Today we’d like to introduce you to Muriel Choi.
Muriel, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I was born in Korea and studied to enter a university in Korea. Since I was eight years old, my dream has always been related to design. So, I started preparing for CSAT and design exam. I wanted to enter a university in Korea, but there are few design-related majors. I was wondering if I could find my path in Korea. So, I decided to enter an art college in the United States.
I entered SCAD as a graphic design major at first. Among the many art universities in the US, the reason for coming to SCAD was that I could change my major freely. It was too early to choose a major without confirming my career path before entering college. As a freshman, I met people majoring in different departments and heard about what they learned in each major. Then, by chance, I met a student majoring in motion media design and became interested in the department. The major relates to animation, graphic design, and visual effects. Even 3D is an optional technique! Attracted by this charm, I changed my major to Motion Media Design.
Thanks to good professors, I was able to learn many things. I was familiar with memorizing how to draw by rote because of the Korean entrance curriculum. Finding what I wanted to do was hard, and I had difficulty expressing it. I consulted with Professor Minho Shin about these concerns, and he told me the answer I wanted and tried to help me to find my path. Also, he told me the difference between employment in Korea and the US, what kind of efforts I should make to get a job and what kind of direction I should study. Thanks to him, I was able to challenge various styles fearless. It was a great help to me to take his class.
However, due to the long-term COVID-19, I took virtual classes in Korea for two years. In 2022, when I took my first on-ground major class, I met the best teammates of my life. We all had different styles. But we created a perfect work by bringing our styles together. Working with Erica and Cathy, I learned how to work as a team, combine different styles, and adapt to each other. Through this teamwork, I was able to improve not only my illustration style but also my performance as a team.
All of SCAD’s connections have created me as a motion designer.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I have a lot of concerns about the future. I was very frustrated while preparing for the entrance exam in Korea. Even if the CSAT score was higher than others, I failed the entrance exam even if I drew well. Because of this, I wondered if I had talent as a designer. Due to various events, I have lived in depression for a while without meeting people. Then I decided to study abroad and came to SCAD, so I tried to make a new start. But it wasn’t a smooth road, as I thought. A typical Korean entrance examination creates a mechanical person who doesn’t have creativity. So, I needed help figuring out what I wanted to work on or how I started working. In a strange country, and among students who speak a different language, I became a smaller person. As I mentioned, these concerns were solved through Professor Minho and meeting my major friends, angels. It’s the luckiest thing in my life to meet them.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a senior majoring in motion media design. I’m working on a 3D program these days. The 2D design is also fun, but I fell in love with 3D, which can handle space. The work I want to talk about the most among the works is ‘Behind-The-Scenes’ done with Erica and Cathy. We submitted it to CoMotion Branding, a major competition. The result is that our work was not chosen as a representative. But we are delighted with our work.
Behind every creative process, there’s a behind-the-scenes development that is equally as complex and informative as the final product. For this year’s CoMotion, the theme of ‘balance’ was our inspiration. We centered our concept around the backstage of a theater play to represent the process of creating motion media design.
Each person showed the concept and style we wanted and combined them to create one style. Each pursued a similar style but had a different way of expressing it. In line with the combined style selected, we drew style frames. It’s the same as one person drawing them when others see them. It sets me apart from others to absorb the various styles.
How do you define success?
‘A man having talent is different.’ ‘Not just by trying. It would help if you had talent,’ I heard these words while preparing for the entrance exam. I have also thought, ‘That person has the talent’ when I meet outstanding people. In this way, people praise their talents by looking at their achievements rather than their efforts. After I became an adult, I thought there were talented people, but those who ‘try’ can’t win.
Success is not the happy ending of a movie. No life ends with “Cinderella and the prince got married, and they lived happily ever after.” Success is a series of processes that do not stop trying to move forward until we breathe.
Regardless of the field, successful people have resilience and diligence, a deep understanding of what they want, determination, and direction. In particular, there is persistence combined with passion. Everyone starts with a pleasant passion. However, although passion is cooling down with different thoughts, passion must not be this instant passion. Even if the day and night change, no matter how long it takes or what inconvenience and obstacles arise, isn’t it persistent in trying to achieve what you want for your dream? This effort is a success.
This world is a place full of infinite energy. When a door closes in one place, the door opens in another. Don’t worry if something doesn’t work out now. Taking a crisis as an opportunity and moving forward with a try is a success. It defines success as happy doing what you want, not just judging it by matter.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.murielchoi.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/collage_muriel/
