Today we’d like to introduce you to Sophie Im.
Hi Sophie, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My life has been full of moving to and settling into new places. This journey has been occasionally domestic and often intercontinental. Many countries equate to many cultures, many lifestyles, many visuals and many people. I track my inspiration and artistic foundation to derive from this journey. I design spaces (scenic design, interior design, event design) and things (props and puppetry). I define design as providing solutions to practical and aesthetic problems and art as a channel to explore the potential within the designer. I do both designing and making art. Design reaches out to people and art helps me learn what I’m made of.
Back to my life journey, the scenery that has been placed before me, the lifestyles that have broadened my horizon on what’s possible and what’s impossible, the visuals that range in colors, shapes, backgrounds and foregrounds, the people I was destined to meet to understand the philosophies that exist in living and how individually and collectively people make their own unique part in humanity, all of this input which continues to this day and will until the very last day, formulates the output for my designs and art.
My passion for the entertainment industry, where I predominantly recognize myself in, is to touch people’s hearts. Touching people’s hearts in the way they can have an awakening moment to realize their worth, purpose, the power of authenticity and hope in humanity. Entertainment truly holds much more force than we are aware. It saves people from their pit of sorrow and depression, educates through ways that we couldn’t imagine just a few years ago and open new gates and opportunity, but also traps people in an endless circle of addiction and helplessness.
Knowing what force entertainment has in its capacity, convenience, and charm, I cannot neglect its influence in the world but to find ways to direct and pave paths so that entertainment comes healthy and beneficial to the audience but also to the creatives; to the foreground, but also to the background. Entertainment is another kind of scenery. Just like the scenery I faced from the beginning to the present.
I do my designing and making art not just so I learn but in the hopes that I can use my ability to help others in need. Me being good and full felt not enough after all. I still search for ways I can find areas I can enter with the intent of active learning and active service. This search will continue as long as I live.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
My struggles go from personal to systemic. To list some personals: my family’s financial hardship, my background, my ideas, my work ethic, the people I meet every day, maybe the passion I decided to pursue.
Systemic would be the limit in understanding the nuances of the people’s life, of course including mine, and from that, having to struggle to fill up that blind spot in my own method, sometimes just legwork or building patience, physical and mental training I need to undertake within the society we are part of.
Taking initiative takes much patience, endurance and so much more courage and supplemented by deep support. New environments scare me, but because I’ve been and I know I will be doing for a long time going, my attitude is less fearful and more faithful.
Struggles are healthy after all. I love all my struggles, they sometimes become my pride which I try not to build too much because they often catch me off guard and let in more struggles.
Willing to do it, to try it, but when more struggles flood in where I thought there should be no more, would be some challenges I can name.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I create worlds and design environments on stage that make people recall feelings and emotions. Stage design starts from an emotional response. No matter how intricate and exact the pieces on stage are, if they can’t bring an emotional stimulation that the audience recognizes or maybe hard to name but powerful is good too, but it becomes more of just pretty stuff elevated on a pedestal. Because scenic design is much about the reactions and responses only humans are capable of keeping, therefore, I too have to claim the reactions and responses I get by the story I am to bring on stage. It all starts from there, what are the thoughts and feelings I’m getting when reading this script, this narrative, this story, this representation.
Props can be more dependent on the collaboration that is much required for theatre and film. Things have to reflect the environment they are placed in. Otherwise, it becomes an item that simply exists than to creating a story. Props are essential to have stories flow, not to have audience to ponder about ‘how did that object end there?’.
I specialize in understanding stories, bringing texts into tactical and visual presentation, gifting experiences, and working with different kinds of people. A great thing about collaboration is you meet people that you really wouldn’t want to be with or people you never thought you could meet in your lifetime, and yet still have to work with them, whether you enjoy their presence or not. Due to this requirement of maneuvering, when work is pieced together with peace, respect, willingness, diligence and passion, that makes me proud. When working with people who actually know the power of collaboration and who appreciate it makes me proud.
I am intentional, I take the time try to be compassionate, and seek purpose in each work. I put effort to not making work just a task but ways to create an impact and send it with my hope that somebody can benefit from this, mostly hoping it helps people who are in the need of that benefit. That will probably separate me from people who lost their meaning in the work they do. I hope they find their purpose, too, and maybe I can help them out with the work I make.
This attitude will probably separate myself from some more people. My separation from people is mostly about attitude, and I believe attitude tends to become everything. Mindset changes the way we look at things, perceive new information and the power to let things go with peace. That will most likely change the next thing that is right around the corner. Hard to know what is about to come, but to accept and prepare for it no matter how and what it is expected to be, that’s how I live. I’m curious if this mindset is something that a lot of people keep.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
Meeting the right people. Growing network a lot of times accidentally. Being an international with experiences that not the majority has. I explained my journey, being my inspiration for my work. That journey also helps me to go paths that are least expected. Plays in much more as good luck after I decided to call it my pride and realize that it was the key to driving my work and interactions. Again, mindset 🙂
Becoming friends with new people through good people that I already keep my relationships with. Although I will add that it starts with good luck and ends up being my effort to maintain the relationships.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://sophieim.wixsite.com/setdsgn
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sophie.im_art
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophie-im-hs/
Image Credits
Aaron Williams Kazimir Skye Dexter Jiang RJ Fiore
