Five questions with Lia Tin
Get to know CCA alum, Lia Tin (BFA Illustration 2014)
Lia Tin. Courtesy of the Artist.
Lia Tin is a Chinese-Indonesian American artist working and living in Oakland with her husband and two dogs. She enjoys working with different mediums and switching around different disciplines. When she can, she enjoys painting with groups of friends. When not found making art, she also enjoys trying out new recipes and toiling with different ingredients.
Lia shares her journey of making a career change in art, highlighting the importance of exploring new creative pursuits and staying inspired through play.
Lia Tin, Betsheda Fountain. Gouache on hostess watercolor paper, 5x7 inches. Courtesy of the Artist.
1. What is your practice/business?
I am a visual development artist in animation. In addition to that, I occasionally freelance in illustration and participate in gallery shows.
2. Why did you choose CCA?
I had an incredibly supportive teacher in high school who saw my interests as a young artists and suggested that I try out illustration and about CCA.
Through my time at CCA, I’ve built long lasting friendships and professional connections to this day!
3. If you could share one piece of advice with current or future students, what would it be?
It’s never too late to try something different creatively and it’s important to never stay stagnant and strive to learn. I made a career change a couple years after graduation and realized what I learned in the illustration department also applied to my pursuit in animation. It will take a couple years (or not) to figure out what you want to do, and that’s okay. In fact, that is perfectly normal… unless you’re a superstar unicorn. And in that case, I’m super happy for you! Be ready for rejections because you will go through one or two. Sometimes your work is not quite ready, sometimes it’s the timing, circumstance, etc. Just keep showing up to do work that YOU want to do. (Whoops, that was way more than one advice!)
Lia Tin, Underwater House. Gouache, water soluble crayons and color pencils on hotpress watercolor paper, 16x12 inches. Courtesy of the Artist.
4. What's your secret to staying inspired and creative?
It’s very easy for us to lose our own identity through the careers we have worked so hard to build. Therefore, I think it’s important to do your own personal work. In addition to that, I also think that ‘play’ is important. It can be through playing with different mediums, size, subject matter or even approach to a project. If it’s feasible, traveling is also a great way to stay inspired. During my travels, I like to keep a sketchbook and do some plein aire. There are lots of things we can learn through our surroundings through observations.
5. What do you have coming up?
I’m in the stage where I want to try out a couple different things. I started to tattoo on the side and am currently writing a manuscript for a picture book. The two things have been on my checklist for a while and it’s been exciting to learn something new that’s outside of my normal scope of work.
