We recently connected with I-Nu Yeh and have shared our conversation below.
I-Nu, appreciate you joining us today. What were some of the most unexpected problems you’ve faced in your career and how did you resolve those issues?
Coming from a first generation of Asian immigrants, there have been so many challenges throughout my entire creative career. After graduating from SCAD/Savannah(2010) in my early 20s, I tried to make it out of NYC. Here are the Challenges: the 2008 financial crisis, lack of paying jobs, unpaid internships, first language non-English, finding work/artist visa sponsorship, burn-out, unfriendly co-workers, underpaid wage, working 12+ hours/day, terrible roommates, free/test work, race issues, etc.
Learning from past mistakes, carefully added filters on clients, made sure everything was written down with emails, focused on what I was good at, constantly promoted it to potential clients, etc.
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, my name is I-Nu(pronounced enu)! I grew up in Taiwan and moved to the USA for school(undergrad & master’s). I became Asian American last year and finally felt – “I’m part of this country.”
I’m a Brooklyn-based freelance Motion Art Director/Illustrator and the owner of the Design Studio FISHTANK/BIGLIP. My work merges digital art with motion across a range of fields, including traditional art media, ceramic, video, silkscreen print, and computer art. She is better known as a creature creator.
My personal experiences are embodied in my Biglip Characters – playful, colorful, eccentric creatures that represent nonsensical possibilities coming to life.
I work/live in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, and often can find her with her rescued dog Aki at the park & ceramic studio.
Last thing, I started working as Art Director at Posit.co(an open-source tech company) last year.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
A big well known brand client: It was funny that we all wanted to work with a big name(s)/client(s) because we always thought, “It can be my portfolio piece and can attract more potential clients.” However, the big-brand client often time is the worst to work with.
A couple of years ago, I had a chance to work with this well-known (bank finance) client, and I should have noticed red flags in the early working processes. Here are some examples: many rounds of asking for a discount rate, high expectations (even though they know you are working on everything solo), being tied to turn around & deadlines, disorganized, bad management, etc. This client was unhappy with what I delivered and insulted me in front of my face during the meetings. The worst part is they refused to pay 2 weeks’ work pay. I was shocked, and it took me a while to come out of the negative emotions.
How do I get over it? Learn from mistakes, and spot red flags early on. MOVE ON – carefully select clients.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?
Resilience for everything, no matter what. Believe in yourself even if they are a mountain of problems/issues. Find something you enjoy to do it and work & life balance. I enjoy my work and don’t feel like I am working when I am doing work.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.fish-tank.tv/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/biglip.co/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/inuyeh/