We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Yusi Tao. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Yusi below.
Hi Yusi, thanks for sitting with us today to chat about topics that are relevant to so many. One of those topics is communication skills, because we live in an age where our ability to communicate effectively can be like a superpower. Can you share how you developed your ability to communicate well?
I have always been an introverted person and not very good at communicating with strangers. However, after coming to the United States, especially after choosing animation as my major, I realized that I had to become better at communication. Animation is a team project, and it’s impossible to complete it alone. If I want my work to be presented in the best possible way, I need to recruit more talented people to help me.
So, when I was making my graduation film, I participated in the school’s organized Collab Fair. At the Collab Fair, I had to introduce my project to everyone, pitch myself, and make them interested in my film so they would join my team. This experience greatly improved my communication skills. As a result, this learning experience has helped me enhance my communication abilities significantly.
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?
Currently, I am working hard to develop my career as a 2D animator. I am continuing to refine my film, which is “Mushroom, Potato, Fish.” It is an absurd story about a relationship of eating and being eaten. Throughout the film, I have used black silhouette characters and decorative line-style backgrounds. Aside from the red on the mushroom, no other colors are added. I chose this style because I am a big fan of a British illustrator, “Aubrey Beardsley”, whose line art is unparalleled and mesmerizing. I am also deeply influenced by the earliest animated film, “The Adventures of Prince Achmed,” which sparked my love for silhouette animation. The entire film will be completed by March, and after it’s finished, I plan to submit it to several animation film festivals, hoping to gain some recognition.
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?
1 Persistence – Keep creating and never give up on drawing.
2 Be humble and eager to learn – Never be afraid to ask questions or seek guidance.
3 Browse relevant works in the field – Explore more professional works to improve your aesthetic sense.
What would you advise – going all in on your strengths or investing on areas where you aren’t as strong to be more well-rounded?
I believe it’s better to go all in on expanding my strengths, while also exploring related fields that align with them. For example, my major is 2D animation, but I can expand into motion design to increase my career opportunities and enhance my skills. There’s no need to force myself to improve in areas where I’m truly not good at, because everyone has strengths and weaknesses, and nobody is perfect. For instance, I’m not good at math or physics, so I wouldn’t push myself to master subjects that I’m naturally not skilled at.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://ytao20729.wixsite.com/mysite
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yusi-tao/
Image Credits
Selfie image by Yeseul Park, other images by Yusi Tao.
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