We were lucky to catch up with Min Kyung Cho recently and have shared our conversation below.

Min Kyung, appreciate you joining us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

Among the recent projects, there was one that stood out as an impressive experience. It came not from directly working on a project but instead from the realization of the position I was in.

As a lead animator at Slothique, we hosted an Animation Crash Course event at MODA (Museum of Design Atlanta). I had an opportunity to present to kids and teenagers (13+) about the 2D animation production process. This was an event to show how to create animation and engage digital art and stories.

I prepared for the presentation normally (pre-recorded animations, 2D animation pipeline, working production progress), however I couldn’t predict how well the kids would understand it. This stood out to me as being a new experience.

On our presentation day, a wide range of kids had participated in the event. Of course, they were energetic and passionate to express what they wanted to say, and at times may appear distracted. But I was amazed by their participation and energy. After this moment, I could understand and empathize with a teacher’s hard work and dedication to sharing prior experience and knowledge while keeping the group focused. I can see a potential path for myself with teaching art as it is rewarding to see the student’s passion and growth with understanding.

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

When I was younger, I was enamored by animation in the sense that it conveyed content through stories and characters in engagement. I decided to pursue a career in animation and began majoring in Fine Arts, with a focus on painting, at Ewha Womans University in Seoul, Korea. After, I went to SCAD for an MFA in Animation.

Since then, I have been working as a 2D Animator and Storyboard Artist in the Atlanta area. I usually work on storyboards and focus on 2D animation at Slothique and BWA studio for a series of social media videos, medical explainers, documentaries, experimental animation projects, and unannounced projects for top streaming networks. I’ve also had notable work experience at Trioscope Studios as a Storyboard Artist and Production Assistant for a feature hybrid upcoming film “Takeover”. I also volunteer for ASIFA-south, which is a non-profit organization for the International Animated Film Association, on the operations team.

I can say my specialty is based on my painting background which conveys artistic textures and emotions. Having painted for 10 years, I have developed my animation style to be more expressive and natural. I love hand-drawn animations that feel alive, dynamic, and express energy, similar to fast charcoal figure drawings.

As an artist, I want to communicate to the world about what I think, who I am, and why I depict in a certain way. I believe that artists are people who have the ability to better express emotions or incidents that many people have been feeling implicitly. I understand that I can participate in the world more actively by communicating with my skills. I enjoy seeing an audience empathize with my work in a meaningful way, as it helps me feel rewarded.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

As an artist, I am most excited about drawing animated characters and the worlds that they interact within. During my master’s thesis and project, I wanted to depict a world with a critical view of surveillance and censorship in society. As someone who is generally interested in what happens in society and people’s behavioral psychology. I wanted to portray the role of our environment in the ways we receive information from it and by who could affect it. So, I took on both the roles of Director and Lead Animator for my film, “The Unknown”. This film got the winning award from the FLOW Film Festival 2022 for Best Animated Short Film. It also got Official Selection from Imagine This Women’s Film Festival 2022 and was nominated for the Film of the Year -2D Animation for Rookie Awards 2022.

I still want to create works that can influence people who empathize with social issues that they encounter in reality. The influence an artist has is part of their job and the most rewarding aspect is feeling proud that it has brought attention to an area that the artist believes needs to be addressed.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

I think society should focus on the appreciation of the fine arts produced by artists and not on newer forms of technology. So far, there has been work to develop new technology for a more convenient world. The most recent, AI (artificial intelligence), has become hyped with many companies trying to introduce services using it.

This brings both surprise and fear that seem to coexist with the introduction of AI. Many digital artists are nervous that our jobs will disappear due to the replacement of AI art.

I find this phenomenon may be similar to the emergence of cameras in art history. Photos would depict the subject as it was, and the position of portraitists was eliminated, and it gave birth to a new art trend such as Impressionism. Artists back then created new art movements that would differentiate from previous works. Thus they would create ‘things that photography could not do’ and contain artists’ emotions and thoughts into canvas.

I think what society needs to support artists is to focus on appreciating art as a special form of creativity from other people. If there could be an improved attitude toward dealing with AI, our current situation could resemble that of photography and painting coexisting.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.miiinky.com/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/minkycho22/
• Other: IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm12573654/

Image Credits
Min Kyung Cho (myself)