Meet JiHee Nam

Today we’d like to introduce you to JiHee Nam.

Hi JiHee, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I am a South Korean experimental animator. However I spent my childhood in Tokyo, Japan where I attended an international school. This influenced me to understand various cultures, trends and meet different types of people. While the school’s main forte was not art, it did give me a different perspective and vision to see the world in two separate categories. My mother was an oil painter, so drawing and painting was something that came to me naturally. Initially, I never thought of pursuing art as a career. I believe college was definitely a period in my life in which I considered my passion for design making.

During the first year, students go through a foundation year, which consists of trying different genres of art. In the second year, you choose your major. At that time, I was really interested in painting and graphic design, but I ended up choosing film/animation/video. As a child, I was exposed to a lot of motion pictures, but I never thought of myself actually being a part of the creative and production side of motion pictures. At the time, since I knew how to draw, I thought it could be interesting to learn how to put art into motion.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I am sure this happens to those in the creative job field, but it is always a challenge to think of new ideas and to look for inspiration. I did have that moment at one point (3-4 years ago) when I completely lost attachment to my work and was really hard on myself. It was difficult to not compare yourself with others when you’re surrounded by so many different artists. It was also difficult to not think about how my work and skills were not good enough. It took me a while to realize that that really does not matter. I learned and understood that I needed to just keep working and producing new creations.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I usually make animated short films, and my main technique is using 2D digital animation. I’m very interested in the theme of human relationships and their disruptions. These themes are expressed through a specific technique called ‘ma’, which is the Japanese word for negative space, gap, or a pause. This technique intrigues me on how the moment of silence can emphasize more emotions than words. The sudden stop or angle change is a unique technique which I use throughout my film. I think this technique helps accentuate the artistic theme I’m interested in – ecosystem and its disruption.

Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
My time in grad school was definitely a big change in my life. It had greatly impacted my work a lot. Being surrounded by cohorts with the same interest and artistic issues as well as with instructors who are still active in the field, gave me a lot of motivation. We had similar passions and had worked together to improve our art. My time at graduate school had encouraged me to reflect and develop my works.

Contact Info:

• Email: jiheenam95@gmail.com
• Website: https://jiheenam.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_m__er/

Image Credits
Heehyun Choi