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

Hi Arie, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

The most meaningful project is my thesis project, Witch’s Secret. As a freelance artist, the way we create art pieces is always based on clients’ requests, so it’s rare to work on a project that fully shows our art aesthetics. The thesis project gave me a chance not only to tell the story in the art style that I like, but also to think like a director and producer to paint the big picture for the project and manage the production schedule from start to finish. The process wasn’t always easy; to achieve what I envisioned, I had to step out of my comfort zone to learn new things and hone my art skills. It was painful at the beginning and I doubted myself a lot, but when I saw the outcome, I knew every hard work paid off, and it was so rewarding. This project has changed my perspective on challenges. I’m now more willing to try new things and view each challenge as an opportunity to improve myself and build my mindset as a professional artist.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m a visual development artist and character designer who is passionate about visual storytelling and world-building.
Drawing has always been my passion, and I decided that I wanted to be an artist when I was still a child. Although I kept drawing and honing my skills, my career goal was vague for a long time and I almost lost my passion at one point–until I saw the film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. The film showed the new possibilities in animation with its groundbreaking visuals, which reignited my passion for pursuing artistic dreams in the animation industry.
I believe that art style is also a part of storytelling, so I always stay open-minded when appreciating art creations. I took inspiration from not only animations across different countries and cultures, but also from diverse genres of films and games. For me, changing art style for better visual storytelling is akin to an actor adjusting their performance to suit different roles; it was a fun process. As I adapt my art style based on the aesthetics of each project, I feel as though I’m taking on a new ‘role’ within the story itself, experiencing fresh possibilities in my career.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

I think the most rewarding aspect of being an artist is when I successfully create what I envision in my mind. There is a Chinese saying called “There are a thousand Hamlets in a thousand people’s eyes,” which means that people hold different views and interpretations of the same thing. Even though we might draw the same character, only I can depict what they look like and how they act in my mind. However, due to the limitation of draftsmanship, sometimes I can’t draw out what I envision, so I need to keep improving my art skills to achieve the goal. The process is bittersweet, but it will be rewarding when I finally make it.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I had to unlearn self-effacing. The education I received growing up always told me to be humble and self-effacing, as if being outstanding was a bad thing. I followed the rule of being self-effacing too well, which made me overly strict with myself and afraid to show the imperfect side of me and my work. I even gave up chances without trying, just because I was afraid that I wasn’t good enough.
Self-effacing itself isn’t a bad thing, but it does hold me back from fighting for my career goal sometimes. As an artist, you will never know the result if you don’t put yourself out there. I started to share more art on social media, even though sometimes I felt it wasn’t good enough to my standards. I tried to be more proactive in participating in projects and competitions. It was scary at first, as I needed to change the thinking habits I had developed over the years, but I gained new experience during the process, and now I feel more confident.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://arieguo.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zekizekoo/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arieguo/