Meet Ang Chen | Concept Artist

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

Hi Ang, how has your work-life balance changed over time?
For the first few years I spent all my time, including weekends, on my career. Sometimes I would only sleep a few hours a day. Eventually it led to some health crashes, and I knew I had to change my lifestyle.

Nowadays I work until I finish my tasks for the day, and then I spend the remaining time, as well as my weekends, with my family and my friends. This past year I took a complete break from work because I suspected I was suffering from long term burnout, and I was right. After taking a long break off, I realize overwork for the past half decade had made me into a tired shell of my old self.

Going forward, I think it is incredibly important to have a good balance. Work is more exciting when you’ve had weekends or time off/small breaks to give yourself little pockets of space. There is too much joy in life.

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.
I’m excited about sharing my daydreams with others. I’d hope that others can find a way to escape through my work, and I’m happy that my work on TV shows or films can provide a form of entertainment and joy to people, no matter how small my role or contribution was.

I went to school at Art Center College of Design once I decided I wanted to work in entertainment, and I spent about half a decade improving my skills before I entered the workforce fulltime. It wasn’t easy; I dedicated almost all my time to pursuing my goals.

Through my efforts I’ve learned that having a work life balance is incredibly important to prevent burnout. Short-term burnout is easy to recognize, but long-term burnout is much more sinister. You might take a weekend off or a few days off, but sometimes it’s necessary to remove yourself from work for much longer to give your mind a good restart.

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?
I spend most of my time in LA in the Alhambra and Arcadia area. I would take friends to eat banh mi, pho, and Hainan chicken rice.

I’d probably hit up a few dispensaries and go visit the mountains and just sit and listen to music. Or get brunch with some friends in downtown LA.

To be honest I like spending time at home and reading books, or watching foreign-language TV shows or movies that require my full attention (because of subtitles).

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
William Cheng Charlotte Chen

Both childhood/high school friends and current industry colleagues.

Instagram: angchenart