Meet Melody Shih | Motion Graphics Designer

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

Hi Melody, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
Growing up, I remember the urge to be creative coming out in many ways. I always had colored pencils in my hand, and I loved to draw or write stories on blank paper. I have always enjoyed the creative and storytelling process.

I studied “visual communication design” when I was in college, and I did a ‘little bit of everything.’ in fine arts, I worked in charcoal, painting, and watercolors, and, using modern technology, I started to do digital art, and then I fell in love with animation. So, I moved to New York and went to the School of Visual Arts – Computer Art program. I believe animation is a great way to convey stories. It allows us to communicate and evoke emotions.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I started as a graphic designer focusing on illustrations, but I discovered it didn’t fully satisfy me. I wanted to explore a different form of storytelling, so I decided to incorporate graphic design and illustration with motion. So I left Taiwan and moved to NYC for the Computer Arts program at SVA. It wasn’t an easy journey because I was away from home, simultaneously adapting to a new environment, culture, and language and pursuing a master’s degree at the same time. However, living in NYC and being in this environment gave me so much inspiration and motion design allowed me to have freedom of creative expression. So I made a short animated film to express my feelings of anxiety; the film is called “Cacophony.” It was a Vimeo staff pick, it screened in numerous festivals worldwide, and it was recognized for many awards. That greatly encouraged me to continue working in animation and motion design.

When creating animations, I endeavor to seamlessly combine illustrations and motion elements to create dynamic pieces of storytelling. There are two highlight moments that I’d like to share—I worked with CNN’s creative team and two animations that I designed and animated, “DESTROYED” and “LOVE IN CONFLICT,” were nominated for Emmy Awards in 2018 and 2019. I feel so fortunate to work in this industry and to be able to tell stories in my favorite 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.
Summer and Fall are the best time to visit NYC. On sunny and warm days, I would recommend having a picnic at central park, walking alone on the High Line, and getting out at the south exit, which is close to Chelsea market. Must get the lobster and tacos there.
There are some shopping areas in Manhattan – SoHo, Midtown, Fifth Avenues, etc.
In Brooklyn, I would visit Brooklyn Bridge park and walk to Dumbo, in Dumbo there’s a TimeOut market where you have many different food options. Wlilisuburg and Bushwick are nice places to check out too. If you are into vintage clothing and stuff, there are many great vintage shops at Bushwick.
On rainy days I would suggest going to museums; Moma, The Met, Guggenheim, and Natural History museum are my favorites. There are many art galleries in Chelsea too.

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?
Shoutout to my creative friends! They always give me their full support and remind me to believe in myself. I am so grateful to be surrounded by such an awesome group of people.

Website: http://www.melodyshih.com/

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