Life & Work with Megan Wong

Today we’d like to introduce you to Megan Wong.

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?
Color pencils and printer paper were my world as a kid. Growing up, It was always pretty clear to me that I would get into the art world somehow – or at least I would try to, with my scribbly mermaid drawings dotted with hearts and stars and everything sparkly!

However, as I got older, I started getting the idea that the only way to get anywhere in the art world was through becoming a fine painter or a contemporary artist. I dived in nonetheless, determined to have the career “of my dreams”. I went to England, and took the better chunk of my high school and university years, and poured all my efforts into fine art, and academic art history. Everything seemed to be going smoothly until I hit a roadblock. I was not happy, exploring a fine art career was not as fulfilling as I had hoped it would be, and it certainly was not how I wanted to tell stories. I even thought that maybe telling stories was not what I was meant to be doing with my life.

One day a friend and classmate of mine had mentioned that they applied to ArtCenter, but plans fell through, and they never went. I started researching the school and came across their Entertainment Arts program. I realized that storytelling was meant for me, but just on a different path. I applied and tried my luck at getting in. And well, the rest is history. 🙂

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Definitely not a smooth road. A huge part of the roadblock that I hit after I graduated high school was the fact that none of the fine art institutions that I had applied to wanted to offer me a place. I was so dejected, and I ended up going to my last choice of university, hoping to make at least something out of this experience.

That’s not to say that I have never been rejected or turned down in my life! But that specific moment was really hard on me. It made me see myself as someone who would never make it and someone who would never be able to achieve a creative career, at least one that I would enjoy doing for the rest of my life.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I create illustrations and 2D designs, specifically character design and visual development for animated projects like feature films and animated TV shows. I’m more focused on character design, but I really want to learn on improving my painting skills through color and light.

I am definitely most proud of how I’ve grown since moving to LA. I came out of my shell much more than I expected to, and have become a better team player because of it. Bouncing ideas off of my peers and hearing their perspectives and stories is probably one of the best things about working in entertainment.

My stories are what set me apart. Many of my stories are powered by my family and the city of HongKong where I grew up in. However, I believe that there is so much more to explore outside of subjects that are familiar to me, so I try to tell stories through other perspectives, as well as through other people’s experiences. These are projects that I love writing about, and I hope to one day pitch these ideas to studios. Maybe one day I’ll even be able to direct one of my stories and turn it into a movie! But that is a goal for the far future.

Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
My biggest risk so far is this! Hahaha

I had never lived in the US prior to moving here, nor did I know anything about Los Angeles before coming to ArtCenter. This whole pursuit for a place in the Entertainment industry as an artist is a complete gamble. I know that there is a chance that things might not work out after I graduate. I may not get hired in LA, and I might have to go back home. All of that change, within the time span of three years, is terrifying to me.

But that to me is what risk is. Risk is change. You embrace the absence of knowledge, and the absence of certainty, and you accept whatever gets sent your way, regardless of the outcome, be it positive or negative. I do this because no matter what happens, I can move on knowing that at least I tried.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @meganskie