Meet Zongyi Xie

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Zongyi Xie. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Zongyi, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?

I believe my background is quite similar to most artists: we loved drawing as children, exploring and visualizing our imaginations on paper. For me, this is the purest way to express creativity and bring unique images in mind to life. Over time, this naive but bold longing gradually led me into the world of animation and film production. However, this path has not been straight-forward. Today, there are countless mediums for creators to show their wild visions and emotions. Defining ourselves in these novel creative industries poses an inevitable challenge now.

Despite being a junior-level artist, I could strongly feel the industry’s unstable transition. Our audience is saturated with digital screens and luxury visual effects, and often overlooks some traditional art forms. Not to mention, the rise of AI has become a significant concern for artists navigating in this rapid explosion of visual evolution. However, through these experiences, I’ve grown certain that my passion lies in storytelling rather than merely the art form itself.

Currently, I no longer limit myself to a single topic or medium. Instead, I embrace flexibility to explore innovative art forms with flexibility and openness. My purpose is simple: to develop my own voice in storytelling, emphasizing on crafting narratives that resonate rather than merely their visual presentation.

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?

In 2022, I embarked on my first study abroad life at the School of Cinematic Arts of University of Southern California as a one-year visiting scholar. I was so thrilled to have this opportunity. This experience has been a crucial part of my journey as an artist. I met numerous talented artists and was deeply impressed by their unique stories and cultural backgrounds. Coming from the small island country, Taiwan, it’s relatively rare to have opportunities to make international friends. So when I first arrived in LA, I eagerly immersed myself in the diverse artistic ambiance of Hollywood. This experience provided new energy for my work and invaluable insights into the world’s film industry capital.

Following the visiting program, I refined my skills to pursue a career focused on previs and storyboard. I not only built new expertise for stepping into this industry, but also created two new works at USC titled “MacGuffin” and “The Windy Day.” These projects stemmed from my reflections on living in Los Angeles, each playing with different animation approaches. “MacGuffin” expresses my feelings of being an outsider in the U.S. Despite the kindness and warmth from many people, I struggled to find a sense of belonging here. Eventually, I realized that everyone, regardless of their identity as a foreigner or native, must forge their own path. Instead of following others, I should explore my unique vision of the world. This short music video allowed me to release my feelings of suffocation and experiment with character performance tracking in USC’s Mocap studio using Unreal Engine 5.

In “The Windy Day,” I also infused some personal emotions into this short film. Our team is still working on this project, and we are so excited to have received sponsorship from The National Culture and Arts Foundation in Taiwan to fulfill this adorable story. We look forward to sharing the final result with everyone soon. These works at USC helped me develop my perspective as a director, navigating the vibe and meaning within these projects. The enjoyable yet challenging part of the process was communicating with myself and our teammates to find the honest and deepest voice of our feelings. As I mentioned, defining ourselves in this industry is a significant challenge in this generation. However, I have come to appreciate that everyone’s life is unique and valuable, and what is familiar to one person, which may be taken for granted, can be completely new to another. Currently, I aim to blend my Taiwanese background into my design, photography, animation, and film to shape my sense of aesthetics.

After my academic journey, I recently relocated to New York to work as an assistant for director, Saad Moosajee. This valuable opportunity allows me to delve deeper into commercial projects and gain firsthand directing experience. My responsibilities typically include visualizing the director’s vision through previs, storyboards, and concept art. I hope these practices further develop my skills in communicating and visualizing ideas, preparing for future personal projects.

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?

Looking back on my journey from my hometown, a rural countryside town, Chiayi in Taiwan, to the metropolitan city, New York, I have no regrets about the bravery it took to make this decision. It might sound cheesy, but being courageous to take risks, make sacrifices, and acknowledge the limits of our abilities has kept my perseverance in chasing my dreams. Every decision involves navigating our journey and, at the same time, means losing other opportunities. Going abroad isn’t easy; it means spending less time with fellow friends and family I love. However, this realization has made me stronger and has taught me to cherish everything more than before and step out of my comfort zone.

Once we muster the courage to take that first step, it’s crucial to take responsibility for our decisions and embrace the journey. It will be challenging to afford tuition fees and living expenses in the U.S., but if studying abroad is what I truly want, I must find a way to support my plan without an excuse. I think many young artists face similar issues, with families unable to sponsor their education and the burden of student loans by themselves. Despite this, I encourage everyone to explore different lives in different countries. There are numerous resources available to help young people achieve this. I am so grateful for the Taiwanese government’s support through the MOE Scholarship Program for Overseas Study in Arts and Design, which allowed me to study at USC as a visiting scholar without financial concerns. I hope my experience inspires others who hesitate to start on a new journey. There are many ways to achieve your goals and being accountable for our choices and actions ensures we stay committed and diligent in achieving our goals.

Lastly, how to strike a balance is pretty essential for an artist. This includes balancing work and life, budgeting and managing time, and making decisions between artistic creation and market demands. Pursuing creative work often means exploring new areas or concepts, which can be tough but also enjoyable. Finding a balance helps artists build their own narrative style and workflow, ensuring sustained creativity and personal life quality. This balance has helped me stay grounded and focused on my goals in the creative industry.

Overall, bravery helped me take risks and embrace new challenges, responsibility ensured I stayed committed and accountable for my decisions, and balance allowed me to adjust my plans and perspective on work and life to achieve my goal effectively. These three qualities that are most impactful in my journey so far.

Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?

Yes, definitely, I am always looking for opportunities to collaborate with other talented artists, whether for short-term or long-term projects. I am particularly eager to develop narrative animations or live-action short films featuring character performance and dialogue. However, I am open to any style or genre of creation, including music videos, advertisements and other forms.

After six months of working in New York, I have delved into various projects using different approaches for animation. Throughout this experience, I have been deeply impressed by 2D hand-drawn animation artists who use multiple materials on paper. These traditional art forms are time-consuming but incredibly appealing. I hope to have the chance to learn from these artists, as their persistence and resilience in developing sequences frame by frame is truly admirable and respectable.

Collaboration excites me not only for the projects but also for the connections with diverse artists from various backgrounds. My visit to USC highlighted the joy of meeting talented artists who freely share their work and life experiences, which could overcome any cultural and language barriers. Finding someone who understands your artistic pursuits is truly encouraging.

So far, most of my project experience has been with small groups. In the coming year, I hope to join larger teams to work on exciting projects. I am looking forward to meeting more artists who have the bold spirit to experiment with innovative visual styles and the warm heart to resonate with others, exploring new possibilities and excited about the potential to create something truly unique together.

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