Flowing, Returning
Cindy Fang
See it On Campus: Level 2
RBC Media Gallery
Visitor Info
Flowing, Returning is a picture book for children aged 10 and up about welcoming curiosity and imagination to lead us to new discoveries, and moving forward even when we’re not sure what lies ahead.
This project was inspired by my love for whimsical illustrations and a recently rekindled fondness for practicing creative writing, as well as the feeling of being simultaneously lost and stuck in place.
This year at Emily Carr, I discovered that I have a passion for creating illustrations for children’s picture books, especially around themes of personal growth, introspection, and reflection. I seek to create work that doesn’t shy away from emotional vulnerability while bringing comfort and warmth to the viewer. With Flowing, Returning, I wanted to set a creative challenge for myself through a project that comes directly from the heart.
Front Cover
A common anxiety many of us share is the fear of not moving forward in life, or not seeing any changes in our lives. When we fall into the trap of comparing our own lives to others’ lives, our view of our own futures become obstructed, making it difficult to make personal progress meaningfully.
It is a heavy emotional weight for a young person. From my own experience, it eventually seeped into my creative process, making what we call “art-blocks” a rather frequent occurrence due to an overly perfectionistic mindset. In Flowing, Returning, this anxiety is present and acknowledged — but we let it go and move forward with our young, curious wanderer into worlds of colour and life.
Book Spreads
Illustrated and written by Cindy Fang
Proofread and edited by Cynthia Gan, Alpha Yu, Clay Jang, Joanna Liang
Each spread of the story, excluding the first, is a full-bleed panorama illustration, inviting readers to
immerse themselves in these illustrated scenes.
Standing amidst an emptiness,
There isn’t much here to witness.
Night after night as the air grows thin,
A little glass sits and beckons you in.
Little by little, then together as one,
The water spills out in a shimmering run.
Creating a trail through whispering veils,
Leading to awaiting wonders and tales.
New sights to behold in this world so strange,
Where flowers decay and bloom and change.
Such is the pull of our desire to stay
Which makes the creatures move forth each day.
The path ahead glows a delicate light,
Awakening places where Earthly beings take flight.
As many faces as stars in the sky,
Who will you be when the night is nigh?
Too soon it feels, but Time reveals all.
So when she spins her wheel, let’s answer her call.
Wandering through worlds high and low,
There is but one place left to go.
With each journey bringing back something new,
The little glass sits, the water returning too.
The full 32-page 8.75″ x 7″ book is on display on campus in the RBC Media Gallery.
Installation in the RBC Media Gallery
