We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Huayi Yu. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Huayi below.

Huayi, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

The most meaningful project I’ve worked on is my current junior film at CalArts, titled Family Dinner. This film is a deep conversation with myself, and I hope to share it with everyone in the near future.
In my first year, I made a film that reflected the awkwardness of my real-life circumstances. In my second year, I dedicated a film to a friendship. By my third year, I felt it was time to create something for myself. I created a fictional family to tell this story, aiming to create a warm and comforting family atmosphere that could touch the softest parts of every viewer’s heart.
For me, the process of making this film has been a journey of self-healing. Every interaction I create with the characters in the film feels like a dialogue with myself. Through this story, I want to convey the idea of embracing imagination as a way to face life. Imagination is at the core of human existence, and I hope viewers feel inspired to live boldly, creatively, and joyfully.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Hi! :D I’m Huayi Yu. I’m a BFA3 Character Animation student at CalArts, and I love creating both still and moving images that revolve around interesting shapes from my perspective. My passion lies in crafting dynamic visuals, from mind-bending animation transitions to quirky and humorous character performances.
If you’re interested, feel free to check out my animations and films on my website: https://huayiyu.com/

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

For me, the most rewarding part of being creative is the heightened sensitivity to life and everything around me. It allows me to notice tiny, overlooked moments that might seem insignificant. When I process these through my mind and translate them into animation, it’s magical to discover that someone, even on the other side of the world, might resonate with the same feeling. That sense of connection is incredibly fulfilling.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

I believe everyone has their own kind of creativity. It’s just rooted in different aspects of how they see and interact with the world. What makes each person creative is the way their unique perspective shapes their ideas and choices. For me, creativity comes from questioning and observing. I’ve always been curious about how things work, why people do what they do, and whether things could be done differently.

I don’t see creativity as something magical or unreachable. It’s more about staying curious and not taking everything at face value. This mindset has helped me notice patterns, rethink assumptions, and come up with ideas that feel personal and meaningful to me. I think that’s why creativity feels so unique to each person. It’s just a reflection of how they see and make sense of the world. For me, it’s less about finding “answers” and more about exploring possibilities that align with how I think and feel.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://huayiyu.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/huayi11/
• Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/huayi-yu-5b3672262

Image Credits

Huayi Yu