Meet Kalynn Lam of Santa Clarita

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kalynn Lam.

Hi Kalynn, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
When it comes to my relationship with art I’ve always loved doodling since I was a kid, but for a good chunk of my life I didn’t really think of it being a career or anything. I didn’t think it was even possible until I reached high school (thank you, my Into the Spiderverse artbook). For a long time, I was hesitant because of my parents’ concern for me if I ended up pursuing it. So throughout high school I would end up trying things such as computer science, manufacturing (I got to make a screwdriver from scratch!), and even architecture since that was close to drawing, but the thought would never leave me. It’s why I ended up sticking with my digital media classes the most, and while I didn’t learn animation, I got to explore something that I now strongly resonate with; visual storytelling. One high school diploma and a gap year later, I eventually made my way into CalArts to study character animation and focus on visual development!

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It’s had its ups and downs! By the time I wanted to take art more seriously, I was scrambling trying to figure out what is even included in a portfolio for schools like CalArts in my senior year. I got rejected by them, and while I could’ve gone to one of my backups studying something else, a part deep inside of me was really determined to make it work. I proposed to take a gap year to find out more about myself to improve and grow as a person and an artist. No one in my family had done this before, so I was met with some pushback before I managed to convince my parents to give me the chance. Needless to say I don’t regret taking that gap year at all! I got to encounter people that I never would’ve met that I still talk to today, and allowed myself to nurture my confidence and skills as an artist and discover what made me drawn to the idea of pursuing art in the first place. The experiences from my job (I worked as an optician) and learning to balance it with my passion for art was what I needed to prepare myself to have art be a bigger part of my life, and having gotten into CalArts the second time around, I realized this was only the beginning for my journey. I’m so grateful to be surrounded by some of the most hard-working and dedicated people I know, and while it can get intimidating and overwhelming at times I’ve learned how to only focus on my own growth rather than trying to compare myself to others, and take pride in each step I take with my art no matter how small it is.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m a visual development artist and illustrator! I’ve had the chance to illustrate pieces for fanzines and even a tarot card deck. I’ve also gotten to design characters, props and environments for some short films at CalArts. While growing up in the Pacific Northwest we were fortunate enough to also be able to travel a bit, and I grew to have a love for painting environments and love for figuring out how a place can affect and inform a character’s story. Whether I tell this through a heavily rendered teapot or even how a single light hits a pillar, I believe that the details in a piece can help immerse someone into another world tenfold. Color is also a big thing I love to experiment with, and I try to go a bit more abstract with it when aiming for a specific mood rather than try to aim for realism! Exploring the relationships between colors and what they can symbolize can be time consuming, but it’s one of my favorite things to tackle for sure. Overall the fun part about visual development is getting the chance to explore visual motifs that we’re already familiar with and twisting it with something to make something new for a story. It’s those kinds of challenges that make me excited about creating in the first place, and painting just happened to become my toolbox for it!

What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
There’s so much going on throughout the city, even the smallest events can be some of the most fun you’ll have here. I’ll always treasure the moments I have with my friends as we continue to explore what LA has to offer, whether it’d be the art, cuisine, or the people themselves.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://kalynnlam.myportfolio.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kalouriis/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kalynn-lam-886363266/