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

Will, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

Three most meaningful projects/films I have made are 1. Dear My Son
https://vimeo.com/64014700
I made this film to celebrate my first son’s 1st birthday!
2. Where Are you Really From?
https://vimeo.com/576090745
I made this film to encourage people to stop the Asian Hate and systemic stereotype and racism.
3. Disappearing Jewels (Currently in the film festival circuit)
Trailer
https://vimeo.com/804011088
This is the most recent film about my grandfather and the climate change/Ocean Warming.

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?

I got into animation filmmaking originally because I didn’t want to stop drawing. When I first started out learning animation, I had a little interest in filmmaking. Rather, I liked making countless drawings and paintings to create some kind of movements. But as I continued to study animation and pursue animation for both my personal works and commercial works, I fell in love with a storytelling aspect of animation. I feel like the biggest challenge in creating animation films or doing animation for other directors or clients is satisfying specific goals while pursuing and maintaining my own unique visions and approaches. I think I get more mature and professional as I continue to solve such challenges and as I continue directing my short films. I feel the most proud when I get responses from the audience or viewers at film festivals and I feel the most proud when my work is used for films or videos of others that have meaningful purposes.

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

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is that I get to be a lifelong learner. It is simply impossible to stop learning if one genuinely considers themselves as an artist.
Also, Constantly getting inspired by others and inspiring others.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

I believe the greatest resource for artists is people. Family, friends, classmates, teachers, colleagues, etc.
In my late teens and early 20s when I was 100 percent firm
on pursuing art and animation, I wish I would have listened to
people around me and respected them more and built more solid
and meaningful relationship with more at the beginning of my academic and artistic career.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.willkim.net
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/will1005
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/willkimlifedrawing
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/will-kim-2081711a
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/will1005
• Other: https://vimeo.com/user8456906

Image Credits
All works by Will Kim / © Will Kim All Rights Reserved