Today we’d like to introduce you to Jay Kim.
Hi Jay, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
There was a video rental store near my house and I was able to get my hands on VHS tapes of the Disney classics such as The Little Mermaid, Winnie the Pooh, Aladdin, and Lion King 2. I was exposed to a lot of animated media. Watching the pretty backgrounds and lively characters on screen inspired me to draw and create stories of my own. I began with short comics in a sketchbook at the age of six and despite growing up in South Korea – my parents were surprisingly supportive towards my interest as they saw my passion for art grow more and more over the years. Around 2010, Walt Disney Animation Studio released the film Tangled and I knew then and there that I really wanted to be a part of this collaborative industry to inspire others the same way these films did for me. And so to follow this dream, I made the tough decision of saying goodbye to my friends, family, and country and stepped foot into the United States to chase my passion. I studied at the ArtCenter College of Design and just recently graduated this year in the Summer. I was really fortunate in finding a background painting job right after graduation and currently freelancing for Disney TVA.
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?
It wasn’t easy at all. Being from South Korea and stepping foot into a foreign country brought about many obstacles to overcome. Language was definitely a great factor. I remember myself struggling to order an iced-latte from StarBucks when I first arrived in 2017. Fortunately, my listening skills were decent enough to get me through my studies and I was able to understand what the instructors were teaching us, but learning to communicate was something I had to face and succeed at.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a visual development artist, and that means I do everything that is related to the show. I can design props, paint backgrounds and design characters. My strongest skill in art is color. This is the reason why so far my jobs have been related to painting. I have a huge interest in designing characters as well and hope one day to work for it.
What matters most to you? Why?
The thing that mostly matters to me now is: balancing work and life. Building career experience is stressful as a visual development artist since there is a lot of competition. I need to choose wisely rather should I go to work out or finish the portfolio piece that I’ve been working on.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://jaykimdy.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jaykimdy/
