Conversations with Anh Bui

Today we’d like to introduce you to Anh Bui.

Hi Anh, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I first started with just drawing for fun but eventually came to the realization that my art was bringing joy and excitement to other people. Whether it was doodling on my dad’s ship schematics or drawing action figures for my younger cousins, I realized I was entertaining others and having a lot of fun doing it. Fast forward a couple of years and I decide to come to the US, since growing up in Vietnam there’s not a lot of community for artists nor many actual opportunities.

I came over at 15 years old, and I bounced around several states and schools trying to figure out where I wanted to be and what to do and holding several part-time jobs in the meanwhile. I graduated high school and went to Columbus College of Art Design in Ohio, but shortly after decided to drop out and test myself by jumping into the Nick Artists Program all the way over in California! With the money I saved up, I came to LA with a dream and the means to achieve it and managed to get picked as one of the new Nick Artists through the program. This lead to a bunch of opportunities within and outside of Nickelodeon, and I’ve met so many people along the journey who’ve helped me grow and given me even more opportunities to get me to where I am now.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It was definitely very bumpy. Coming over at 15 with very little financial power and barely knowing a couple of words in English meant I had to spread my efforts into a lot of things that weren’t related to art. I had to learn how to take care of myself as I bounced around several states and school systems, with different host families providing shelter for me along the way.

However, this set me ahead, as I now know how to deal with things most people don’t have the time or freedom to learn properly before they get blindsided by it, like taxes and stuff.

This has given me the freedom to be able to focus on everything I want to do now, knowing that I’ve taken care of everything along the way with no worries.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m an Animation Background Designer/Painter and Illustrator. I’m known for several Nickelodeon shows as well as several books I illustrated. I have a vivid imagination that helps create worlds and tell stories through my art, and the smile I bring to people’s faces with what I put out helps fuel me further.

I’m willing to experiment and try things that are outside of art itself and then bring them all back to my art. This has created its own feedback loop where the more I do things outside, the better my art gets, which then provides me with more opportunities to do things and so on.

What makes you happy?
Spontaneity — things just happening and being in the middle of it and living in the moment. Seeing what my art leads to and the opportunities that open up as I continue to put in the effort. Whether to meet people I look up to or end up in funky places that I’d never imagine myself in, as well as the process itself and the journey it leads me through. Art is a vehicle for my happiness and all the experience it can reveal to me.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://artofanh.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dumpli.ng/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100012328473505
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anhpbui/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/avocadosmoothe