Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Tiffany Chen. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Tiffany, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Are you happy as a creative professional? Do you sometimes wonder what it would be like to work for someone else?

The short answer is yes. I never dreamed I could live off being a creative and to be in this industry is something I’ll always appreciate. Personally I’ve always specialized in illustration and 2d animation, however specializing in motion in college allowed me to push my graphic design skills and now I am actually a full time graphic designer. This has given me the ability to grow my graphic design skills and work but also not burnout when it comes to illustrating on the side. It’s truly been the best of both worlds. Being a graphic designer is by no means a regular job and having friends working outside of the entertainment industry just seems so much more intense in ways I’m glad I won’t be dealing with anytime soon.

Tiffany, 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?

I’ve been posting illustrations onto the web since I was 12, but I really feel like got my first view of this world in college. I went to ArtCenter College of Design for Illustration with a focus in Motion and my teachers really pushed and supported me to take chances and give me a strong design foundation. Now I’m currently a full time junior graphic designer at Saylor agency and working with client like Netflix, Dreamworks, Hulu, and many more for their social campaigns.

Twelve year old me would be so proud to see how far I’ve come. As proud as am off my work in the industry its been personally fulfilling to make personal art on the side and collaborating with friends when we have the time. Posting on social media has given me an outlet to continue pushing my own voice and style whereas work often means learning to follow a given brand guideline. I am a sucker for trying new styles and thats something I try to do with my work and in my personal pieces.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

One thing I think a lot people might not realize is that creatives aren’t always working on something creatively fulfilling. Sometimes it really is just a job, BUT (I can’t speak for everyone) I believe all creatives work towards a path that allows them to work on projects that are fulfilling. Sometimes we are lucky enough to be paid for those projects and sometimes we have to work on jobs on the side to be able to do the things we love on our own time. It obviously differs for everyone and we all have our own strengths and preferences, but it’s not all automatically fun and easy just because its creative. It’s also its not JUST talent. Sure talent may help out in the beginning, but I truly believe becoming good at a creative field is the same as honing any other skill. It takes time, dedication, passion and having that innate talent and strong support system (whether its friends, school, the internet) will only help you reach your goals faster.

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

The internet is truly magical and there are so many places out there that are beneficial. For new graphic designers sites like unsplash or pexels have free stock images. For new motion designers motiondesigndirectory has lists of motion agencys and their websites to peruse. And for new illustrators I would recommend watching any video to practices figuring drawing gestures of people or animals in motion versus posed images.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://tiffanywchen.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tiqeress/