Meet alan versus zhang | animator, designer and artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with alan versus zhang and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi alan versus zhang, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
i fell into it. i’ve been a lifelong artist since first being able to hold a pen and i haven’t stopped. to be honest though, it still feels perverted to exchange money for my art but that’s the way of the world.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
to be honest, i don’t really know how to say what sets me apart from the others. theres not much. the more i think i’m alone in my thoughts or my skills, the more similarities i find that i have with people. i’m just an observant person who’s been honing the connection between my eyes and hand for my entire life and taking in everything around me.

i’m definitely not where i want to be professionally. i am somewhere though. i’m not so good with far-sighted plans and i realize that the journey i’m on is on-going and that brings some comfort. the hardest challenge for me is overcoming complacency. thats something i struggle with everyday. getting to a point of smooth sailing/ maintenance rather than innovation is something that is constantly on my mind but showing up and trying is my biggest driver. in my opinion, the best art doesn’t come from a comfortable place.

something i’ve learned about my craft is that confidence comes with accepting criticism. it’s baked into my industry and it’s not something i can control. being able to evaluate what’s being said about your work is important and it’ll get you far. art is interesting because theres a process: keep your feelings out of it after you’re done, stay in them when you’re producing. tough line.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
my best friends have visited. i took em to skid row, ktown and malibu. we ate at spots near all three and got completely different experiences at each. they were all unmistakable and uniquely LA. guess which spot stayed embedded in their memories.
interesting and exciting people are everywhere and when i’m with the homies we can make a good time out of nothing. food man. food is king.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
my mother, Lisa. she nurtured my creativity, pushed me to always keep an open mind and remain brutally honest with myself.

Website: www.alanversuszhang.com

Instagram: @alanversuszhang

Image Credit: emmanuel camacho