Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Min Kyung Cho. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Min Kyung, thank you for joining us today and sharing your experiences and acquired wisdom with us. Burnout is a huge topic these days and so we’d love to kick things off by discussing your thoughts on overcoming or avoiding burnout
Currently, I am working hard as a 2D animator and storyboard artist in the US. I think the reason I have the energy to work like this is because I not only experienced but also overcame burnout. I experienced burnout (over exhaustion without breaks) after finishing my Animation Master’s degree thesis and film. I felt like I had reached the end of my 15-year journey of (learning) art experience.
That journey began when I was 13 years old. I started studying fundamental painting in earnest at the age of 13 in order to do animation, which I have wanted to do since I was young. I majored in painting at a renowned art high school and College of Art & Design at Ewha Womans University in South Korea to study fine art more deeply. Finally, after graduating from undergraduate, I was able to come to the United States to study animation, which I really wanted to do. For several years, I strived to absorb new studies, to complete my graduation project Animation film “The Unknown,” I had to sit in front of the computer and draw all day for a year and a half. And then, my fuel switch went off.
It was a long journey without breaks for animation creation. My young passion for art helped me achieve my graduate work through a long educational journey of approximately 15 years. However, adapting to the new environment and new technology/study as an international took more energy than expected. I didn’t want to sit in front of the computer, and I didn’t even watch movies or watch animations because I felt like they were pushing me to work. I didn’t have the strength to stand up and do that. Achieving the goal gave me satisfaction and pride, but it also left me with absent-mindedness and the need to find a new direction for the future. Accustomed to being a workaholic, I was stressed out as I kept pushing myself to find a way out of this helpless situation and a future direction, and my burnout showed no signs of getting better.
After receiving advice from my family and friends that I should rest for a while, I was able to allow myself a brief intermission. I realized that I needed to take a step back in order to provide fuel for further preparations. After recognizing my condition, I took some rest and slowly recovered for the next journey by attending small projects and workshops, rather than big time-consuming projects. So, I was able to escape burnout.
It’s ironic that I couldn’t rest even though people around me were pushing me to rest. I think most workaholics are like this. It may have been the busy environment that led me to burnout, but I started to think it was my problem that I didn’t control my busy life. I also reflect on whether I have resolved my anxiety about my current state by becoming a workaholic.
In order to avoid burnout, take time to take care of yourself even when you are busy, look at your situation objectively from time to time without being absorbed in work, and keep thinking about what you are doing all of it for. Take a break and think about what you’re experiencing, it will help you avoid or overcome burnout.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I’m working as a 2D Animator and Storyboard Artist. I am skilled at drawing animated characters and the worlds that they interact within. I find it enjoyable to create animations and characters as they come alive, this is done through moving characters and by adding dynamic actions, unlike static illustrations.
Having majored in painting for a long time, I am interested in and have affection for the traditional arts. My previous experience in painting and drawing backgrounds has influenced my animation style to be more expressive and painterly. The hand-drawn feeling that only 2D animation can create feels even more precious and special which distinguishes itself from 3D animation.
During my graduate studies, I took on the roles of director and lead animator for my own thesis film “The Unknown”. I led the overall production process of the film from beginning to end where I can demonstrate my wide range of skills as an animator.
I worked at BWA Studio where I aided in animating a series of social media videos. I also created storyboards for medical explainer videos and documentary feature. There was a co-production with BWA and Slothique where I worked on creating animation for unannounced projects for a top streaming network. I continued to work under Slothique for Storyboarding and Animation for additional projects.
My other unique work experience is from working on a feature hybrid film at Trioscope Studios as a Production Assistant and Storyboard Artist. My responsibilities were to manage assets, shots, and documents for VFX production. Most recently, I have joined the ASIFA-south team which is a non-profit organization for the International Animated Film Association as an onboarding coordinator.
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?
I think Curiosity/Imagination, Observation, and Learning philosophy are important qualities for my journey. First of all, I think curiosity is related to imagination. Curiosity about the world creates imagination, which can naturally create stories and characters. In addition, we need skills to capture what we see and feel through good observation and to visually embody what we imagine. For example, the movements of humans and animals; and also actions and facial expressions according to personality and mood, etc. I believe that if you continue to build and refine these two abilities, you will develop a unique perspective on society or the world that will help enable you to gradually draw the world through your own lens. It is encouraged to learn the philosophies about the world and environments in order to gain a broader and more inclusive view.
To keep my creativity active, I tend to look at other works and remember good inspirations before I apply them to my own work. In terms of content and inspiration, I always refine my thoughts about the social issues I’m interested in through the use of popular mass media and conversations with people around me. From my inspiration and interactions, I constantly picture stories and moods in my head that depict my thoughts on the matter. It’s as if I think about what I would have done in that situation and create incidents. In the process of trying to figure out how to express it visually, I searched within that genre for previous works that could provide me with insight. I tend to look at how other artists have expressed similar themes, considering whether the medium suits them, and practice little by little as I work.
Looking back over the past 12 months or so, what do you think has been your biggest area of improvement or growth?
Over the past year, I have experienced many different challenges. In addition to animating, I accepted opportunities to work as a storyboard artist and production assistant with various studios.
Among them, my one-year experience working at Trioscope Studio was the first time in my life that I storyboarded and assisted a VFX production for a hybrid live-action film, collaborating with diverse artists. While I was Assistant Production manager, I learned many new factors that are involved with production such as; the overall VFX production pipeline, managing the original sources, communication and delivery with vendor studios, asset organization, and onboarding. There were other responsibilities with regards to meeting management, and how to involve various artists to come together to divide work and to bring new experiences.
Since this participation was an unexpected opportunity, I was nervous about my ability to fit into the team. However, I was able to do all these new things through self-challenge and motivation. Eventually, I ended up helping the team make things easier and improve their efficiency. This experience gave me the opportunity to meet many people and learn more details about the animation & film field.
Although I would consider myself a person who would choose tasks that I could handle, I found myself more open to approaching new challenges. Rather than taking the easy route, I feel joy and satisfaction from trying new things and learning things I didn’t know before. There are times when I challenge myself because I have confidence in my abilities, but I also accept challenges that I am not confident in, in order to learn more. Of course, these challenges don’t always bring positive results. But, in the process, the experience serves as an opportunity to teach myself what I am lacking and where I would like to improve further, thereby helping me grow. They will be of great help in my future decision-making, as I believe that it is only in the distant future that I can properly evaluate each experience to judge whether the challenges I chose back then were good or bad.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.miiinky.com/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/minkycho22/
- Email: [email protected]
Image Credits
Min Kyung Cho (myself)
