October 21, 2020

Meet Justine King of Calarts in not a company but calarts is in Santa Clarita

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Justine King.

Justine, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I was born in Australia but grew up in China studying in international schools. Growing up in an Asian country, anime was the mainstream cartoons and was something I’ve always been intrigued by – from like 3 years old till now. I started doodling and taking art classes in kindergarten. I think back then, it was the compliments from the others that kept me going, and I began to dream of becoming an artist or a painter – as having no ideas what are animators or illustrators.

My dad loved books and brought my sister and me to the bookstore and book booth every week. We would visit the kid’s area to search for comics, anime magazines, and other stuff. My elder brother also recommended me anime and games like Evangelion, Katekyo Hitman, Pokemon, etc., supporting my arts and interests. My parents weren’t home most of the time due to work, so cartoons and animes took up most of my childhood entertainment.

It wasn’t until late middle school as I start doing research about art as a career. Before that, I was just a usual introvert art kid who doodles on the handouts. I had a lot of debate with my parents, doubting if it is worth it to dedicate myself to art after the expensive education and the hard work and grades I achieved academically. But I became determined after the experience at CSSSA animation, interacting with the young artists who share similar goals made me feel the passion and found how much more active I can become when I’m in an environment where everyone enjoys what they do. I learned that one could be more successful if one genuinely loves what they are doing.

Some artists and directors that inspired me along the way were Satoshi Kon, Yuasa Masaaki, Alexandre Diboine, Ikegami Yoriyuki, Hirokazu Koreeda, and a lot more. I loved their whimsical feeling and creativity in their arts and stories, as they were experimental while still understandable. Disney art books, especially the art book of Wreck-it Ralph and Zootopia, also provided me the vision of fascinating designs behind the scene.

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?
I don’t like to think of the obstacles as challenging because I feel that gives me more pressure when struggling. There had been a lot of self-doubts and struggles, but after all, I mostly get what I think I deserved depending on the amount of effort or works. When there aren’t pay-offs, there is usually next time to try again and do better.

One of my struggles was finding my style. I was told not to care about the style, but it was still hard since what I draw is very different from the mainstream western style, and I felt unhappy when I’m forced to draw in an unfamiliar way. Due to that, it was a lot of pressure when I was applying to CalArts. I knew the school is a dream school for almost everyone interested in studying animation and that it is highly competitive. While I did cater to the western way of thinking when building my portfolio and learned a lot, it was still one of my worries when waiting for the result. When I received the acceptance letter, what I felt was mostly relief rather than happiness due to the expectation, which had gradually grown into pressure instead of motivation. This is still a concern I have throughout my first year of CalArts and right now, but I gradually learned how to be patient. Right now I’m dedicated to improving and drawing what I like because I know I’m still not good enough, but will have the ability to get better.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Calarts story. Tell us more about the business.
As I’m still finding my own way, instead of comparing my arts to others, I would say personally, I aspire to create meaningful work that has depth to reveal my perception of the world.

I’m often inspired by the odd little things in my daily life, sometimes a rubber duck in a water puddle by the road, a bizarre dream, an abnormal color pattern, or just a sudden spark of inspiration. I love the whimsical feel these unusual or surreal ideas provoke and their potential in helping me to expand beyond my original extent of creativity.

The different people I saw and talked to and the stories I heard and experienced all inspire me to create. I think every artist has their own thing that separates them from others, and it’s about to what extent and in what way they utilize that unique experience in their art. And that’s also something I’m still exploring.

Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I couldn’t think of anything that had been significantly influenced by my luck, so I guess that means I’m pretty lucky. I’m lucky to have friends who always support me, a family who cares about me and can support my education, professional and passionate teachers, and opportunities to get exposed to so many remarkable films and arts.

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