Meet John Chung | 3D Environment Artist for Games

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

Hi John, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
When I was a kid I always loved to draw. My main sources of influence were watching cartoons, anime and playing games. The country I grew up in never had much of an entertainment industry. Majority of digital media that I was exposed to either came from the United States or Asia. I never truly understood how they were made at the time.

3D art was also non-existent so the thought of pursuing a career in that industry never really crossed my mind so I decided to pursue a degree in graphic and multimedia design which was the closest thing to what I wanted to do at the time. It wasn’t until 2017 that I was fortunate enough to move to the United States.

I was awed, the studios and companies of all the shows I used to watch and the games I used to play were all created here. I felt my passion for art being reignited and I told myself it was now or never. It was then I decided to finally start a new chapter in my life pursuing 3D art. I shortly discovered and enrolled into Gnomon School of VFX, Games & Animation and am now a 3D environment artist for games.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
As I mentioned before, the country I grew up in never had much of an entertainment industry and that country was South Africa. I was born around the time apartheid, the institutionalized system of racial segregation, ended. Growing up there wasn’t easy but I was able to experience and witness the country progress to what it is today. I believe those experiences are what laid down the foundation for who I am as a person and I think that is very important. Remembering where you come from allows you to appreciate where you are today.

I never planned to move to the United States. I always believed I would stay in South Africa and build a life there. It wasn’t until 2014 that I got news that I won the US green card lottery. The chances of winning a US green card lottery is one in a million, so one can only imagine the shock I had when I got news of it. I was extremely lucky but also afraid of what was to come.

I decided to finish up my degree first because the thought of dropping everything and moving across the world to start a new life was terrifying and when the time finally arrived I just went for it and never looked back. I learned that sometimes what holds us back the most is truly ourselves. We just have to break out of that comfort zone and push forward.

I can’t really say how much growing up in South Africa has influenced my art but it has influenced the way I interact and connect with people and people are the ones who create the art. When I was studying at Gnomon I met some remarkable people whom I am proud to call my friends today. Studying alongside other incredible artists has helped me overcome many of the challenges I faced and I believe the art I create is a testament to that. Keep your mentors and peers close, never stop learning and continue building upon what you already have, then your growth will be endless.

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 use to be one of those friends visiting and one of the things I like most about LA is the food. LA has one of the widest variety ranges of food you can find and it definitely doesn’t lose out to food from out the country. What’s also interesting about California in general is you can go from the beach, to snow, to the desert all in one day.

One final spot i’d like to take my friends visiting to, and this ones quite special, is the Gnomon campus. The campus itself is quite interesting and fun. There are a ton of posters hanged around of industry work that our alumni’s have worked on ranging from film to games. There are also a couple of old school arcade games to play and a gallery of artwork created by current students.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There are many people who I want to give a shoutout to but first and foremost, my family. I want to give a shoutout to my family for always supporting me in my journey. Secondly, my friends, there are too many to name but they know who they are. Lastly, Gnomon School and the instructors, Anton Napierala, Max Dayan and Jon Arellano whom have always pushed me to my limits. I would not be where I am today without them and will forever be grateful for what they have taught me.

Website: https://www.artstation.com/c_traxx

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/traxx.fbx/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-chung-533a15144/