We were lucky to catch up with Hang Li recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Hang, so excited to talk about all sorts of important topics with you today. The first one we want to jump into is about being the only one in the room – for some that’s being the only person of color or the only non-native English speaker or the only non-MBA, etc Can you talk to us about how you have managed to be successful even when you were the only one in the room that looked like you?
I come from a small industrial town where no one knows anything about art around me. I told my high school teacher I wanted to be a game concept artist, and then they said: oh, good, you want to be a computer scientist! So they chose a science university major for me.
I quit my first university, one of the top universities in China, to attend a private training program where I could learn to paint digitally. After that, I went to SCAD to obtain my art degree.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I am a concept artist. My best experience was working on character design for the game Halo last year. I like character design best, but I am also learning to do environments.
Meanwhile, I am also a writer. I write sci-fi and fantasy stories. They are published online, and my most famous book has more than 80000 subscriptions.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
The most important things for me are storytelling skills, painting skills, and imagination. They all need practice every day. I shall say: practice 40 hours a day!
How would you spend the next decade if you somehow knew that it was your last?
Recently, AIs have been developing so fast that they are influencing artists. People don’t know what AIs will become or what they will do to humans. I know many big studios are using AIs in there daily work, so we should know about AIs, but use it properly. In my opinion, students should keep doing what you enjoy. If you really like painting and art, ignore the AIs for now.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.kathrynhangli.art
- Instagram: hl_changtian
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hang-li-ba812620b/
Image Credits
Hang Li
