How did you become a designer/artist?

In school I always liked art a lot more than math and English, it was a lot easier and it was something you didn't have to try to memorize or really study for. As far as making a career out of it, I didn't think I would be working as a designer but I am and its pretty fun.

Where are you from originally?

I was born in Taiwan and moved to Florida when I was around two. We moved to Orlando and I have been here ever since.

Who were your main influences growing up?

This is kinda hard to answer because I'm not really sure. Growing up I enjoyed art alot but I sorta just did my own thing and didn't really study up to other artists. Of course, I heard about all the famous artists but it never really stuck in my mind to do any research on them. Who ever created the music videos for Aha, I think was pretty impressive and creative for their time.

Did you go to art school/college for design or are you self-taught?

I would say I'm mainly self taught. I did go to college and got a degree in Digital Media but everything I knew before I went in and when I graduated I learned on my own from reading magazines, books, etc.

Any advice or tips to novice designers?

Everything takes time and patience. Some days you can have the worst creative block and go on for a while not being able to come up with ideas or think if your really in the right field as far as being a designer for a career but if you stick to it, it usually works out in the end.

What has been the most rewarding and challenging project you have worked on?

The most rewarding project I worked on I would probably have to say is my submission piece for Semi-Permanent last year. Not that it was a super great piece or anything but it kinda made me wanna go to the conference which was in New York and that was my first time to that state and overall it was just a great experience, if I didn't get my piece in I probably would never have gone and I would have missed out on a lot. For the most challenging project, I think every project has its own challenges in different ways.

What is your favorite design piece? Why?

My favorite design piece I would have to say is this poster I made fora Tsunami Auction back when it hit in 2004. I put in my own money into getting it printed and framed but overall when it was auctioned off, the money went towards helping out the Tsunami victims which is a good cause so I'm glad I did it.

What are you doing now?

Right now I'm working as a designer for this design studio Lightmaker (lightmaker.com). They have a couple offices in Europe, one in Australia and one here in Orlando.

What are your plans for the future?

It's hard to plan out my future but for a while now I have been wanting to move out to New York and work there. There's just so much to do in that city and I enjoy every bit of it from the museums, little shops, restaurants to even walking until my legs turn jello. So I'll see how things go and if everything still goes according to plan then I shall be there sometime in the near future.

What American artist inspires you most?

Theres a lot of really good artists out there. I can't really narrow them down (that's my excuse for I don't really know there names) but I get inspired by a lot of things and a lot of different things. Overall theres just a lot of talent out there and as long as everyone is doing their own thing there will always be new artists to be inspired by.

What unlocks your creativity?

There's a variety of things that unlock my creativity, sometimes they work sometimes they don't, but when I find myself struggling or trying too hard to think of something I usually take a nap or go eat some food. Going out for drinks sometimes helps too or could be at that point I just think it helps – jk.