We caught up with the brilliant and insightful SeoYeong Hwang a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

SeoYeong, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I have always been kin to creativity and art since I was little. I immersed myself in reading picture books, creating things with random objects, and drawing whatever came up in my head. My interest in art started as a hobby I could look out for whenever I felt creative. However, navigating through a maze of relocations as an immigrant and international student caused an erosion of that interest. I lacked time or inner space to think about art.

In middle school, there was this moment when I was reminded by myself that art had been part of my childhood. I felt my heart starting to beat with pure joy and excitement. Once again, grabbing my pencil to draw on a blank sketchbook sparked the light of motivation and passion. I discovered myself absorbed into the world in the abundance of creativity and colors. It felt so unreal that I could spend all day creating art without getting exhausted. It was the moment when I realized that art represents me and that I should pursue a professional creative path.

I began to ground myself with firm foundations by learning to draw and paint in high school to utilize and emerge the veiled creativity due to a lack of skills stopping me from being more expressive. And now, I’m at the stage of slowly stepping into the professional world of creativity.

SeoYeong, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I was born in a small town called Hwasun in South Korea, but my life began in the capital city of Cambodia, Phnom Penh, full of energy and diversity.

With my bursting passion and motivation toward art and creativity, I stepped into SCAD. When I was in my first class in college, I was full of excitement and curiosity about what the unexplored side of art would appear like. However, my path as an artist hasn’t been explored yet. My affection wasn’t enough to show me which door I should open to fully merge with creativity and a way to be an artist. Everything seemed vague until I got into Sophomore year.

The creative approach of composing various elements around me had a massive transformation in my second year in college compared to my first year. One thing that I am assured of is my love of creating illustrations. However, I wasn’t satisfied enough with my art. It didn’t look professional and perfect. I felt a rigid and heavy obstacle was blocking my vision and path. By the time I was losing confidence and my creative identity, one quote from my professor, “What exactly is professionalism and perfection?” had struck me with enlightenment. I realized I was yearning for an impression instead of creating art directed from deep in my heart.

As a recent graduate from SCAD with a Bachelor’s degree in Illustration, I always keep that quote in mind, reminding me that art doesn’t have an exact or correct answer. To be an artist and not be ashamed of yourself, creating what you and others enjoy is the key. I create illustrations reflecting and using my emotions, interests, and anything that forms me as an inspiration to provide a solution to my clients. I express and visualize these elements through children’s books, editorial illustrations, and commercial illustrations (advertising and package designs).

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

There are numerous things that I wish I could have known earlier.

First of all, making notes helps generate ideas. I sometimes regret not jotting down ideas that pop up, even if I thought it wasn’t intriguing. Also, learning new skills and techniques through creating replicas of artists we admire is quite essential. This method helps not only to improve your skills but also to give answers to finding your identity as an artist. But, always be aware not to plagiarize. Once you have learned the techniques, utilize them to create something new that represents well about you and your brand.

We could also learn more about ourselves and discover our unique artistic style by sketching frequently. One time, I used to stop sketching after being too burned out from not having enough personal time besides creating projects. Taking breaks from being an artist is necessary, but sketching is something we can draw without being overly conscious. We are allowed to make full mistakes and experience failures by experimenting.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I want to use this question to motivate and encourage myself once more.

Finding a path to be an artist had numerous hurdles that always required different methods to overcome. In those moments, I always pushed myself through without looking back or spending time thinking about alternative solutions. I used to think solving problems alone could help me grow more, but it was hurting me.

Without overcoming the obstacles, I continued to create art like a duty. There was no motivation, excitement, or joy. My thought of art as an obligation expanded until I was at the end of my chapter as a college student. As I had to prepare my portfolio, website, final pieces, and many more to be ready before stepping out into a bigger world, I got scared and anxious because I had no idea what I wanted to do.

I spent more time talking with my friends and professors to prevent me from sinking into the deep hole, asking for help and advice. Figuring out what I’m yearning for was unexpectedly quite simple and easy. Instead of moving forward, I looked back at myself, emptied my mind, and started from the beginning, rebuilding my mindset.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.seoyeonghwang.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/syh_art_/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/seoyeong-hwang/

Image Credits
Original designs by SeoYeong Hwang The Wizard of Oz written by L. Frank Baum Jammy Yummy The Little Match Girl written by Hans Christian Andersen Kiki Milk Georgia Peach Festival Seoul Park Music Festival Swiss Miss The Sun and the Moon written by Yangsook Choi