Meet Zoey Kim

Today we’d like to introduce you to Zoey Kim.

So, before we jump into specific questions, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Since I was young, I always wanted to be an artist or do something related to art. I couldn’t think of anything else that I want to go for my future other than art, and it naturally leads me to the field of design. I was born and spent most of my time in South Korea. I had graduated from art high school and started studying visual communication design at a university in Korea. In junior year, I took a year off from the school to travel around. My father suggested me to go to the Philippines for a year as a volunteer, and I spent the whole year in the Philippines. Being in the Philippines, it became one of the significant events in my life. I could see how amazingly bigger the world is than I thought and how various shapes of life existing in the world. I felt I want to communicate with these different people, so I began to have an interest in English and study hard.

As time in the Philippines goes by, I had a dream that I want to study English more and study abroad to make my stage global and larger. Having time in the Philippines was so important to me that it made me decide not to go back to my university in Korea. So, I transferred a school in the states which I graduated recently, Savannah College of Art and Design Atlanta campus. During my time in school, I have learned so much a lot which I can’t if I was in Korea. I’m so thankful that I could study here and able to get a much higher quality of education since I have experienced how strict and stressful education in Korea is. I enjoyed learning so much at SCAD and got a degree in Graphic Design major, Motion Media minor.

Great, 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?
I used to travel a lot, and with my experience being in other countries, I thought I could adjust to the states quickly. However, my journey in Atlanta was tough than I thought. Since I’m from Seoul, where much busier and more crowded than Atlanta, I was expecting Atlanta to be a very fast-paced city somewhere like New York. I used to take public transportation in Korea, but I wasn’t able to go anywhere without a car here, and that made me down and depressed so much at that time. Also, the cost of living in Atlanta was much higher than Korea, and I had a lot of moments that I had struggled with my budget. Another thing I was pretty shocked about was the culture difference between the states and Korea. Sometimes I had a conflict with people around me because of the differences. I needed to get to know about the culture and understanding of the place where I belonged, and it took some time for me to get used to it.

Other than everything, the most thing that I’ve ever struggled with is the language barrier. Since English isn’t my mother language, I had to put my effort double times more while doing the school project compared to Korea. I’ve become better and better, but I’m still learning even now and felt like it’s never-ending. However, I received tremendous help from God through friends, family, people, and institutes around me. The things I have got, it was free but something precious. All the challenges that I’ve faced made me grew and stronger, and it taught me how blessed I am at the same time.

We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I’m a graphic designer, motion graphic enthusiast, and someone who loves to do illustrations. The field of graphic design is broad such as editorial, typography, print design, web design, even Ul/UX. I know illustration and motion will make a great synergy when it comes together with graphic design. I’m the person who wants to make a high impact of visual pleasure, and I’m still learning and searching my style of graphic design combined with illustration and motion. I believe every genre of art is based on spiritual concern and could influence subconsciously to the audience when they encounter or appreciate the work. What I pursue through my work is creating the piece based on positive spirit and influence someone in a good way. I know it’s little sounds vague, but I have a stronger belief that good vibe works.

Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
Since I’m alone in the states without my family, I miss my family time a lot these days. One of my favorite memory is when I was in middle school. It was Saturday, and I came back home after school in the afternoon. The sun was extreme that I remember the temperature in the living room was a little hot. My dad didn’t go to work on the weekend, so he woke up late. My brother was home too, and we started to watch baseball on the television together. Dad made instant ramen for us, so we had it on the small table while watching the game. This moment was not a special event at all, and it was just one of the ordinary days in the past. However, watching baseball on the weekend, having instant ramen together with my family, I felt that I’m happy at the moment. I miss it the best since I know I can’t go back in those days.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://zoeykim.com
• Phone: 4048247576
• Email: zzunng@gmail.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/zzunng

Image Credit:
Zoey Kim

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