Finding the Right Career

Finding the Right Career

with Melody, CG Artist

Growing up I was unaware of the vast career choices outside the common white-collar jobs. In my secondary school-days I had a natural inclination towards art. However it was a lack of knowledge, guidance and the somewhat cultural pressures that I didn’t pursue it further. I loved reading Melody’s career journey and one quote that stood out to me was “The possibility of being a CG artist didn’t even occur to me. I couldn’t dream for what I didn’t know”. Jobs are constantly evolving and I think it’s imperative to know what is out there to help you along your career journey.

1. What do you work as and was this a career you knew you wanted to pursue?

CG Artist – I do previsualisation*, animation and design for tv, films, advertising, theme parks and virtual reality. That wasn’t really my childhood dream but it became one of my goals since I went for an animation program in university.

*like doing a visualized draft, to help figure out the cameras, lights, paces, actions, effects, cuts etc.

2. Did you have a set plan for your career or was it something that you discovered along the way?

Along the way. Throughout childhood I really liked paintings, music and also the technology field, actually I wanted to be a musician, but an art school in the US offered me scholarship so I changed my university choice at the last minute. I went and did a degree in animation because it was like a combination of all the things I was into– technology and art, music, film-making, paintings that move... Then I just felt in love with it and stuck with it.

3. What subjects did you study to pursue your career?

I took classes in traditional drawings, design, traditional animation (paper on light-tables), 2D animation on computers, 3D animation, liberal arts, some other CG courses, acting, also humour writing and psychology. I believe everything that makes me who I am inputs into filmmaking.

4. What one piece of advice would you give your teenage self in terms of choosing a career path?

I wish I knew full-time artists with stable incomes exist. I was born in Hong Kong. My mum was a primary school teacher and my dad worked at the post office. The possibility of being a CG artist didn’t even occur to me. I couldn’t dream for what I didn’t know. So, I always treated art as a side hobby. When I applied for an art scholarship in the US, most people around me thought I wouldn’t get it. Then the scholarship came and really changed my life. When I studied art in the US I met so many people with incredibly impressive portfolios because they had been working hard towards being an artist since a very young age. So I guess my advice would be, if you don’t know whether your hobby could become your career, always try reaching out beyond your community, beyond your family, to learn what possibilities are out there in the world and work hard towards whatever your goal is.

5. What was your first job and how did you apply for it?

I applied to a lot of studios before graduation. After I finished university, I tried to stay in touch with the studios and had some phone interviews, that was when I realized if an animation or VFX studio in LA wanted to hire, they wanted someone that was already there. So I booked a month of airbnb in LA and landed my first internship with a studio. I worked there for a year and then transferred to their London site.

6. What has been more valuable in your career, your education or your experience?

Experience and skills are the only things we care for in this field. However, if you have a degree it’ll definitely help you in applying for a work visa.

7. What has been your worst career experience ?

I made a mistake when extending my visa so I went through a waiting-and-not-knowing-what-will-happen phase before finally being legal again to go back to work. Otherwise I think I have been extremely lucky that I don’t recall bad dramas at work. My colleagues are all very respectable and considerate. Very rarely have I been told off but they all apologized afterwards and I understood that they were undergoing too much stress.

8. What has been the best learning experience in your career ?

I am surrounded by very talented people and I’m constantly learning from them. Also, every new project requires me to identify the challenge, skills I need, and then google to try to self-learn those skills immediately.

9. How do you keep yourself motivated?

By having clear long-term goals and very slowly and gradually seeing an increase of possibility in achieving them. Also, by getting a sense of achievement from short-term goals.

10. What was the best job decision you ever made?

Gave up everything in LA and moved to London myself.

11. What does job satisfaction mean to you?

It definitely includes the external side of getting recognition from people, and them admiring a piece I worked on, but most importantly, the work has helped me become closer to the overall person I’m aspired to be.