Kickstart Spotlight: Grace Wong
This month we have the Kickstart Spotlight on one of our Designers, Grace Wong!
Tell us a little bit about yourself, Grace!
I was born and raised in Hong Kong. Before relocating to Vancouver, I visited the West Coast quite a bit so I’ve been quite familiar with the landscape since I was young. I love to travel when I can. My goal next year is a solo trip to Ireland and drive around the northeast coast! And hopefully Japan so I can visit Studio Ghibli!
What is your most memorable job, outside of Kickstart?
I was an intern photographer at a wedding studio. I enjoyed working with editing programs and staging shots. The main challenge for teenager me was to instruct people where to stand or where to look to get a cool pose out of them. And that was terrifying. But I got to visit beautiful wedding venues and get freebies at the end of the night!
How many years have you been working in this industry?
2 years! Can’t believe it’s been that long already! There is always more to learn.
How did you get started with Kickstart Entertainment?
I got referred to by a colleague during the peak of the pandemic. I had the opportunity to be interviewed by Reena, Byron, and Michael to work on Brown & Friends as a colour artist. I was jumping between development projects before boarding with another production here at Kickstart, and I am also currently working on some BG layouts for another one of Kickstart’s projects in the works!
What piece of advice do you wish you had been given when you first started working in this industry?
Don’t get too caught up in your own bubble! Experiment with different mediums, try different crafts that aren't necessarily related to animation but do so to spawn creativity through different mediums. Go out and observe nature and people, and draw them!
If you could give one piece of advice on how to get through a hard day, what would that be?
Eat ice cream. Listen to brown noises~
What is the highlight of your career so far?
Meeting friends in college who ended up being my colleagues at Kickstart!
What qualities do you look for in a mentor?
Emotional and Intellectual awareness within oneself.
Who are the fellow leaders you look to for inspiration and guidance?
If fictional characters count I’d pick Galadriel from Lord of the Rings! She seems serene and wise.
What continues to motivate your work, or has that changed over the years?
I’m starting to learn to be more aware of my lifestyle habits, interests, and hobbies and cultivate inspiration from there. I love food, so I always get inspired by chocolate glazes or whipped cream and find different ways to interpret them in my paintings! I also love to be surrounded by nature. Every time I see wild grass or clover I can’t help but want to capture that cozy, warm, plushy feeling in my drawings! I recently went to Iceland so I’ve definitely gotten a lot of inspiration from the dark, ethereal landscapes.
What’s your idea of a perfect Sunday?
It can go three ways:
Do nothing and binge watch TV series - Last of Us, Barry, GOT, House, etc. Or watch 3-4 movies in a row
Bake bread and cookies all day
Go to a farm and pet some horses and feed ducks
What is your superpower?
I eat a lot. I eat ice cream all year round, does that count?
