Today we’d like to introduce you to Tarik Bilgiseven.
Hi Tarik, 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?
I was born and raised in Istanbul, Turkey — a place that feels a world away from where I am today. Fourteen hours by plane. Growing up, we didn’t have many options tailored for kids in terms of entertainment, so I naturally gravitated toward American media. The choices felt endless compared to what I had access to, and I was instantly drawn in — not just by the stories, but by the rhythm of the language, the visuals, the emotion and the variety. That curiosity became my teacher. I learned English because I was determined to understand what these characters were saying. Both of my parents are academics, but my mom would paint and sculpt often — we still have her fruit paintings all over our kitchen tiles back at home, so creativity never felt like something separate from everyday life. It was just as normal as cooking dinner or sitting on the couch. An unspoken permission to make things, it was part of being alive, that stayed with me. At the end of the day Art felt like a controlled reality, any story or observations I had made in the real world would pour into my papers, open to exploration and experimentation, the world made sense to me that way. I didn’t grow up with much Turkish media, so I experienced a lot of life first-hand and then processed it through art a lot— whether with a camera or a pencil. So much so that my teachers used to call my mom to complain because I would draw on my exam papers — not out of disrespect, but because when you’re staring at a wall for 40 minutes, the shadows of the desks and chairs can start looking like movie scenes or characters. By high school, coming to the U.S. felt like a natural step. I already spoke English thanks to years of absorbing stories, so during my senior year, I started cutting classes — with permission — just to work on my portfolio and apply to Art Schools for animation. And now, I’m in LA living by myself, a few weeks away from graduating from Otis College of Art and Design with a BFA in entertainment design. sometimes I forget how big of a jump my life has taken on paper. It’s easy to get lost while chasing days, but when I zoom out, I realize how much of a leap this has been. I’m also currently working as an Associate Programmer in the Southeast European Film festival, it is an LA based annual film festival that highlights movies from southeast Europe, mostly independent movies, I got to appreciate Eastern Europeans rich filmmaking history after moving away from home for school, you don’t realize and appreciate the importance of something until you move away.
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?
Not exactly smooth — but I also don’t think anything truly is. When you get up and decide to do something, I’ve learned that you have to be open to redirecting.
My biggest struggle has been overrating things, especially when it comes to people I admire. I’ll be sitting next to another artist, drawing the exact same line with the exact same pencil, and still convince myself that they have some kind of magic — , a better tool, a better mind. I’ve often separated myself from the artists I admire, mentally placing myself on the other side of the grass. Maybe that’s because I physically grew up so far away from everything I dreamed of — so much so that even when my goals were close, I still felt distant from them. Could be an intense case of imposter syndrome haha. But that’s slowly changing hopefully, . Especially since moving to LA and meeting some of the artists I looked up to. I got to talk to them at events like Lightbox. Took their classes and learned from them, — and slowly, that mental bridge started forming. I’ve started to zoom out and see things more clearly, without overcomplicating them. That gap I used to feel is shrinking. We are all human beings at the end of the day. Of course, I still have my moments — I think everyone does. Life is not linear, and there’s no real ranking system to any of this. Everything is open and intertwined . I’m learning to focus less on titles and names, because it’s easy to get blinded by the reputation of something — to let it feel bigger than you. But I’m realizing now that the projects and people I admire didn’t get where they are because they were chasing success. They just did the work they wanted to make— and the right things found them along the way. That’s the mindset I’m trying to stay in now. Keep making things. Let the rest come when it does. Sense of false urgency can wear you down. My dad always used to say “ do your work and whatever happen will happen “ I’m understanding and appreciating that more as I get older.
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’m currently a charcater designer and an aspiring director. I specialize in designing dynamic characters with motion and story, structure and write stories that tries to explore human nature through surreal metaphors and grounded realities, I enjoy duality within a story. Right now, I’m still most known as a student, but what I’m most proud of is how my work is starting to reflect what I actually want to say. Over the summer, I wrote a screenplay. it’s about a young corporate employee who literally sells his soul for a promotion. Throughout the story, we follow his internal dilemma through his daily life, his ego, regret, and finding closure. It’s surreal, stylized, and emotional That project really helped me find my tone as a storyteller.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
I feel like I’m still learning a lot, I don’t know how I can structure everything and pick and choose what to say as an advice. Everyone is different at the end of the day. I guess, just try to have closure with your work, of course try to do your best, try to get better, a better designer, storyteller, don’t lose the objective but also don’t make it a grueling experience and start hating something you once loved, there’s no competition, the most progress I have seen with my work and my friends’ work have been moments where we were enjoying the process. We hear that a lot as artists, “ Enjoy the process “ but it can be really frustrating, it took me a few years to experience small pockets of moments where I enjoyed the process, and I got to appreciate that quote on a different level. Just try to remember what you wanted to do this in the first place , even if this means watching Coraline for the millionth time to light that fire again, enjoying and appreciating life is the best recharging method for anything.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://tbilgiseven.myportfolio.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_tarts__/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tarikbilgiseven
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/__tarts_?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
