Meet Vivian Ji: Background designer and painter

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

Hi Vivian, what’s the most difficult decision you’ve ever had to make?
One of the most difficult decisions I had to make was walking down a career path of my own volition. I grew up doing a lot of things to please my family members—taking piano classes, juggling difficult STEM courses, participating in a school sport, and more. Almost everything that I did was to make my parents proud of me; validation was incredibly important to me. When it came down to deciding what I wanted to do in college, I knew that I couldn’t continue lying to my parents and pretend that I wanted to pursue a STEM career. Don’t get me wrong—I have immense respect for people who are in STEM. However, I couldn’t see myself doing those types of jobs and enjoying myself. I couldn’t and wouldn’t deny myself the opportunity to pursue something that I genuinely enjoyed and loved doing: art.

Please tell us more about your work. We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about. How did you get to where you are today professionally. Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way. What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?
I find it’s difficult to definitively say what sets my art apart from others. I have an affinity for very graphic and geometric art styles, but I also have a place in my heart for traditional, more illustrative types of work as well. My art is a weird mish-mash of both those loves. When it comes to background designing, I can be a bit more illustrative, especially when I’m designing spaces that characters are meant to live and dwell in. In background painting, I fluctuate between the graphic style and the painterly styles. Getting to where I am today was a lot of trial and error; not only did I have to consume a variety of art styles, but I also had to try my own hand at it and gauge if it was something that I enjoyed. I’ve learned that brute-forcing art and producing creative work without studying and understanding underlying concepts will only take you so far. Time, effort, and perseverance will take you far in the long run.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I’m a 626 native, so my comfort food will always be Asian food. I’d definitely have to take my friend to Fresh Roast for pandan coconut coffee and Hong Kong egg waffles; Banh Mi My Tho for some of the most scrumptious banh mi sandwiches; and MDK Noodles in Koreatown for Korean noodle soup and dumplings. Of course, you can’t miss out on boba if you’re in the area–my favorites are Chi Cha San Chen and Twisteas. As for places to visit, I’d probably take my friend to the Huntington Library or to a trip to LA. There are so many places to visit and see in the area; it’s honestly hard to choose! Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to thank my family, especially my dad and my grandparents, and my friends at CSUF (you know who you all are!) for supporting me in my artistic journey. I couldn’t have gone as far as I have without all of them.

Website: https://artofvivianji.wixsite.com/portfolio

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

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jiv17/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/vvdrawss