Today we’d like to introduce you to Diana Liu.
Hi Diana, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My family is originally from China. After years of hard work, my parents found a permanent home for us in Vancouver, Canada. I am forever grateful for them doing so because if I were to stay in China, I would have followed the path of all my relatives and found a steady government job. Instead, I am working hard to fulfill my dreams and to find a home for myself and my future family here in California.
It was in my freshman year at a college on the East Coast that I discovered my love for animation and storytelling. I often see the world around me through a film lens, and I am the happiest while turning my abstract thoughts into understandable drawings that connect with the audience. That was when I decided to transfer to ArtCenter.
While at ArtCenter, I found out where exactly my passion lies within the animation industry: storyboarding. I enjoy analyzing story structure and creating relatable characters that are inspired by my own memories and experiences.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I had my biggest struggle before I started learning to storyboard. When all my friends were striving to become visual development artists, I tagged along, thinking it was what I wanted to do as well. However, I wasn’t very confident with rendering, color, and design. I always felt short compared to what everyone else was doing. In the meantime, I’ve always known that I wanted to do to the story but was too scared to begin. For no less than half a year, my head was filled with fear and doubt: what if I’m bad at storyboarding as well? Where would I go next?
When I finally made up my mind and took an intro to storyboard class online, all my doubts were blown away. It was true that I wasn’t very good at the start, but my love for storyboarding kept me going. I took classes after classes and created sequences after sequences to better my craft. Now, looking back at these two years, I don’t regret for a second for taking that intro to storyboard class.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I specialize in storyboarding and story development for feature animation. I take an idea and turn it into tangible visuals. My drawings help directors communicate their visions clearly, and serve as the springboard for everyone down the production pipeline.
How do you define success?
Being happy, being loved, being able to provide for myself and my family while having a little extra for occasional travels, and having a healthy body (at least for as long as I can.)
Contact Info:
- Website: https://liudianaart.wixsite.com/story
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/liudianaart/?hl=en
