We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Hyunjee Clara Ryu a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Hyunjee Clara, thanks for joining us today. Are you happier as a creative? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job? Can you talk to us about how you think through these emotions?
I am definitely happier pushing for a creative path in Los Angeles. I have worked as a tutor on a regular basis before, and while I love children and adolescents, I enjoy hearing their stories and helping share them as much as I can. Tutoring does rarely allow for opportunities for an intimate approach. As a budding illustrator and at large a designer, I don’t really think of myself as the primary storyteller; I am but a medium for other people’s stories. And I enjoy it much that way.
Hyunjee Clara, 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?
I am an illustrator, artist, and largely a designer for film and television. I got into this field wanting to become a screenwriter but switched gears when I realised I am more fitting to serve the visual elements of a story. What I am most proud of myself is that I am a self-taught painter, and the fact that I know I will keep pushing myself until I become an illustrator for film and television.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
I am most inspired by The Red Shoes (1948). Well renowned for its 20-minute ballet sequence in a seemingly modest space, The Red Shoes taught me that the simplicity of the set and the complexity of the ballet steps can dance together. In almost all cases, the character that occupies the space influences how the space is perceived and formed, but this is more exceptionally true when it comes to design for dancing. How do we design the space so that the movement of the dancer stands out the most? How can we design the space so it adequately supports the movement of the dancer, but not upstage it?
The answer, I believe, is in the use of negative space. But even in The Red Shoes, the negative space is not entirely negative. In film, I believe that is where we as designers come into play. We tell the stories through the “filled” negative spaces that each character navigates within.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
The most rewarding aspect of becoming a creative and an artist is that there is freedom in both lifestyle and the way we express ourselves through others. In our cases as a filmmakers, our work is never entirely our own but a result from collaboration. I design spaces, but I never design completely according to my vision. When I have captured the vision of my clients and my directors accordingly, that is the most rewarding because I know I am helping to tell a story that is the most true to oneself.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.clararyu.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/destined
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/rhjee
- Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm7323720/
Image Credits
Last three photos Directed by D. Wilmos Paul, Production Designed by Michelle Joo, <Love Poem>, UCLA TFT Theater-Film Collaboration 2022 Fourth to last photo Directed by Christine Zivic, <Queen Milly>, UCLA TFT Theater-Film Collaboration 2022 Sixth and Seventh Photos Directed by C. J, Zepeda