Daily Inspiration: Meet Iris Lin

Today we’d like to introduce you to Iris Lin.

Iris, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin? 
I was born in China and moved to the States with my parents when I was in fifth grade. I love Japanese anime and was always doodling my favorite anime characters from middle school to high school. But never thought about actually taking my hobby seriously and turning it into a career. 

Throughout high school, I prepared myself for regular university and got into UC Santa Cruz as a psychology major. But a month before college life began, I second thought of my decision and future; I was lost and confused, not sure if this was what I wanted. It was then I decided to pursue my real dream, be an artist. Then, I withdrew from the college that I got in and took a gap year to prepare a portfolio for Art Center College of Design. A year later I got in as an Illustration major with a focus on entertainment design, then my art journey took off from there. Life in the Art Center is hard but also very rewarding. I met friends and studied hard. 

Then 2020, when it was time for me to start to find an internship in the animation industry, covid hit. At the time, most of the big companies canceled their internship for safety precautions. So, I think, why not try to find a short-term freelance job for a couple of months, then return to school and get my diploma as I always planned? 

My very first industry gig was doing background painting for Starburns Industries on a show called The Freak Brothers. The job was short, but it was fun. Then, soon after, Rick and Morty reached out to me for background painting for their Season 5. So, I decided to just start working and not go back to school. After season 5 with Rick and Morty was done, I was contacted by Dinsey TV Animation to work on their Mickey Mouse Funhouse show and am working on the show since then. 

We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I would say it was a pretty smooth road for me in terms of my career. I was really lucky to have found a job during COVID time and moved from one show to the next one. But as an artist, I always felt like I was constantly struggling with my skill and that feeling never goes away even till now. There is a saying like as an artist, you will never feel happy with your art, and that’s how I feel. 

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 specialize in background painting in the animation field for both 2D and 3D shows. I’m able to do many different styles of work, from very graphic stylized shows to very photoreal environments. Some artists are known for their specific art style, but for me I don’t have a set style that I go to. I like to call myself a “tool” that I will do whatever the job or the person needs me to do and not limit myself to a style. Plus, I think exploring the range of styles and art is fun and exciting to do 

In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
I am not sure where the industry will go over the next 5 to 10 years. As the AI tool has been introduced and improved within just the last two years, there are gonna be some big changes happening to the art industry. AI is like a pandora’s box; it brings good and bad, and it makes the future hard to see. I’ve seen companies starting to use AI tools to generate art and use it in their production. But the future is unclear for the artists; maybe there will be fewer jobs for us, and maybe AI will just be like another tool like Photoshop to make work for the artists easier. But for better or for worse, the AI tool is not going away, and we as artists just have to learn how to adapt to the new generation. It’s just like the Industrial Revolution; when there is a new invention, some jobs will be replaced, and new jobs will appear. 

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.irislinart.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/irisss.lin/?hl=en
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/iris-lin-b64200159/

Image Credits
Iris Lin