Today we’d like to introduce you to Alice Yang.
Alice, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I’m currently studying Illustration at ArtCenter College in Pasadena. Before this, I graduated from UC Irvine with a B.A. in Psychology & Social Behavior and a B.A. in Art.
I’ve always loved drawing, but as I neared the end of high school, I couldn’t say confidently that I wanted to be an artist. I went to UCI to get a more general education and to explore subjects and experiences I was still curious about.
After I graduated college, I realized that as interesting as Psychology was, I had little interest in pursuing it as a career. At this point, I started seriously considering Art as a potential career path. I felt a bit stuck because I still thought there were only two kinds of artists–Fine Artists and Graphic Designers–and neither of those felt quite right.
I went to visit my old art instructors to vent about my post-grad confusion and they showed me Celine Kim’s Visual Development portfolio in response. That was a huge moment of clarity for me. I’m embarrassed to admit this publicly, but it never occurred to me that people actually *made* animated films. After learning this, going back to school seemed like a logical next step. I spent the next year building my portfolio with my old instructors at Right Brain Art Academy and now I’m at Art Center, painting alongside some of the weirdest, most brilliant artists I know.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Not entirely, but I think it’s as smooth as anyone could ever hope for. I’m where I am now because of an unimaginably strong support system.
The struggles I’ve encountered along the way are primarily internal ones. When I started art school, I was insecure about being “behind” in life because many of my college friends went on to be grown ups and work “real jobs.” Now I think that’s silly. Grown ups don’t exist.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I draw and I paint, but I don’t specialize in anything yet. I’d call myself a generalist, and I’m really proud of that.
A year ago, I would’ve called myself a character artist because I was too scared to draw anything else. Now, I’m mostly complimented on my environment paintings and that’s a huge accomplishment for me because at the beginning of this year, I couldn’t draw environments and I could barely paint.
I’d say my background in Psychology has helped me find a unique voice as a designer. Right now, I’m participating in a transdisciplinary project that combines Illustration/Entertainment Design, Film, and Transportation majors. We’re creating then pitching a product to a company, and it’s very research-heavy. Having a bit of understanding about human behavior and the science behind decision-making has helped me approach our research questions from a different perspective. I feel like I’m able to contribute something new to the conversation, and that feels incredibly rewarding.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
I’m working on two collaborative projects I feel super grateful to be a part of, and a personal project I’m tending to on the side. I’m looking forward to seeing those come together over this next year.
I’m also planning to graduate at the end of 2021! My goal is to find work as a visual development artist for an animation studio. No other big changes on the menu so far (though I am open to happy surprises).
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.aliceyangstudio.com/
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aliceyangster/
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