Christina Luo is currently a freshman at Brooklyn College, where she is currently studying film. She is from Brooklyn, New York and previously attended Stuyvesant High School.

Question: Why are you currently studying film?

I initially wanted to major in art but I have had difficulty forcing creativity under orders or assignments. Brooklyn College also does not have art forms or majors that I would like to pursue. I have been drawing for a long time but it has become more of a hobby than something that I would consider to be a career. I also like how film has a greater level of involvement, where you not only need creativity but also essential skills.

Question: What is your background in the arts?

I taught myself to draw beginning in the sixth grade, when my friends introduced me to anime. My parents then sent me to an arts school, where I learned techniques about oil painting as well as drawing techniques for still-life drawing and cartoons. I did not enjoy the experience because I did not like drawing still life or oil painting, so I quit. I then moved onto computerized drawing with Photoshop and. Then I moved onto designing. I enjoyed it because I felt like it was not taxing and you can have a lot of fun with it.

In junior year of high school, I took a photography class at New York University. My father’s passion for photography influenced my love of this hobby. At the end of the class, groups from different fields of the arts presented the fruits of their labor throughout the semester. It was a great experience, being able to see the results of everyone’s work, from art to theatre. My dad and I went and looked at the film section and I found myself very interested in their work, and made me think I about going into film or entertainment.

I still draw from time to time when I have free time. I also doodle when I’m bored in my classes. What I doodle about depends on where I am doing it. I sometimes make tiny, full body drawings to practice drawing poses, which I am bad at. Most of the things I have learned about drawing have come from experimentation. From lighting to folds, learning new aspects of art that I can incorporate into my hobby is always nice and gives me an urge to doodle all the time.

Question: Where do you get your inspiration for your creativity?

Like I said before, I cannot force my creativity and I do not feel comfortable when other people tell me what to do. However I can try to draw inspiration by observing things, from surfing the Internet to interesting things that happen on the train. I do not like copying ideas from other people because I would not want other individuals to copy my ideas.

Question: Do you idolize or look up to any artists?

Not really, I do not because since my own style of drawing is constant changing, evolving and improving and everyone has their own style. I do not want to be stuck on one style, so I might get inspiration from and admire the work of other artists but I will never really look up to them. I might look up to someone’s style. I like admiring films and artwork that have depth, but not too much depth. Art and film that are concrete in content but abstract in meaning are nice to interpret. I also do not like abstract art. I never find them aesthetically pleasing.

Question: How would you classify your current style of drawing?

At the beginning my drawings were very similar in style to old school anime such as Sailor Moon. However it is currently in between the Shouju and Shonen styles of drawing. Shouju is a very girly style of drawing, where even the male characters look somewhat feminine. The Shonen is a very masculine style of drawing, where even little children in the anime are extremely muscular. So I feel my current style is somewhat realistic but still surreal.

Question: What would you define as aesthetically appealing?

On a good day anything that is brightly and colorfully saturated would be something I would want to look at. When the sky is especially blue, when trees are really green in the summer, when the sunset makes the sky very pink. I also consider how the artist utilizes space in a work of art. If the piece feels very clustered and full, it will make me uncomfortable.

Question: What classes are you currently taking that you enjoy?

Of the classes I am currently taking, the only one that pertains to my major is Mass Media. It is a class where we analyze different types of media. We have watched films, movies, critiques, works from journalists, etc. as well as history relating to these instances. We have to blog about seven different ways we can write about media. This experience has really helped me stimulate my thoughts when thinking about media. Question: When does something you are drawing feel complete?

Sometimes a piece never feels complete, but I can say I feel satisfied with a piece after it has been properly and carefully colored and shaded. Later on I might return to the piece and see flaws in it that that I did not see in the past. I love the feeling of something that feels completed, even if it might be for only a brief moment.

Question: Where do you see yourself in the future?

If I continue my current major, I hope to be able to be a producer. I want people to work for me. However it is likely that I will change my path in the industry and possibly go into make up or return to being an artist. I want to go into the make-up industry to be able to say that I was the one who made that face, when someone refers to a celebrity. If I return to my artistic passion of drawing, I would love to work for Pixar. I really love their work and the quality of their animations. However in the end, I am very indecisive so I do not have a concrete goal or future in mind. I just hope I can find something that I can both enjoy doing and be successful at doing.