Meet Charlie Park | Storyboard Artist & Webcomic Artist

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

Hi Charlie, why did you pursue a creative career?
I was one of those kids who always drew in the classroom. I don’t know where it exactly started; I was already that kid before I could even remember. I think it was my way of expressing and enjoying the moment of life. I loved getting attention and compliments from my classmates. “You draw so well!” never forget the emotion I felt at the time. I continued to express myself through drawing.

One other thing I carried next to my sketchbook was manga. Anime and manga were always my two best friends. I think it is heavily related to why I was attracted to filmmaking when I was in college. I went to Rutgers University in New Brunswick. They now have a filmmaking degree, but they weren’t there during my years. I pursued a degree in fine arts with a media concentration, which still gave me opportunities to surface the knowledge on art cinema.

Because I was lucky to have aligned interests in storytelling and drawing, I was able to find my career in webcomics and storyboarding. So strange, when I think back on my childhood, how I was screaming, “I will be a comic book artist,” while watching anime on TV. Dreams do come true if you’re stubborn enough to carry your interests for over 20 years. Haha.

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 don’t think my art is particularly outstanding in any sense. I always try to follow my own interests and authentic story when it comes to creation. And everyone has their special interests and stories, right? I think that’s where authenticity in your art comes from: Be yourself, and be proud of your story. These days, I’m proud and excited about watching more movies and stories that are similar to mine. For example, I recently watched the Boy and the Beast by Hosoda, and it was incredible. I won’t get into any details because of spoilers, and it’s miraculous to see how a creator could make a character that’s so strongly connected to your own experiences.

I lived as an immigrant here. More and more, I tried to survive the separation between two different cultures, and I felt like I wasn’t entirely American nor Korean for a long time. But one day my professor told me that that’s my strength. I have emotion that’s my own. I think that was the time I started to trust in my voice. And I saw more creations that were similar to mine; again, the Boy and the Beast, Everything Everywhere All At Once, Little Women, etc. I found compassion in people’s stories, and they inspired me to keep going.

But even though I have a strong urge to live as a creator, life never just gives you something that you want. I had a very dark period in NYC working as a sales associate and going to art classes at night, not knowing what exactly I should do to become a professional artist. I’ve been constantly suffering from major anxiety. I flew over to LA without family or friends just for a chance to work in the animation industry. There were so many unexpected ups and downs in life that were out of my control – COVID, for example. Who would have expected that I would move out of the state during the plague?

So in total, after I graduated from college, it took me eight years to actually land the job I wanted.

But one thing that kept me going was passion. Hard work, including patience and persistence. I had a goal I wanted to reach, so even though I was suffering from anxiety and panic, I didn’t give up. No matter how long it takes, for sure, it pays you, if not anything, with growth as a human.

The biggest lesson I learned is: hard work never betrays you. The seed will grow, even in the most unexpected way.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I know I already sound so nerdy, but my favorite place in LA is the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. They always have cool exhibitions and collections, so if you’re a movie lover, that’s one place to go to. After that, I would probably recommend Larry Edmunds Bookshop. They only carry books about filmmaking, and they sometimes have signed copies of movie scripts. (I got my Jojo Rabbit signed copy! HAHA!) There’s also Amoeba Music near the bookshop, a place to check out music and movie lovers, or just anyone who wants to go to a hip and cool place.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
So many people in our community, especially nowadays, are putting so much effort into keeping the energy, even just sustaining life itself. I want to shout out to everyone out there who’s trying their best to keep the life going. My partner, family, mentors, friends, and amazing people in the animation organization who inspire me every day in LA always deserve something more than what you already have. I hope they don’t forget it.

But I want to give my special shout-out to my mom. She passed away when I was 19 years old from cancer. She was not even fifty at the time. She was a kindred spirit, survivor, fighter, and probably the strongest and the most wise woman I knew, even until now. And she always supported me to continue doing what I love; she truly valued passion in life. I grew to be a strong person because I learned from my mom’s care and love. I hope she could hear my shout-out from up above.

Website: https://www.charlieartspace.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/charlieartspace/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yealinpark/

Image Credits
Portraits: orange film @orange.film_
Drawings: Charlie Park @charlieartspace