We were lucky to catch up with Angeline Tjia recently and have shared our conversation below.
Angeline, thank you so much for taking the time to share your lessons learned with us and we’re sure your wisdom will help many. So, one question that comes up often and that we’re hoping you can shed some light on is keeping creativity alive over long stretches – how do you keep your creativity alive?
As a creative, I feel that it is important to have something you want to convey through your work. Having a message I want to convey is my biggest motivators when creating.
A lot of my inspiration comes from past experiences, so I am a big believer in going out, touching grass, and experiencing what the world has to offer in order to convey those feelings and experiences authentically. I am also often inspired by the people around me or people I may happen to interact with. Which is why I love talking with people and hearing their stories. I have been fortunate enough to have met an amazing community of creatives through SCAD who exposed me to different ways of thinking and problem-solving. They push me out of my comfort zone and encourage me to approach challenges with fresh eyes. Having a space to brainstorm and exchange critique pushes me to improve my work and sharpens my artistic eye when looking for visual solutions.
Another aspect that keeps my creativity alive is to stay curious and always ready to learn. This does not apply just to work, but to life in general. Staying curious about the world around me has many of times brought me to new discoveries that inspire me to create something new, combining ideas and wanting to share it with others. Learning a new skill and craft helps me explore other perspectives and solutions that could be taken into account for future projects and helps me diversify my skillset and improve my work.
Overall, I believe that art is life and life is art. Experiences and stories are my biggest inspiration that I often take from my personal life, and staying curious and wanting to learn pushes me to keep creating.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I love bringing concepts and ideas to life in a visual manner. The most satisfying parts of illustrating is not only the final product, but also the alluring journey of problem solving and storytelling, be it in a conceptual or narrative manner. I enjoy exploring an array of ideas and solutions to a visual problem.
I see my work as a series of experiments to explore a variety of topics and applications while still delivering the message at hand. My favourite projects are ones where I was able to really push boundaries and go out of my comfort zone in terms of style or utilisations. Some of my favourite projects include rebranding the soda brand ‘poppi’ in a nostalgic retro style, while keeping its fun, iconic colour scheme. Researching the brand and ensuring a cohesive design language throughout the characters was a challenge that I enjoyed learning from. I also enjoyed working on a rebrand for the title sequence of Netflix documentary ‘The Keepers’ focusing on shapes and motifs to create a harmonious series of style frames and opting for a limited colour palette which pushed me to be more mindful of creating enough contrast.
Aside from static illustrations, I have recently been working on more dynamic pieces where I get to explore the use of motion design. This has led me to explore more motion works and applications my illustrations could have in the motion design field, which I hope to continue to explore in future works.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
While my journey is just beginning, I have definitely learned quite a bit so far. Here are some things I’ve learned that I would have wanted to know earlier.
1. Finding your style is not a linear journey, You may feel pressured to hone your style from an earlier stage, and even stress about not finding a single style to stick to. However, I recommend to not focus too much on that when first starting out. Allow yourself to experiment and just make work. Experiment in different mediums, styles, and applications. As you constantly create, there will be styles you find more comfortable than others, some you like more aesthetically than others, and you will learn more about yourself as you search for your style.
2. Not all your work has to be good all the time when it comes to personal projects. Of course, we aim to create the best and push our limits, but it is okay to remember that we are not perfect. Sometimes we miss the mark, and that is okay. With the rise of social media, curated feeds give the impression of perfection 24/7. We can always revisit work and rework them, and not everything we make needs to be shared with the world. Liked the ideas behind something but not how you executed it? Just try again. Work on personal projects to explore ideas and techniques. As you continue to work on your craft, you will find a process that works for you to create more predictable outcomes.
3. Be open to talk and learn from others. There is a lot you can absorb from people you may think are not so related to your work or craft. Talking with others can help you to explore ideas from different perspectives and come up with other solutions, and you never know how these conversations can spark new ideas.
Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?
When feeling overwhelmed, I like to take a step back and evaluate what is causing me feel this way. Is there a specific issue, or am I just feeling overwhelmed and need some time?
If it’s because there is a tangible problem, but it seems overwhelming to tackle, I try to remind myself to take things one step at a time and set small goals to stay on track.
When I find myself find myself overwhelmed because I’m burnt out, in the middle of a dilemma, or more so having an emotional time, my first step is usually to check if I have eaten, and if I have slept a reasonable amount. Our basic needs not being met can make us feel bad?? That’s crazy! But jokes aside, especially when becoming engrossed in a project or having tight deadlines, we often forget to take care of ourselves. Keeping ourselves healthy is part of the job, so yes, eating and sleeping helps solve my problems sometimes. My next basic thing is to take a long shower, which either helps me escape my thoughts, sort my thoughts, or come up with solutions and make decisions. Shower thoughts do actually work for me! After all that is said and done and I am still feeling sad, I usually talk to somebody, be it family, friend, or stranger, sometimes communicating your feelings out loud can help you to sort it out. And my last thing I do that may or may not be helpful is to cry. Some people may say it won’t solve your problems but I find that crying helps me release any pent up emotions I may have once in awhile, and it does help clear my head which helps me solve my problems, and I do believe that you should express your emotions in a healthy manner to help process your feelings.
Feeling overwhelmed may sometimes make you feel helpless, so take a step back and refocus to help you get back on track! And don’t be afraid to reach out to others.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://thegrowingideas.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thegrowingideas/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angeline-tjia/
Image Credits
Angeline Tjia
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