Meet Tianyue Gu | Concept Artist

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

Hi Tianyue, what do you want your legacy to be?
As an artist, I absolutely want my work to speak for me and to stay in this world instead of myself. Of course, not everyone can go down in history as a great artist like Van Gogh or Monet, but for me, even if there is one person who is still looking at my works and feels anything, whether happy or sad, it would be my biggest reward. The best thing about being an artist is that I literally create “things” out of my existence that can be seen, perceived, and interpreted by countless people I would never meet. In addition, my works at different times is also full of personal expressions and memories of that particular period. This is a very wonderful thing. When I look back at my works, I can often recall the mood at that time, and if I didn’t create any work, the emotion of that time would go with the wind. So, as a legacy, it is my greatest honor if others can remember me by looking at my work and feel that I was there.

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 have shown a talent for drawing since kindergarten. In addition, I am interested in movies and games, especially the art design and worldbuilding in them. Since childhood I took the initiative to buy a lot of concept art books and action figures and put up posters of my favorite movies in my room without realizing what I’ve been doing is so “concept artist”. Now I am a concept artist majoring in Game Design. I work for a game company and am participating in exciting character designs. This has always been my dream and my favorite job. It’s never been easy, as the industry has actually become more widely known in recent years. In the past, I was never able to determine which specific job the things I’m passionate about belong to. So I took a lot of detours and spent many years looking for the artistic style that suits me. My lack of confidence in my abilities and anxiety about improving my skills have been haunting me for many years, and it is only in the last few years that I have found my style and let go of my anxiety. The support of family and friends, and the love and encouragement of my work from strangers on the Internet is what keeps me going.
Looking back over the past ten years, the most important lesson I have learned is that you must listen to your inner voice and insist on doing what you really want to do. This statement may sound cliché, but it is true. In the many detours I have taken, I have always felt a vague “this is not right” in my heart and tried to find a way to get back on track. And I’m also very grateful for my “stubbornness”. There have been many times when I might have slipped into other career paths, including being an industrial designer, illustrator, or even game designer, but I stuck to one principle: “I still want to try concept art.” I have had many setbacks and suffered a lot of anxiety, but now everything is gradually on the right track, and I am also full of expectations for the future.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
My best friend loves movies as much as I do! I will definitely take her to Universal Studios in Los Angeles. The last time I went there with someone else, it was really a wonderful time. I would also take her to visit Little Tokyo and Korea Town because of the delicious food there. Griffith Observatory is also a must-see. When standing on the top of the mountain, everything else is gone expcept for the inner peace. Moreover, Griffith Observatory is the place where many classic movies were filmed. Again, we all love movies so much!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I am very grateful to my family and friends, especially my mother and my boyfriend. I didn’t always intend to be a concept artist. My undergraduate major is Industrial Design. Although I grew up passionate about art, especially character design in video games and movies, no one around me or I myself knew what that meant at the time. Therefore, I chose Industrial Design as my undergrad major with a guess that this might be of interest to me. But unfortunately it’s not. It wasn’t until the second year of my undergrad that I gradually realized I didn’t love it, also it was at that time I learned about the entertainment industry and concept art. Therefore, I decided to pursue a graduate degree of game design in the United States. It was a very difficult decision at the time, either because of changing majors or because the industry was generally considered unstable, and I knew I might not be able to compete with art students. I was very confused about my future, and it was very stressful for me to apply to schools in the US and prepare a whole new portfolio. During that time, the pressure of schoolwork, of application and the confusion about future almost overwhelmed me. My mental state was very unstable, but my mother and my boyfriend have always encouraged and supported me from beginning to end. Since the moment I have decided to change career, they unconditionally supported me in chasing my dreams and helped me research future possibilities together. I can say that without their support I would not have gotten to where I am today.

Website: https://renagu.artstation.com/

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

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tianyue-gu-a499211a4/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kirkprise

Other: https://adon-nen.lofter.com/