly waiting tables. She is able to do something she loves every day, some at her 9 to 5 gig and the rest in the privacy of her home. “Commercial work and personal work are two different realms for me which are not mixed,” she says. Cryssy is able to keep work at work and when she gets home, she works only for herself.

Seeing Cryssy’s art, it is obvious why she is good at balancing these two worlds. Her work itself finds harmony between the fragile and bold. And there is a sensual element that is carried through all of her work that makes it distinct. In every piece, a character is pulled out of their everyday life and placed into a fantastical land of swirling color and subtle movement. “I like the idea of creating something that doesn't really exist in our present world.” This effect has the ability to produce an emotional depth in the characters and evoke emotional responses from her audience. “The emotion portrayed in my personal illustration is how I am feeling, or a narrative that is constructed based on my life's experiences,” Cryssy explains knowing that putting herself so whole-heartedly into a project has its pleasant repercussions. “Having impacted someone in some way or another is a very satisfying feeling to have.”

A lot of artists tend to maintain “survival jobs” as a way to keep their creative freedom. Freelancing can provide a healthy blend of creation and monetary gain. By working for larger companies artists can still make their money in their field; they just have to be willing to work to someone else’s standards and on someone else’s vision. Very rarely does an artist have the capability to find that balance of creative integrity and comfortable living and still make rent. Cryssy Cheung is still a year away from graduating from SVA, and already she is quite comfortable making a living out of something she loves to do, while keeping her eyes focused her own artistic future.

To see more of Cryssy's work, please visit www.cryssycheung.com.