We recently connected with Ash Suh and have shared our conversation below.

Ash, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

I just finished my second-year graduate thesis film which has been the most meaningful project I’ve worked on to date! My thesis partner Wes Smith and I worked on our film “Hero’s Journey” for about a year which is the longest time I’ve spent on a project. I knew I wanted to work with Wes because we had worked well together on previous class projects and I thought our artistic styles matched well. “Hero’s Journey” is a 2D and 3D animation about the main character of a video game who is unable to control his actions. “Hero’s Journey” reframes the common story structure of mythic adventures through the modern perspective of a role-playing video game. It also serves as an homage to some of our favorite childhood games such as Legend of Zelda, Dragon Quest, and Super Mario Bros.
This project is super meaningful to me because I feel like creating it was its’ own hero’s journey. We hit a lot of walls along the way, but ultimately we were able to work through all of our challenges with the support of each other, our school instructors, thesis advisors, and friends. I started teaching myself Blender last year, and I’m still pretty new to animation in general, so I learned a lot while working on this project since “Hero’s Journey” is the longest animation I’ve ever made.
We were able to recruit so many amazing and talented people to help us out as well! My friends Margaret Sohn and Greg Tock created an incredible soundtrack, and my old work friend Amanda Witsaman and her sister Olivia provided voices for a few of our characters. The incredibly talented Christopher Sean Cooper Jr. provided the voice of our young Gamer, and his father has informed us that he has watched it multiple times since we sent him the finished animation, which warms my heart so much!

I had a lot of fun working with Wes, building the world of “Hero’s Journey”, and I’m super grateful for the support from everyone who helped us achieve our ambitious goals!

Ash, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Hello! My name is Ash Suh and I am a digital designer and teaching artist currently based in Astoria, Queens. I love freddo cappuccinos, obscure landmarks, conspiracy theories, and early digital media aesthetics. I dabble in many different creative areas, but I am particularly interested in 3D fabrication, 2D and 3D illustration, and narrative animation. In between graduating from NYU with a Bachelor’s degree in music performance and starting my Master’s degree in Computer Arts at the School of Visual Arts, I worked as a freelance graphic designer and illustrator working for various musical clients like Usher, San Francisco Girls Chorus, Miss Grit, and other local New York City artists. Throughout my career journey from music to visual arts, my passion for teaching has been consistent, and I have had amazing opportunities working as a teaching artist at museums and schools across New York City, such as the Brooklyn Museum, the Met Museum, and CUNY. My art often works with playful childhood memories and expressive shape and color language. I’m inspired by my cat Anita Tension, my Libra intuition, and my love for all things weird and wonderful.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I moved to NYC to study music, but by the time I graduated with my bachelor’s degree, I knew that I wanted to explore my passion for visual art. After I graduated, I worked at Lincoln Center as an administrative assistant and took graphic design classes on the weekend. I quit my job during the pandemic to pursue a career in graphic design, picking up various part-time jobs in between freelance gigs. During this time, I taught myself After Effects and fell in love with animating! My parents generously offered support for a graduate school degree, but I hadn’t felt motivated to take them up on their offer until I found out about the MFA Computer Arts program at SVA. I applied because the classes closely matched my interests and I knew that I could expand my network exponentially by going back to school. I don’t play much music anymore, but I still appreciate it and have a lot of love for my musician friends, many of whom have been very supportive of my career change. I couldn’t have made this pivot from music to art without the help of my parents so I’m super grateful for them and I hope to make good on their investment!

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

For me, the most rewarding aspect of being an artist is seeing a project through to the end. When I teach origami classes, the last step is always the most satisfying because it’s when the vision becomes fully realized. In origami, each paper fold is necessary to constructing the final product. Trusting the process and allowing yourself to make mistakes along the way are all part of growing as an artist. Although the first attempt may not always be the best, the fact that you completed it is an achievement in itself. Seeing my students be proud of their work is also a really rewarding feeling as a teaching artist.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://ashsuh.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ashsuh/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ash-suh-7470a8121/

Image Credits
Ash Suh