Today we’d like to introduce you to Tiffany Tedy.
Hi Tiffany, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I was born in Bandung, Indonesia. It was at the age of 11 when my family moved to Singapore in the hopes of attaining a quality education for both my sister and I.
Prior to attending college, I had some exposure to the world of art during the time I took on Visual Arts as one of my Higher Level Subjects for my International Baccalaureate diploma. However, I was challenged by the limited range of art forms that they considered exceptional and skillful – with realistic paintings and sculptures being preferred by both teachers and examiners. If art was only about realism, oil paintings, watercolor paintings, and sculptures, do I really belong in this industry? I found myself drowning in constant thoughts of self-doubt and uncertainty which was only amplified by the lack of direction in my life after graduation unlike my peers.
It was when I discovered Savannah College of Art and Design’s Hong Kong campus through my high school’s university counselor that it truly became the starting point of my career in the arts. This made me come to the realization that the IB Art syllabus did not nurture a safe space for me to expand the horizons of my knowledge and explore different styles. The prospect of venturing outside of the world of ‘traditional fine arts’ and into the design field piqued me. At the time, I thought choosing graphic design was the safe choice as it was better known among those both inside and outside the art industry. However, during the few months, I spent as a freshman in 2019 at SCAD Hong Kong, I became keen in not only developing my technical graphic design skills but also cultivating the skills to conceptualize and to problem-solve. Subsequently, I changed my major to Advertising & Branding with a concentration in Art Direction. An invigorating four months in this major was put to a halt when COVID struck.
Having to return to Singapore, I took the rest of my freshman year online and then took the time off from school, during which I attained an internship at an advertising agency as a Creative Designer Intern. Although I did relish the learning opportunities there, it also became a time when I realized that I had a stronger desire to go beyond the scope of the work that I was assigned to and be more adventurous. I had so many stories to share and performances to show, hence I came to the realization that an advertising major was not the platform that allowed me to hone my passion. During lockdown, I spent my time at home watching Netflix shows. I recall watching The Queen’s Gambit and Start Up and was absolutely captivated by their title sequences. This motivated me to search for careers and majors that made these title sequences, and this was when I found SCAD’s Motion Media Design program.
This program allowed me the liberty to explore a multitude of styles in graphic design, 2D illustration, 3D modeling and animation, title sequences, logo animations, video compositing, commercials, and many more. Still being held back in Singapore, I only got the chance to take one Motion Design class at SCAD online. However, having taken a long break from school and not knowing when I would be back to study at SCAD due to personal reasons while seeing the rest of my peers resuming their studies and building new memories with their university friends again overwhelmed me in uncertainty and self-sabotaging voices. Unknowingly, I was gradually resigning from life and losing the desire to learn with the mental toll that it took on me. In 2021, however, I had the incredible opportunity to intern at Netflix Korea: The Swoon (now called K-content), which facilitated my greater development as a designer and became the only glimmering certainty in my pursuit of a career in motion design.
Miraculously, I was able to fly to the United States in 2022 to resume my studies in SCAD’s Savannah Campus. My passion reignited with the endless opportunities to learn more about Motion Design and I would find myself spending every single day including weekends at school to complete my projects. The strong desire to make myself proud propelled me to consistently strive towards becoming a better creative than I was yesterday. It is now 2023 and I can say with certainty that the growth I have undergone in the past year has been something I am proud of. A lot has changed including the consolidation of my technical skills in After Effects and Cinema 4D and my creative-thinking skills in crafting concepts. However, what hasn’t changed is my constant drive toward personal betterment. As an individual who only started doing Motion Design merely over a year ago and as an international student studying in the United States, I must withstand the pressure and work three times harder to competitively place myself beside my peers. However, I plan to take advantage of this burden to speed up my growth and achieve my aspirations.
Before delving into the world of motion design, I unknowingly locked myself with self-sabotaging voices in my head like “Tiffany can’t do complex-looking things”. However, the numerous opportunities through which I challenged myself beyond my limits and engaged in meaningful collaborations with a diverse group of creatives, Professors, and professionals at SCAD and outside SCAD, instilled a confidence and a profound sense of self-awareness that I am capable of doing more and going above and beyond.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There have been many struggles that I’ve experienced, some coming from external circumstances and others coming from within. There are still many struggles that I do not feel comfortable talking about publicly. However, one of the struggles I can definitely talk about is the negative inner voice that keeps bombarding me with thoughts like, “You are not good enough. You are working hard, but it is never going to be enough. You can work as hard as others, or even harder, but it will never be enough.”
I believe that experiencing these cynical thoughts while also being able to stop them from eating me are what makes me stronger. Because I am more than enough. If my journey had been smooth this whole time, I don’t think I would be who I am today. I have been blessed with all the ups and downs, and that is what I try to remind myself of every day, every hour, and every second of my life. Like Oprah said, “When there is no struggle, there is no strength.”
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
My collection of work is not just a bunch of ‘aesthetic visuals’, but also pieces that are curated from concepts that derive from personal explorations, as well as brand research – depending on the creative brief. These in-depth creative processes and execution are not only what got me intrigued by the world of motion design but are also what ceaselessly drive my passion for learning and improving my design and animation skills.
One of my favorite projects that fulfilled my passion for brainstorming, conceptualizing, storyboarding, designing, animating, editing, and collaborating in one bundle, is Isabelle Kalyn and I’s Rebranding Package for the TV Show ‘SKY Castle.’ What I really enjoyed about the whole creative process was that we both have the same ambition, same goals, and same passion to explore a design style that we have never done before.
With just the two of us working on the whole package (title sequence, trailer montage, looping mortise, credit squeeze and other toolkit deliverables), we had to make sure that we were efficiently delivering the best quality. We both had great time management and were able to give each other feedback on how we can improve our individual shots – whether it was during the style frame design or the animation process. Overall, this project was a simple reminder of why I love collaboration and working with other creative individuals to tell stories, ours or others, through motion design.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
Passion. I know it sounds like a generic quality to success, but I truly believe that it’s the most important quality to hold onto. Without passion, other qualities and characteristics that are also vital to my success will not shine as much as I want them to. Passion enables me to stay determined and positive even when I am tossed into a pile of self-doubt, a case of imposter syndrome and other life struggles. It is what keeps me going, as it allows me to experience the journey of my career and life to the fullest extent possible. I am not just talking about passion for motion design or the excitement for new opportunities in my career, but also the passion for passion itself.
Contact Info:
- Website: tifftedy.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/another.october/
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/tiffany-tedy/
