Check Out Henry Hsu’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Henry Hsu.

Hi Henry, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I’m terrible at writing about myself. Please ask me to elaborate on anything you find interesting if you’d like!

Started in 2016 after leaving a job in advertising where I worked as an art director.

Initially started with a few silly robot drawings while trying to find my style.

First event was the 626 night market, and it was a catastrophe. I didn’t have much goods to sell, and the outdoor event was quite punishing.

It took a few months to establish a style that worked, and I started to create more products.

Online sales started taking off towards the end of 2016 when I started another advertising job.

Since then, I’ve continued to develop my art and business into the state it is in today.

Along the way, I created a really wide range of characters: hula unicorn, grumpy chicken, wasabi the frog, miki the bunny, and a host of other non-named animal and food characters.

I also run a Patreon sticker club right now that is a way to inspire my productivity since I’m forced to create new art each month. (https://www.patreon.com/robotdancebattle)

For Grumpy Chicken, there is a separate coloring page Patreon. (https://www.patreon.com/grumpychicken)

I’m slowly growing my licensing business. I’ve been getting my work into Hot Topic with pins, stickers, buttons, and air fresheners.

The best part of all this is seeing the reaction of fans to my work, whether it is when they tag me in social posts or at events.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Learning how to be social / market myself at physical events was a challenge. In the beginning I was not super into talking. Especially when I did not have the confidence in my work/product. Now that I’m more established and have a lot of goods to offer, it is a lot easier to talk to people at events.

Finding reliable vendors is always a challenge. I have a giant bin full of defective enamel pins that I slowly sell in B-grade lucky bags.

Battling the social media burnout. The growth on my insta stalled for a while and lately, I’ve been doing a new way of doodle posts that’s helped to grow the audience. I tried to do reels, but it’s really not my thing.

Finding time to do TikTok is also a challenge.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I specialize in making kawaii characters that are sometimes dorky, sometimes silly, and occasionally dark. Usually, they are smiley. Except for Grumpy Chicken, he’s very grumpy.

I like it when my work captures a mood for someone. At events, people often come up and are super happy to see specific designs that really sing to their personality. Or that they immediately think of someone in their life.

I’m not really sure what sets me apart from others. I mean, there’s a lot of cute art out there and sometimes much cuter art. I’m happy to have my little pond where people can come hang for a bit.

Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
Oh wow, that might be too big a question for me to answer. Whatever comes after TikTok will be pretty fun, I guess.

Contact Info:

• Website: robotdancebattle.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/robotdancebattle/
• Other: https://www.patreon.com/robotdancebattle

Image Credits
Henry Hsu / Robot Dance Battle