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

Hi Emily, let’s start by talking about what inspires you?
I adore this question. This might sound trite or naive, but stay with me: When I was a teen I realized that I am a rabid fanatic of all things that humans create. Meaning, I love art that is objectively good, of course, but I also love art that is objectively bad! I can become obsessed over any random thing someone has made, like a child’s idle doodles, or a person’s first attempt at poetry. Or a cheap TV rom-com, or a really cheesy pop song.

And I’m a fan because of the reason it was made: we make art to inspire, to awe, to communicate our most intimate fantasies, to analyze how humanity works, to innovate, sometimes just to make something pretty, etc. But no matter the reason, we create not really for ourselves, but for others — to connect to another person in the only way art can connect us. And that’s so beautiful to me! There’s always something to glean from anything that’s been touched by a human hand, no matter if you think it’s “good” or not.

But I’ll add (mostly just to give you a bit more of a specific answer) that right now I’m so inspired by artists that aren’t afraid to not be perfect. In my personal work I’m a bit rebelliously anti-trend, which I fight tooth and nail in order to stay relevant, so in this current landscape of chic 3D, buttery smooth motion graphics, and AI-generated images (barf), I find the biggest boost of inspiration when I discover things that are messy, raw, vulnerable, or slightly off-beat and defiant.

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.
Of course! My life has taken a meandering path, to say the least, which I’m actually very grateful for. And I always blame it on being mixed-race — I’ve had this subconscious sense of non-belonging instilled in me since I was a kid (or maybe even ultra-belonging?), which I think has saved me from having a fear of the unknown. When you’re a mixed bag, there’s nothing stopping you from being a mixed bag, y’know?

And so, in my three decades on this earth, I feel like I’ve lived many different lives in many different cities. I’ve lived in Seoul, London, Los Angeles, NYC, Portland, many more cities across the US. I think the next stop will eventually be Scandinavia, and then who knows where else.

Same goes for my career: I can’t help but put my greedy, sticky hands in every cookie jar possible. My career started in school when I scored internships at The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and Saturday Night Live, but I’ve worked on a million different things since. I primarily consider myself an illustrator, but I have a background in live action film & TV, stop-motion fabrication, graphic design, AR/VR, 2D animation and motion graphics, and gaming. And I’m honestly just getting started.

Recently my proudest accomplishment is being the art director, world-creator, and narrative writer for a new 2D game called “Let’s! Revolution!” which was nominated for Game of Year by SXSW, and was nominated for Best Character Animation in a Video Game by the Annie Awards. It was just released on all consoles (Switch, Xbox, Playstation, Steam) this month, if it tickles your fancy!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Okay listen… can we actually just take a long walk through the neighborhood? Here in Oregon we live in a real-life Ghibli film: streets are lined with quaint houses and moss-covered stone paths; we have mushrooms, and bunnies, and cherry blossoms in the spring. Our trees are majestic — they have personalities of their own and lots of stories to tell. We can watch the crows gather for their weekly meeting in the park, and maybe even a little forest spirit (cat) will join us on our journey, if we’re respectful.

But if that’s not your jam, let’s grab a couple great lattes and take a peaceful stroll through the Portland Japanese Garden —there’s a quiet little teahouse inside that you’ll love, with an elegant ochazuke. Or better yet, in the spring, we could have a picnic at the Rose Garden which feels like it’s straight out of Alice in Wonderland. Or we could drive along the Columbia River Gorge and take a long hike around the waterfalls in the forest there. Then end the day with some good Pho or a Banh Mi, and a crisp cold beer from one of our local microbreweries.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
This feels like such a basic answer, but I’d really love to recognize my own parents. They’re no saints or martyrs, but they’re wholesome and humble. And I feel like society these days doesn’t give enough recognition to the types of people who just live their lives well—people who don’t impose on others, but invest in community and create a welcoming home for those who might need it.

They’ve both had a huge impact on me personally, of course. Creatively, my mother gave me the best arts education I could’ve ever asked for just by being herself. She’s the one person to whom I can attribute my tendency towards being a multi-disciplinary artist — she was (and still is) crafty and crazy about exploring new techniques/mediums. She loves to talk about process and share her thoughts and sometimes failed experiments, which I’ve learned a ton from my whole life. Her enthusiasm is contagious and something I wish every artist could grow up experiencing.

With my dad, to me he has the presence of a mountain. He has a big personality—but in a unique way that’s stately and unassuming, quietly devious. But he’s solid and unshakable, witty and goofy, and can charm anyone into anything. To this day I still soak up any wisdom he’s willing to share. Not to mention he passed onto me some great taste in music.

All-in-all both of my parents created a safe, non-judgmental space when I was growing up, where I could be my pure uninhibited self (for better or for worse sometimes, I’m sure). A seemingly small thing that can mean the world to one person.

Website: https://www.emy-su.com/

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

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

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutLA is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.