We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Hyungjin Lee a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hyungjin, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s jump back to the first dollar you earned as a creative? What can you share with us about how it happened?

My first dollar earned was actually a $500 check for winning the Original Design award at Animation Block Party, an amazing animation festival in Brooklyn! I was not expecting any award, and I was already so honored to be screened at the festival. Holding the check in my hands, I felt so validated for all of the work that I had done thus far. Money was never my primary motive for making animations, but that check felt so encouraging, like I could make a life out of what I love.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Hello! I am an animator and storyteller from Seoul, now based in New York City. I have always been a multimedia artist, and I found animation after making live-action films, fine art, and theater. In a way, animation felt like a combination of all of these forms of storytelling and more. As an animator working alone, you have to be the writer, director, choreographer, actor, sound designer, and more. It was this endless creative potential of animation that immediately pulled me in. I have lived in the Asian Diaspora for all of my life, so I love that animation can transcend barriers of language. I can show my films in a festival in the U.S and in my living room in Korea, and there is no need for translation. I draw inspiration from my memories and family history, and I create animations characterized by hand-crafted textures and warmth. I’m especially drawn to stories about belonging, connection, and the nuances of love.

My past works include an autobiographical animation titled “I Miss You [보고싶어요]” (Asian American International Film Festival, Flickers Rhode Island International Film Festival, Korea International Short Film Festival, etc), an experimental animation titled “Recurring Dreams” which won the Original Design Award at Animation Block Party, and a bilingual play titled “Someday [언젠가는]”.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

I think the most rewarding aspect of being a creative is that my practice keeps me curious about the world. Often I’ll find myself paying close attention to a seemingly boring object or tuning into someone’s mannerisms because a part of my brain is searching for details and stories to translate into my work. Animation is a medium that requires a lot of careful, intricate observation. I spend days trying to fully grasp the movement of an outstretched hand. I think it would be a lot easier for me to become jaded about the world, to not be curious about people’s stories, if art didn’t require me to be constantly absorbing and observing the littlest things.

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

Social media is something that I’ve wrestled with a lot. It was a long process for me to figure out a way to share my process and art through social media without it feeling inauthentic and tiring. I am still very much figuring it out, but one realization I had was that you can choose which platform works best for you and your process. I started off feeling like instagram was the only way to share my process effectively. However, I realized Substack was a much more natural platform for me to share my thoughts through longer pieces of writing. I started a newsletter called ROUGHCUT (https://hyungjinlee.substack.com/) last summer, and I’ve been sharing a newsletter every month. I am still trying to find a flow on instagram – if you’re an artist struggling with presenting yourself on social media, you’re not alone!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.leehyungjin.com/
• Instagram: leehj.art
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hyungjin-lee-941a441a6
• Other: Newsletter: https://hyungjinlee.substack.com/

Image Credits

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