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

Hi Christina, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I never actually thought about pursuing an art career! But that all changed one day in high school when I found myself crying in a bathroom stall, a detention slip clutched in my hand. Earlier that day, my teacher had noticed me doodling and snatched away all of my drawings. She told me that drawing people without their consent was an invasion of privacy and threatened to bring me to the principal’s office. She told me to spend my time studying instead of drawing! What she didn’t know was that I had spent the previous night studying, and her words stung like a smudge on a fresh piece of art. Yet, in the midst of it all, I decided right there and then that I was going to pursue an art career. The fact that simple little doodles could affect me to the point of detention meant that my art could make an impact, no matter how silly they may be. Look at me now, Ms R!
But, even though I knew I wanted to study art, I didn’t know exactly what kind of art to study. As a child, I often made characters inspired by different elements that I came across. My mom told me stories of how I would watch Finding Nemo so many times that I started drawing my own sea characters. I remember making piles of comic strips for a teacher whom I was very fond of, which he loved so much, he even posted them online! So, when I first thought about going to art school, I wanted to be a character designer, or a 2D Animator. But as I continued to dive more into the art world and the animation pipeline, I fell in love with 3D Animation, and the way it could be so exaggerated that it keeps the 2D essence alive. As I delved deeper into the subject, the more I discovered its limitless creative potential, solidifying my commitment to the world of 3D Animation.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Ever since I was little, drawing has been a constant passion of mine. I always envisioned pursuing a college major heavily centered around drawing because of how tunnel-visioned I was to the idea that you have to be good at drawing to be an artist. I grew up in Indonesia where creative careers are uncommon, underappreciated, and criminally underpaid! So I was very unaware of the creative industry, and thought I had to be good at drawing to be an artist. After connecting with other artists online, I discovered the difference between 2D and 3D animation and found myself fascinated by the 3D pipeline! Turns out that even if you don’t need good drawing skills to pursue 3D Animation, it did help massively! Since I had a good grasp of foundations like anatomy and stylization, it helped me with visual appeal in my work. Being in my fourth and last year in college studying 3D Animation, it’s hard to see myself being in any other field of study! However, it hasn’t been completely smooth-sailing. Who knew that animating could be hard?! It involves working with industry-level software and tools that are very confusing to master. I did not have any experience before college and the learning curve to learn all of this was very steep.
As a first-time co-director and producer for my senior film (which, by the way, is coming out this spring!), I had to learn so much more outside of technical skills; teamwork, communication, and the confidence to speak up to keep production going! Even though I’ve made mistakes and am stuck at times, I’ve learned many valuable lessons. I’ve come to understand that all of us are still learning, and always will be, and that this is the time to make mistakes. In moderation, of course!
Despite the countless all-nighters on campus, 3D Animation is very rewarding, and it will require many more years of dedication and practice to master. Between learning, growing, and tirelessly explaining what animation is to everyone back home, I have the next decades of my life cut out for me!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Savannah can be very different from bigger cities in the US. It is tiny and packed with hidden spots that only the people who live here would know about! To introduce someone to Savannah, I would bring them to eat breakfast at Fox and Fig, which is a locally-owned vegan cafe that serves my absolute favorite Horchata Latte in town. Lunch has to be at Sweet Potatoes Kitchen for Southern food (and the best banana pudding I’ve had in my life!). Of course, for dinner, we have to go all out at the Savannah Smokehouse BBQ & Brew to splurge on ribs and their signature peach sauce. After that, it’s a night out downtown where we have exciting nightlife wherever you look; from Electric Moon, a super pretty rooftop bar, to TABS (Totally Awesome Bar Savannah), where we can enjoy silent disco every Monday night! A two-hour drive to Charleston would complete the weekend getaway, where we can see the filming locations of The Notebook and Outer Banks!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Shoutout to my family back in Jakarta, Indonesia, who have always been so supportive of me pursuing an art career. Living 10,571 miles away from them and seeing them once a year is hard, but their unwavering trust in me keeps me going at my lowest. Thanks for sending me pictures of my dog every day, Mami!

To all the friends that I made throughout my time at the Savannah College of Art and Design, and to those who helped me when I was struggling to understand Autodesk Maya, I’m going to miss all of you when I graduate. Shoutout to my senior capstone team as well, they’re the most talented bunch of people I know. I hope we continue to work together in the future!

And last but definitely not least, I’m dedicating this to my favorite boy in the world! I would not be where I am today without him. Here’s to my best friend: my dog Princey. He just turned 9!

Website: https://christinatjahjadi.wixsite.com/portfolio

Instagram: www.instagram.com/tinatjahjadi/

Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/christinatjahjadi/

Other: Instagram Art Account: www.instagram.com/skinnierkun/

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutAtlanta is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.