We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Joshua Shingo Van Rooi. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Joshua Shingo below.
Hi Joshua Shingo, thanks for joining us today. I’m sure there have been days where the challenges of being an artist or creative force you to think about what it would be like to just have a regular job. When’s the last time you felt that way? Did you have any insights from the experience?
Honestly, Yeah I’m happy as a creative, but it look a long journey of searching to get here. (And it’s still going)
I tried to imagine having a regular job, but I feel like I would fail every position that isn’t art. I would be miserable from doing the same thing every single day, like a tireless routine. One might say “I do it for family”, or “I do it to live” ; I mean perhaps you’re gaining happiness from feeling like you’re providing for someone else, but really? For minimum wage? You want to work the same dead end job, just to put food on the table without being recognized for anything?
If you’re going to work, you’re going to want to find a job that has options. “if I do A, I may be able to get to B, if that doesn’t work, there is also C”.
Joshua Shingo, 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?
My name is Joshua Shingo Van Rooi ; Contrary to “Shingo”, which means discernment in Japanese, I’d say I’m not very discerned in most of anything, haha.
The only thing I am truly discerned in is art, because there is no discernment if you’re the one creating it. Art is free-form, and it starts from nothing and ends up being something, whether the society around you deems it something, or if you deem it something.
I’m an artist. I have an idea, and the goal is to make that idea real. I run a commission business where I have clients, and I draw for them. I have worked professionally at Eden Industries, vendoring for Activision Blizzard.
My goal with my clients, is to make their ideas real through the medium of Digital Art. No Artificial Intelligence, just pure hand crafted goodness.
What sets me apart? My distinct style. I use an “Ink” style, however.. It’s not exactly traditional. It’s Digital painting, with an ink finish. I’m still experimenting with it, but my rendering always involves thick, dark lines to separate elements. I offer High Definition artwork of whatever it is the client wants (Granted, Non-Explicit works). Whether this be Character Reference Sheets, Industrial design, or even Fashion design, I work hard to be the guy to do it.
In terms of other experience, I was an Art Instructor at British Columbia Christian Academy for about 3 months.
The start of my journey was picking up a crayon and destroying my parent’s wall when I was 3. All throughout school and High School I could care less about what was being taught to me, except Christian Perspective. Never had an impact either, I passed all my classes decently- I literally made up a story about being hit by a truck in grade 10 and passed my provincial exam.
The one thing I’d do is draw. I had.. worlds, in my mind- begging to be released. Wherever the nearest stack of white paper was, I’d be there. High school was the beginning of character design for me, and It all began with a green bomber jacket from H&M. The jacket became a focus to me, as it would be manipulated into all sorts of clothing designs I’d use in future projects.
After graduation, I immediately went to Visual College of Art and Design, after finding out that ECUAD(Emily Carr University of Art and Design).. wasn’t “exactly” for me.
Here, I discovered what it meant to collaborate. What it meant to share ideas and to make them real. I studied the elements of art, 2D and 3D ; The most impactful class was gesture drawing, and the usage of curves. Covid hit, and I got shafted (of course). They promised “foot entry into the industry as an under-wing” if you “applied yourself” (and BOY I did), but didn’t really do much.
Advice? If you’re expecting you’re gonna work straight after school, don’t. Re-wording a quote from Ratatouille (2007), “Jobs ALWAYS come to those who love to work”.
I got my first job from a church friend, actually. Eden was looking for a coder or VFX artist, I mentioned that I dabble in VFX Animation- Did an art test, and got hired. Worked for about 4 months before hopping onto the Activision Blizzard contract to do some 3D work. I did an annual contract, learning a lot about industry pipelining, collaboration, and networking.
This is also where I discovered that major “AAA” studios… are, well.. pretty simple. There isn’t much innovation, at least in this timeline I live in right now- Once a studio makes something that works, all the other studios do the same. “Subscription based seasonal system” churning out interesting, but short-lived content with not much story. I realized the hunger of innovation within the video game industry, and after the recent Layoffs, decided to really study what it meant to create something cool.
Making a good story takes time, it’s not something you can rush, but it’s something that can be destroyed very easily. My discipline is in worldbuilding and character design. It’s crafting a style to complement a universe.
I think I’m most proud of “Akko”, A character design I made for a fellow 3D modeler. He wanted a “Blacksmith” character sporting Cuadra and being funky, so I designed it specifically with that in mind.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
I’m Christian, so my goal is to glorify God in my artworks. It’s a hard thing to do in a world of metaphorical keys ; dangling in front of your face.
I’m currently writing a Graphic Novel called “Shingoquest”, which is the journey of Discerning the Un-Discerned. It’s this kid who has a crazy imagination, but lives in a world of deception.
My mission is to make people understand God in some way shape or form. For me, being Christian brings enlightenment to many worldly issues like Money, or Anxiety. I try to connect with my clients and bring them a good friendship, even if I’m tired.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?
Creating is about taking an idea, and applying it to the real world. For creatives, the flow comes from inspiration- Music, Socializing, Movies and TV shows.
This can not be forced- Especially to Bosses : Please. Take care of your Employees. Talk to them, and don’t force yourself- Just be casual ; put yourself in their shoes. Creativity isn’t that complicated, just take Anxiety and Pressure and put it on hold to listen to your Co-workers. I had the privilege of working under an incredible boss who was very patient, and that patience went a long way.
When dealing with ADHD or Autistic co-workers, asking them what motivates them or inspires them is also pretty meaningful when you see how it affects their work ; They produce priceless things, and these things can not be forced.
All this being said, there is a time schedule. A frame to work and finish. I feel like within a studio, having co-workers socialize and maintain a good relationship instead of being glued to their workstation is a good thing.
Y’know, making time to meet up if you’re remote, or walking together if you’re at a company. Socially, putting barriers up to an extent is healthy, but isolation is destructive.
I don’t know how, but if someone has a killer Idea and they have an art style to go with that idea, Let them lead. If their writing sucks, suggest pathways ; Cause and Effect. There is no perfect idea, there are only ideas that :
A. Make sense -> Sound cool.
B. Don’t make sense at the moment, but could sound cooler later.
C. Don’t make sense -> Steer into different direction.
D. Don’t make sense -> Avoid.
Creativity can’t be forced, If it is, you get mundane games which are forgotten easily.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.artstation.com/sh1ng02
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshvr-multimedia/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5sRNtGVIblw_5FXrb44s8Q
Image Credits
Joshua Shingo Van Rooi