Meet Sijia Zheng

We recently connected with Sijia Zheng and have shared our conversation below.

SiJia, so excited to have you with us today. So much we can chat about, but one of the questions we are most interested in is how you have managed to keep your creativity alive.

I liked the concept described in the article that I read before: “Great ideas often come from unremarkable inspirations.” The article shared many stories of how others found their inspiration, and I’d like to share my own experiences as well, the way that I keep my creativity, and how I find the inspiration. I believe that every artist is moved by something when creating a piece of art. If it’s not due to a project requirement but rather a genuine expression from the artist, then those unrestricted artistic creations are each artist’s response to life. I’d like to share my experiences in discovering creativity inspiration, divided into two types: first, how to find personal inspiration under the constraints of a set theme, and second, how to freely seek inspiration from everyday life.
First Type:
As an artist, there are projects that we often involving themes that may be unfamiliar or less interesting. In these cases, understanding the theme becomes crucial. Gathering relevant reports and stories about the subject is a significant part of where I draw inspiration. For example, once I had to create a project about the difficulties in rural China. I searched extensively and discovered that law enforcement is very challenging in remote rural areas of China, leading to the concept of “mobile courts.” This sparked my inspiration, and I decided to create content about these mobile courts.
Second Type:
This category is where our inspiration often bursts forth most freely. I love listening to music while seeking inspiration—different types of music evoke various emotions and images in my mind. For example, my short film “Cat Chaser” came to be after listening to the song “Obituary,” which gave me the image of a boy knocking on the gates of heaven. Another source of inspiration is a feeling or moment in life. I remember feeling extremely lonely during my undergraduate years. At that time, I deeply felt a sense of detachment from my surroundings, like I was invisible in the crowd. Capturing that feeling led me to create the story of “Mr. Invisible.”
We often struggle with the lack of good story ideas, but the beauty of life lies in not knowing whether inspiration will strike in the very next moment. So for me, the best way to keep my creativity alive is to live well, feel life, and appreciate every bit of life.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I am an artist who deeply loves life, animation, and art. My journey in the arts began in high school, where I focused on painting, animation, and storyboarding. With over 12 years of experience in art creation, I earned a bachelor’s degree from the Academy of Art University in 2020. Throughout my career, I have participated in numerous creative projects, including short film storyboards, commercial storyboards, character design, concept design, album cover design, and poster design for Chinese celebrities such as Walkingdead, Mai, and KeyNG.

In 2021, I founded SiJiaDoudou Studio, which not only focuses on art design but also emphasizes the research and development of cultural products such as paper models and board games. Currently, I am studying Expanded Animation Research + Practice (XA) at the University of Southern California. I continue to enhance my professional skills in traditional arts, such as storyboarding and character design, while also learning and integrating various AI tools into my creative process. My goal is to create new AI workflows to enrich my work and increase efficiency, as I firmly believe that AI will be an essential tool for everyone in the future of the entertainment industry.

In 2024, my AI film “Cat Chaser” won several awards at different festivals, including Best Experimental and Best Fantasy Film at the “Indie Short Fest,” where I also received the Best Student Director (Male) award. The film also earned Best AI Film accolades at the “Zepstone International Film Awards” and the “Oniros Film Awards.” Additionally, my short films “Cat Chaser” and “Scrolling” have been selected multiple times for Oscar-qualifying film festivals.

My achievements in film have been recognized by the industry, and I have had the opportunity to participate in various film projects, working across fields such as scripts, storyboards, AI, animation, and editing. I am continuing to strive towards winning an Oscar in the future.

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?

For me, I think the three most important skills in my life journey are storyboarding, AI, and social networking. And I also highly recommend that anyone who wants to enter the film industry should at least learn storyboarding and social networking.
Storyboarding is a very important skill in my professional field. It helps me to better understand the creation of movies, the composition of the picture, and the direction of the story. This gives me a good foundation for film and film creation, and I can learn by myself and distinguish between good and bad, so as to learn from more excellent works.
AI is a popular technology at present. It helps me seize the opportunities of the current era and let more opportunities flow to me. I can use AI to create many things that were once unimaginable, and greatly enhance productivity and creativity. The most important thing is to reduce work costs and improve work efficiency.
Social networking is the most important. Even if you have strong technology, you need to make sure you can get the opportunity to show yourself. Therefore, it is strongly recommended to participate in various seminars or festivals to make more like-minded friends. They will be the key to your future success.

How can folks who want to work with you connect?

Yes, I am now looking for a creative partner to complete a short film I have in mind. This is a science fiction short film that combines 3D animation, UE, AI, Live action, and 2D animation. I hope that anyone who is interested in this can contact me. It would be a great honor if we have the opportunity to have a consensus and create together. They can find me through my INS: zsjcak. Or find me through [email protected]. Thanks very much!

Contact Info:

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