We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Scarlett Ssu-Chia Chen. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Scarlett Ssu-Chia below.

Scarlett, appreciate you joining us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

I’m Scarlett Chen, a US-based Taiwanese motion designer. Before my artistic journey in the US, I pursued a major in Economics during my undergraduate studies in Taiwan. Around my junior year, I began questioning myself if economics was truly my calling, struggling with uncertainty about my future. It was during this time that a senior designer offered invaluable advice, encouraging me to reflect on the question: ”What can I envision myself doing from morning till night every day in the future?” This insight was a turning point. I have always held a deep interest in arts and design. But in the past, I lacked confidence in my artistic abilities. However, when envisioning a future where I’d be engaged in something from morning till night, I discovered my desire to be involved in creative industries.

So, I embarked on a journey to explore various aspects of creative fields. When I got into motion design, I felt a profound excitement and joy that I hadn’t experienced before. I really love that animation allows me to communicate my feelings to others and connect with them. This inspiration led me to transition from economics to motion design. Therefore, I headed to New York to pursue a master’s degree in MFA Computer Arts at the School of Visual Arts. After completing my studies, I relocated to Los Angeles and began working as a motion designer.

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?

About my artwork, I specialize in creating vibrant animations using 2D and 3D motion graphics. I like to take the viewers down an emotional, wild, but surprisingly smooth ride through my fantastical animation, which is full of energy and happiness but also with a touch of trippiness. With a background in Economics of decision-making, I design with sensitivity to audience needs and effectively solve their problems.

One of my representative works is my thesis film “Overthinking Tea,” a project I directed, designed, and animated entirely on my own. This animated short tells the story of a girl struggling with overthinking, drawing from my own experiences. Through this project, I want to turn my negative experience of overthinking into a blessing and let those who have similar experiences know they are not alone.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

There were many moments when I felt overwhelmed and uncertain along my artistic journey. The most painful struggle was realizing my own limitations. I often compared my work to that of my peers, leading to feelings of being behind and self-doubt. When I couldn’t create the work that was pictured in my mind, I felt frustrated and helpless. Transitioning from economics to art and design also meant I lacked many years of foundational training, so I had to push myself to self-study even harder.

Although it hasn’t been a smooth journey, I am deeply grateful for the experiences and the people who have accompanied me along the way. They have provided unwavering support during challenging times, shaping me into a more compassionate and resilient individual. I am equally appreciative of my background in Economics, which emphasizes rationality. I used to be an extremely emotional person before, but the integration of rationality from my Economics background has provided me with a balanced perspective. This fusion of emotion and reason has granted me unique insights and enabled me to approach my creative work and life with greater maturity and resilience.

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

Doing motion design makes me happy because it allows me to unleash my creativity, and the moment when I make an improvement after putting in a lot of effort truly delights me. However, the most rewarding aspect of being an artist for me is the power of storytelling. As an introverted individual, I had always struggled with expressing myself. But through motion graphics, I discovered a powerful medium to convey my thoughts and feelings to others and foster connections. Knowing that my work resonates with the audience, and brings energy and happiness to people fills me with the greatest joy.

This feeling is what keeps me going, and it gives me a clear goal in mind: to become a motion designer and collaborate with diverse, talented artists to create work that could touch people’s hearts. I hope that I can keep creating an immersive and imaginative world for viewers to join me on the adventure, and bring happiness and vitality to people through my work.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://scarlettchen.art/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scarlettchen_art/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scarlettchenart/

Image Credits
Scarlett Chen