Rising Stars: Meet Kay Chan of San Bernardino

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kay Chan.

Hi Kay, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I started a vlog, YouTube.com/@tulipbutter, as a side thing to do starting Covid when I worked from home and didn’t know what to do with my time. It was my way of expressing the phase I was in life, my interest in traditional oil painting (my work is primarily in mobile games), and also an outlet for my faith in Christ. It started out as a side hobby, but I learned a lot about myself from it, sharing my insights into therapy, travel, and grief. Because of it, my friends and family actually got to know me better, and I felt understood in ways an introvert hardly can felt understood. I recommend anyone to create a vlog just to see yourself talking and how others respond. It is a very different experience! I started realizing what I like to share to the world and what I like to keep for myself. I also realized the amount of “ums” and “ahs” I say! It really is hard to communicate an idea well.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I don’t think my vlog is successful in a metric way at all, ha. I just have used it as a creative outlet when I need to talk about a current movie passion (Hitchcock’s “Birds” was such a powerful allegory for me for a phase of life I was passing through) or a book I’m forcing myself to read. I think it’s hard to not box yourself in as a creative, like, “I only paint, or I only dance.” I’ve found that one artistic practice kind of influences the other and gets you in some productive flow.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I have a background in visual development, and I painted backgrounds for “Cars 2” for Disney Publishing, so I did a lot of Maters and Lightning McQueens. From there, my career went into casual mobile games and then into educational mobile games and then recently into Las Vegas casino games. This is my professional background, but now as I am laid off with many artists recently (it is a normal occurrence as a concept artist), I am realizing what my art teacher taught me in my first year of college. He mentioned the importance of having that personal work that carries you through all the tasks and professional work that lie separate from you as a core creative. And my vlog is that for me. I don’t post a lot of oil painting stuff, because it always takes me way longer than others. But I’ve appreciated the process more than any end product.

Can you share something surprising about yourself?
Probably that I am a pretty intense introvert. Intense as in having a lot of crazy emotions and ups and downs. But art and faith has kind of been the things that have brought some steadiness and confidence to my life.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.kaychandraws.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tulipbutter2/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@tulipbutter