Meet Vicky Lin | Designer and Illustrator

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

Hi Vicky, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
My work life balance has changed pretty drastically recently since I finished my spring semester of college and started interning. During school, I had a slightly better balance of work (school) and life ratio. However, nowadays, a good percentage of my day is occupied with work. However, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing nor has it negatively impacted me. Realizing how precious the remaining hours of my day is makes me want to spend it meaningfully. During my non-working hours I try to maintain a healthier lifestyle (taking walks with my dog, neighborhood strolls, and even just short drives to boost my mood). The time crunch makes me look forward to my non-working hours and honestly, it makes me feel more productive.

I think that if one person is too focused on work that they barely have time for themselves, it could definitely do some damage to their day to day lifestyle. A good work life balance is necessary so that one could know their limits and full potential while improving their work ethic and general lifestyle.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
This might sound super cliche but I am still on a journey of self-discovery and what I personally want for my own artworks. I struggled a lot throughout my first year of college, I doubted myself a lot and my confidence was at an all time low. I even reconsidered my career path during the first winter break when I went back home. I prioritized the grades I received for my work over creating work that truly made me feel happy. My mentality became “what would everyone feel about my work” rather than “what do I feel about my work”.

I felt so unsure of my future as a creative but things began to clear up a lot after my third semester. I’m not sure how to describe this, but somehow, a lot of my internal battles died down after I found true passion in the classes I took beginning my third term. My “art style” is still a little up in the air, however, I can confidently say that I can see a clearer future in terms of what I want to do after graduation.

In my free time(after work hours) I enjoy illustrating events and occurrences I observe in my day to day life as well as, occasionally, from my dreams. Many of my artworks are inspired from experiences that happen along the way. Sometimes, when I’m bothered by something, or have something stuck in my mind, I habitually illustrate in order to get my ideas across visually. Visual storytelling, something all illustrators could probably relate to, has become my favorite pass-time activity. My personal artwork holds personal meaning to myself, but at the same time, I wish for people to look at my illustrations and find calmness and comfort. My artworks don’t have a super strong message nor do they mean to. Most of the time, my artwork depicts the message: stop and slow down, there’s so much more to life than you think.

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.
If my friend was visiting the area, I would love to show them some of LA’s most iconic places as well as lesser known places that I find equally thrilling. As someone who loves photographing my journeys, I enjoy going to places with great views as well as interesting settings. I would start out the morning at Grand Central Market where you could find amazing food stands of all variety. Some of my favorite vendors are Moon Rabbit, Eggslut, and hamburgers from Belcampo Meat 🙂 There are so many small vendors that you could discover each visit. Next, I enjoy walking around the city and appreciating the buildings, murals, and lifestyle. The Last Bookstore is somewhere I’d like to drop by, they always have amazing classics as well as artwork displayed in the two-story building. Food in KTown and Little Tokyo has so far been my favorites, there are always small family-run businesses you could stop by and support. Hiking up to Griffith’s Observatory and the Hollywood sign are also very iconic trip planning activities. A hiking location nearer to my apartment would be Eaton Canyon, which is just as lovely. Ofcourse, I’d like to promote my school as well 🙂 Going up to the ArtCenter hillside campus by car or by foot is a wonderful activity. The views are amazing and you get to pass by the Rose Bowl Stadium on your way up as well!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to dedicate my shoutout to my professors from ArtCenter College of Design who have brought me this far. I started college in 2019, which isn’t too long ago, but throughout these 2 years, I have learned some of most impactful lessons in my life. My mentors and professors were the ones who taught me to be more confident in my design work and voice out my opinions. So far, I have learned many meaningful life lessons as well as design techniques and skills from these professional artists and designers.

I would like to give a shoutout to my family who have fortunately been so supportive in my journey as an artist and designer, as well as my friends Jerilyn and Junwei for keeping me grounded.

Website: vlindesign.space

Instagram: gra.vixx

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vicky-lin-b014871b0/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vicky.lin.754570/