Yiying Lu is a creative force. She is one of Fast Company’s Most Creative People in Business, an Adobe Global Creative Ambassador and the artist behind Twitter’s fail whale, some of your favorite emojis and the Shorty Award itself. Her work is seen at Disney, SXSW and more. She also serves as a commissioner for the San Francisco Arts Commission. 

How this all happened is a wild story that all started with a hopeful message from a continent away about not being able to attend a party and ended with defining an entire era of Internet culture.