Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Brian Hoang. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Brian, so great to be with you and I think a lot of folks are going to benefit from hearing your story and lessons and wisdom. Imposter Syndrome is something that we know how words to describe, but it’s something that has held people back forever and so we’re really interested to hear about your story and how you overcame imposter syndrome.
I never overcame imposter syndrome. I think different people overcome it at different stages in their career and I certainly haven’t reached my stage yet. I once spoke to a fully established artist who has found a lot of success through his work at DC and Image comics and he told me he still doesn’t feel like a legitimate artist. I still have a long way to go for myself.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I’ve been working as a self-employed artist for a little over 10 years now. In the earlier days, my work often revolved around pop culture but a trip to Vietnam, among a few other factors, inspired me to pivot my work towards a more personal subject matter. In the last 4 or 5 years, I mainly focus on Vietnamese culture and history. I illustrate interpretations of historical figures such as the Trưng Sisters or folktales such as Tấm Cám (often referred to as the Vietnamese Cinderella). I’ve also gotten to do artwork for a handful of Vietnamese-American organizations and businesses. My current goal, which is still a few years down the line, is to collect all my Vietnamese-inspired work into an art book.
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?
Knowing that no matter how good I think one of my illustrations may be, there’s usually someone who has suggestions on how to make it better.
Always keep my eyes peeled for inspiration because sometimes even just seeing a tree can give me an idea for a new illustration.
Getting out of my comfort zone and trying out ambitious ideas that I may find intimidating at first.
What is the number one obstacle or challenge you are currently facing and what are you doing to try to resolve or overcome this challenge?
I don’t know if this is the most challenging obstacle for me right now but one of the things I often struggle with is being able to relax without thinking about work. Being able to set my own hours is a wonderful thing and I’m well aware of how lucky I am to be able to do that but it can also make it hard to fully step away from work because I technically never punch out a clock. So even on days that I dedicate to taking off, it’s hard to do without feeling somewhat guilty. There’s usually work that needs to be done. However, I’ll still take this over my old jobs any day of the week.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.brianhoangart.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brihoangdraws
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brihoangdraws
Image Credits
All art work done by Brian Hoang.
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