Today we’d like to introduce you to Yifan Sun.
Hi Yifan, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My creative journey started in 2016 when I quit my job in a bank and decided to go to study animation. I have been interested in drawing and music since I was very young, and being an artist was always my dream. But I only took those as my hobbies until one day I realized that I have more passion for art than I thought and it is time to have a change in my life. I spent one year learning the basic knowledge and skills of animation, exploring different art styles and making my first short animation film.
After the whole year of preparation, I went to SCAD, US to achieve my animation MFA degree. Through three years’ of studying, I enjoyed every day learning new things and skills, meeting a lot of talented artists, and creating new works! Besides, I got a deeper understanding of the animation industry and figured out the direction of my career. After graduation, I got my first job in a motion design studio working as an animator and designer. Everyone in our team is very professional and talented and we have created a lot of great and fun projects together.
It’s hard to say my dream came true right now cause my career just started and still has a long way to go, but I will never regret the decision that I made seven years ago which makes my life full of color and new challenges now!
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?
Not really. I had come across so many difficulties in different periods. When I made the decision to quit my job and start a new career from zero, most of the people around me could not understand and some did not support me. I also experienced many failures on the way to learning English. I was so stressed out and self-doubting then, but I am really grateful that my parents gave me support and always believe someday I can achieve my goal. It is their encouragement that helped me go through all the difficulties in the days of living alone in a foreign country. And when my studying journey in SCAD began, I was confused for a period of time that I did not know which direction I should go after knowing more about the industry. Animation major in SCAD focuses more on creating 3D animation films, so in the first year, I had a lot of classes to learn 3D skills including modeling, rigging, and character animation. I love to explore different skills and art styles, but considering my future career, I had to find out my strength and the field that I am most passionate about as early as possible so that I could take more effort only on that. So instead of only having classes of my own major, I also took some classes from other majors. And it is the second year of summer when I took a class of motion media design that I realized that motion graphic design is the field I want to work in future.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am currently working as an animator and designer. I focus more on 2D design and animation and love illustrative art styles and storytelling. I also love to combine 2D and 3D techniques and styles in some of my works, and I really enjoy the process of exploring the possibilities of using multiple techniques in one work. Even though most of the projects I am working in the studio are commercials, I am still very interested in making short animation films. All the short films I made before are mostly inspired by my own life and some thoughts based on the observation about certain things. For example, I love cats so much, so I really like to draw and animate cats. I even created a series of animation shots to record my cat’s daily life. Another work I would like to mention, which is also the work I am proud of, is my final project at SCAD. It’s a 2 mins long animated short film called “Judgement ” which is about a story of cyberbullying. The purpose is hoping more people can see this social issue. I know I do not have the power to change anything in the world, but still hope to express myself through my works.
What matters most to you?
The novelty and challenges in my work and life. Because they are the nutrients that give me inspiration and push me to improve.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://yifansun.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yifsun_animation/
