Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Yoo Lee. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Yoo , great to have you with us today and excited to have you share your wisdom with our readers. Over the years, after speaking with countless do-ers, makers, builders, entrepreneurs, artists and more we’ve noticed that the ability to take risks is central to almost all stories of triumph and so we’re really interested in hearing about your journey with risk and how you developed your risk-taking ability.
Because if I don’t believe I can do something, no one else will, so I focus on an act of doing. In my case that involves being a filmmaker.
The world is not always full of kind people who are generous and encouraging. Sometimes, even starting with good intentions, people project their own insecurities and mask their shortcomings to others to better themselves or feel superior.
My stand in life has always been that I never think I am inferior, I see myself as equal, the same as how I see others, as equal. I don’t participate in classism or narcissism. Every one of us is unique in our hopes, dreams, stories, and purpose. There is enough to go around, more is not less, more is always more.
Luckily, I have lived enough to know that truth, discipline, and humanity will always win out anything or anyone who negates that. So I keep the company of truly remarkable beings who comprise my family, friends, mentors, colleagues, and animals, and try not to let unkindness destroy me.
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 independent filmmaker. I wrote and directed 5 stop-motion animated shorts in the last 4 years, all the while getting my MFA in Animation and Digital Design at USC. I switched over to animation after being in the fashion industry for two decades.
For any readers out there feeling ambivalent, confused, or lost with their life choices, there is no wastage in anything we do. Everything we have done will lead us to where we are supposed to go if we work hard and take the necessary risks. Don’t be afraid of change or failure. Only be afraid of regrets.
It wasn’t an easy transition for me, even now, I do face some resistance laden with negativity at times. But one can mute any doubts with work ethic and persistence. In the 4 years of learning about filmmaking and stop-motion animation, instead of letting the no’s and negativity define me, I let the hard work do the work along with clinging on to the positive energy from generous people. That allowed me to get Laika Animation Fellowship, Fox Fellowship, Oscar Qualified in 2023, New Yorker, and HBO Max both streaming my two different shorts
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?
Time management skills, organization, and resiliency.
Having come from the fashion industry, you have to deliver the orders on time. If you don’t, the buyers will use it as cause to cancel the order or penalize the payment. It can be detrimental. And I had to do 9 collections a year, meaning 9 deliveries and deadlines I have to meet. So it was a boot camp for learning to finish any task. So I finish all my films, on time and on budget. Learn to manage your time, there should be a list of goals to accomplish during the day, week, month, year… etc. Also, finish the tasks you started, even the littlest ones.
You cannot do anything successfully and consistently without being organized. You cannot lead a team without being organized. You cannot have a healthy life at work or outside work without being organized. So get organized. Spreadsheets are my friends. The organization also starts at our own homes. Our home should be a sanctuary, organized and orderly. It shouldn’t be chaotic, or messy, and the same goes for work. It’s a discipline and practice so let it be your part of everyday life.
Resilience comes from being humbled, knocked down to the ground, and getting up, again and again. Humiliation, hurt and disappointments will all turn into fuel to improve and be better. It’s okay to have moments to process emotions, but remember to dust everything off and use everything as learning, teachable moments and move on.
What was the most impactful thing your parents did for you?
They are my biggest cheerleaders, and they truly believe I can do anything.
When I failed my college exam test, trying to get into University in Seoul, they simply asked what I wanted to do instead of feeling sorry for me or scolding me. I told them I tried my best and my life goal isn’t college, it’s what I want to do with my life as a fashion designer. They then supported my schooling at Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles. When I stayed in the US after my undergrad and eloped with a nice Jewish boy instead of a nice Korean boy they hoped I would marry one day, they embraced my now husband. When I finally became a mother after losing two pregnancies, they flew to help me with birth in frigid East Coast winter and dug out snow for 6 hours so I could get to the hospital when I went into labor. When I decided to abandon the fashion company I started and pursue animation, they were excited. When I call them with any heartache even now, they pick up the phone, any time of the day, all the way in Korea, and tell me everything will be fine.
My parents have raised me with a solid foundation, built with so much love that I believe in myself, unwaveringly. So you see, I can do anything even if someone says I can’t. The day I am not sharing the same air with them on this earth will be shattering for me. But hopefully, I am what my parents raised me for my daughter.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.meetyoolee.com
- Instagram: @meetyoolee
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yoo-lee-00a0a86/
- Other: IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm12437578/
Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/user106430463
