At the beginning, I never imagined that I would become an animator.
My undergraduate degree was in Production Design and Manufacturing. Although the word “Design” was part of the course title, most of the content focused on engineering, manufacturing, and product development rather than artistic creation. However, it was during this period that I first came into contact with 3D software.
(Industrial design work)
At first, I treated 3D modelling as a hobby and spent my spare time learning ZBrush.
(Early ZBrush Studies and Progress)
Before that, I had always enjoyed drawing. Since primary school, I would often fill the margins of notebooks and pieces of scrap paper with sketches and doodles. However, I knew that I did not have the level of skill or training needed to become a professional illustrator. Although I enjoyed creating things, it was difficult for me to imagine drawing as a future career.
(drawings and sketches)
After discovering ZBrush, I began to see a new possibility. I realised that even without strong drawing skills, there was still another way for me to create art, and that was through 3D.
For me, 3D software felt almost like a crutch.
In traditional drawing, even when I understood concepts such as composition, colour, and visual design, I often struggled when facing a blank page. In 3D software, however, everything could be broken down into parts that I could understand and control: lighting, materials, colour, space, and camera work. Every element felt clear and manageable.
This way of creating work fascinated me and made me seriously consider, for the first time, the possibility of working in a 3D-related field in the future.
After graduating, I worked briefly at an industrial design company, where I was involved in IP character design, packaging design, and advertising-related projects. Although this experience gave me a better understanding of visual communication and commercial design workflows, it also helped me realise that I was not particularly interested in product design or graphic design itself.
As a result, I began learning animation in my spare time while preparing a portfolio for postgraduate applications.
My first 3D animation was simply a moving donut.
(Sweet Adventure)
At that time, I knew almost nothing about character animation. I had no experience with rigging or performance, so I started with basic keyframe animation exercises.
Later, I created my first character-based animation project.
(Event Horizon Crossing)
Looking back now, the project had many problems, but it was the first time I attempted a complete animation production. To avoid dealing with facial rigging and facial performance, I even made the main character an astronaut wearing a helmet.
However, this project introduced me to many areas that I found exciting, including particle effects, explosion simulations, stylised materials, realistic environments, and camera composition.
Animation was no longer just about making objects move. It became a medium that could combine different technical skills with artistic expression.
After that, I created my third portfolio project.
(Sweet or Not)
This was my first attempt at a more complete character performance animation. The project included body acting, facial expressions, lip sync, character interaction, voice acting, and storytelling. It followed a much more standard animation workflow than anything I had done before.
Although these projects now look quite rough to me, they document my journey of learning animation from scratch. More importantly, they helped me gradually identify the direction I wanted to pursue in the future.
Looking back, I do not think I suddenly switched from industrial design to animation. Instead, it was a gradual process of learning, experimenting, and discovering what interested me most.
My industrial design background helped me develop an understanding of form, structure, and three-dimensional space. My experience in commercial design introduced me to collaborative workflows and real-world projects. Animation, however, was the first field that allowed me to combine technology, art, and storytelling together.
These experiences eventually led me to apply for CSM and to seriously consider animation as my future career path.