Meet Kim Lin | Designer & Illustrator for Motion

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kim Lin and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kim, how has your background shaped the person you are today?
I think it is vague when people are asking me where I am from. I usually answer them I am from Taiwan — a tropical island located in East Asia. However, if I counted the time I lived there, it’s only around seven years in total. My parents brought me to Shanghai when I was still a kid, and I grew up there until I came to the United States after high school. Until today, I have stayed in the United States for five years. Apparently, my life is consisted of these three places. It was hard to adapt to all the environmental changes. I have been on flights every single vacation I had, and I felt I couldn’t even get a rest. I was insecure about where I stayed because I did not know if I would leave again. However, I started thinking that I am super lucky to have a chance to visit different places. By absorbing various thoughts and cultures from place to place, I become a person who is open to different opinions and love to try out strange things. The experience also enriches my spirit as an artist and designer. So, for now, I would say I am thankful to whatever has brought me here.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Drawing, or I would say illustration itself fascinated me since I was a child. When all the kids are playing outside at the playground, I tended to stay indoors reading children’s picture books. They have enlightened my whole childhood and stimulated my love for those beautiful illustrations. The enchantment of those pictures later evolved into my interest in drawing and painting. It was not easy when transforming an interest into something that should be professional in the industry. It requires plenty of learning and practice. I have tried out different fields when at college (never be afraid of trying out things!) I believed I would do good in 3D animation (well, 3D animation sounds marvelous at the time). Eventually, after 2 years of trying, I figured out I am still a 2D person who could not give up the love of creating illustrations. However, the experience of doing animations and the knowledge of some 3D techniques help me gain a design position in the motion graphic/animation industry. Today I am working as a junior designer who helps create style frames and storyboards for different projects. While off work, I get inspiration from my daily life, and I transform what I’ve experienced into artworks. They could be what I have seen to what I have dreamed last night.
The most essential things I have learned through these years is never be afraid of changing your current situation. We should always follow our hearts. If we are enjoying what we are doing, we will eventually reach the goal of our life no matter what approaches we have taken or how hard it might be.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Here comes my favorite topic! I would definitely take them to try out food from different countries here in LA. The city is diverse in content were it gathered and mixed with a bunch of cultures from the world. My favorite food here would be Mexican food. You can always find out good tacos in Los Angeles, no matter which area you are in. Another place that has tasty food would be K-town. The food there would never be out of date; they always have the most popular food that is pop in Asian countries in the meantime. And another place, it might be cliche, is LACMA. As a person who enjoys going visit an art gallery, I always love the place with various galleries exhibited throughout the year. Even if you are not going into the museum, it also has unique installations outside that attract many people to visit and take pictures.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
The people I am most thankful for are my parents. I am born in a small family, and their support is the most precious thing I’ve received throughout the years. I could never gain so much experience and levitated to my current stage without their love and encouragement. I’ve always wanted to reunite with them the past year, and I will keep looking forward to visiting them after the pandemic.

Website: www.chiaochinglin.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kim__lin/