Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Veda Lee. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Veda, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

I’ve always loved drawing — ever since I was very very young. However, it was during the 2020 pandemic in which I was for certain that art was the path that I wanted to take. With quarantine and other safety restrictions, I found myself with a lot of abundant free time at home. With this, I took the chance and started creating a lot of youtube videos, mainly animations at the time, in which I started to find a small community, getting to interact with others. This was very meaningful to me, especially hearing how I’ve inspired others to create art and express themselves. Throughout the years, I continued to create videos, branching out to documenting my art journey. Later on after entering animation school too, I realised how important it is to tell stories, not just for entertainment, but to inspire people to live life in a healthy, meaningful way.

Veda, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Yes, sure! My name is Veda, I’m a freelance illustrator as well as a current animation student at Calarts — based in Hong Kong and Los Angeles. My works focus on telling stories that evoke a sense of warmth and nostalgia, as well as incorporating my home city’s unique culture into my art. Additionally, I also go by the alias ‘sakuraopal’ on the internet, posting content documenting my art journey with the goal of inspiring others and fostering a supportive artist community online. I’ve worked with clients such as ClipStudioPaint, HKWALLS, SkillShare, HUION Tablet and more!

Although I’m generally proud of the works I create, the thing I’m most proud of is definitely the community aspect. Through my content, getting to know different people, as well as being able to inspire others, is something I do not take for granted. Every time somebody tells me how much my content or artwork means to them, it really solidifies why I love creating art so much.

I’m currently working on my third year Calarts film, which is a 4 minute animated short about music! It will be released in end of April 2025, please look forward to it!

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

Being able to inspire others, bring meaning to other people’s lives is the driving source of why I create. Through my artwork, I want people to feel a sense of comfort and warmth, I want people to be happy after seeing my drawings. Especially in the recent years, there’s an increased rate of negativity, hopelessness in the world, which I totally understand and relate to. Although it may be cheesy for me to say, I want to provide a safe space on the internet, or just though my works!

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

When it comes to social media advice, I’m sure many people would answer with nitty gritty logistics, like calculate when the best time to post is, utilizing hashtags, etc etc… but I’m not here to tell you any of that.

When I create work, no matter if it be a film, an illustration, or a piece of content I post, I always ask myself — is this meaningful to my audience? How do I want my audience to feel after seeing this piece of media? In the end, numbers don’t really matter as much compared to the meaningful interactions and community you make. Numbers can be overwhelming, and there’s a constant desire to increase your “stats”, but at the end of the day — it’s just a number; don’t let it define you. You should let the content/artwork you make speak for itself!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.sakuraopal.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sakuraopal/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vedalee/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@SakuraOpalArt

Image Credits

Artworks: “FLIGHT”, “GOLDFISH STREET”, “TO THE CLASS OF US”, “SOARING MEMORIES” by Veda Lee.