Today we’d like to introduce you to Lok-Mon Chan.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
From a young age, my eyes were glued to this clunky tube TV emitting all these colorful images into my brain. I soaked up so many different stories from so many different mediums. Television, movies, video games, you name it. It was all thanks to my mom for introducing me to this world.
She immigrated to the US from Hong Kong in the ’80s not knowing any English, but that didn’t stop her. She learned by watching a lot of the popular sitcoms at the time; one of her favorites was Full House. So when it came time to teach me and my brother how to read and write, it was quite difficult for her to teach us the technical aspects of the English language. She gave us educational workbooks and read as many books as she was capable of reading to us, but the biggest aid for me to learn stories and language was movies. She would put on various Hayao Miyazaki films, Hong Kong films, anime, and classic ‘90s Disney films. As I got older, she rented hundreds of movies from our local library. I have seen so many amazing films and twice as many terrible films, but it subtly sparked my calling for storyboarding.
All those animated movies my mom played for me, I would sit and draw for hours. I was a terrible writer in school due to my grammar but if you asked me to draw something, I could do it. I could sit and daydream different stories in my head. But, when I got older and it came time to apply to universities, I didn’t think it was a practical thing to do. All my parents’ friends gloated, “Oh, my kids go to such and such university studying computer science, engineering, pre-med, etc.” It promoted the thought that I probably should not become an artist. I went to a university in my state, Maryland, double majoring in social work and psychology.
After completing my first year, I realized all of my notes were covered in doodles. I weighed the options and decided that it was probably best for me to just follow what I truly want to do. I transferred to Savannah College of Art Design (SCAD) and studied animation. Little did I know that animation is typically outsourced to other countries. It was my senior year and I stupidly didn’t look into it beyond the surface level thinking, “Wow, it’d be so fun to draw for a living”. Somehow I landed an internship at Cartoon Network and learned more in-depth about storyboarding. I didn’t even know it was such a thing. Someone has to draw out how a film, tv, or commercial would play out before actually filming or animating it. I immediately switched gears and declared a minor in that. Only to realize it’s competitive to get into that as well.
When I graduated and moved back to Maryland, I did not receive a single offer for eight months of applying as a storyboard artist. I ended up biting the bullet and applied as an animator for a smaller company located in LA. I was called to take a test in their location while I was still on the east coast. Realizing the conundrum I put myself into, I told my mom and brother I’m going, one-way ticket style. I had to get out of Maryland. They told me I was crazy and asked what was my plan if I didn’t get the job. Well, I didn’t have to think about that because I got the job and it helped me set roots here.
It was a good first animating job, but as I continued to work there, I always wondered if I could still be a storyboard artist. I ended up quitting to take classes but it just so happened that the pandemic started at the same time. I just kept taking classes, getting critiques from professionals, and storyboarding as a freelancer, all online. I ended up landing my first major storyboarding job at a union studio. This was the storyboarding job which I learned so much from. It truly helped me land my next job working on my favorite show of all time, Futurama.
It feels like such a journey but as I look back, I have only just started my career. I learned so many things from all my different mentors along the way, but I still think back to my younger years staring at the screen and watching a movie or show play out. My mom’s love for TV and film exposed me to my own love of how to tell stories and for that, I am thankful.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The road to becoming a storyboard artist was grueling for me. So many days, I would just sit and cry in frustration about why draftsmanship wasn’t keeping up with my brain. I would have hundreds of ideas only for it to be so difficult for me to convey them onto paper. There were a lot of nights I couldn’t sleep thinking I might never make it. The struggle is all mental. With art being so subjective, I can’t help but compare my work to other people’s work, causing more mental anguish.
There was a lot of decision-making that led to this point as well. During my time at SCAD, I teetered back and forth debating whether or not to pursue 2D animation or 3D animation because at a certain point in the academic program it diverged. I am glad I followed my gut wanting to draw more. It led me to go into 2D, which pointed me towards storyboarding. However, when you’re in the thick of it, you have no idea if you made the right choice or not and that was eating me up inside. Another decision was determining when to leave my first job. When I did leave, the pandemic started. I was trying to learn and meet different people at the worst time imaginable. Many opportunities became inaccessible but I did find alternative methods.
There were many bumps along the way but they helped me grow into a stronger artist and person.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a storyboard artist. I get a script, read it, and imagine what that would look like to a normal viewer. I would have to think about camera angles, acting, and compositions that best show the story. Some projects are also not script-driven but storyboard driven, meaning it’s up to the storyboard artists themselves to create the whole story! However for me, I have only worked on script-driven shows. I’m not really known, but I am happy that my directors like how fast and clear I draw and that my coworkers like my stupid puns/jokes at work! I am most proud of my journey more than anything. I grew so much during my career shift during the pandemic. I didn’t think I would be storyboarding for my favorite show in such a short amount of time considering everything. I think what sets me apart from others is my incessant humor despite having a straight face. My goal in life is to just be easy to talk to and have fun with.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
In my journey, I have taken many risks and didn’t think about all my options with much depth as I should have. I am thankful the choices I have made turned out well, but I would advise others to have better plans for their futures. Also, do not think you have to be one hundred percent sure about things to make a decision. I have a lot of anxiety. I have told a few of my friends my story and they think I am fearless and confident, however, I am far from it. I am quite a nervous wreck, but when it comes to big life decisions, I am not the type of person to mull around because I am more anxious when I am idle. I rather regret doing something than missing the opportunity. I guess the point I am trying to make is that you should definitely make a plan for big decisions but if you’re stuck because you’re afraid, take the leap of faith. Who knows where you’ll land!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.lokmonchan.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/loknessmon/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/LokNessMon
