Today we’d like to introduce you to Alyssa Arielle Noelle Ong.
Hi Alyssa Arielle Noelle, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
Hello, my name is Alyssa Arielle Noelle Yap Ong, and I go by Rielle. I am a tea-sipping story-smith specializing in visual development and backgrounds. As a Chinese Filipino who was raised in Hong Kong, I grew up in a place lacking space and permanence. So, I planted roots in the stories I collected and found community through creating and sharing them.
Being the eldest child within my family and friend group, it was up to me to keep my sister and our younger friends occupied, so I’d perform or draw stories for them till bedtime. My personal downtime was with my books – gateways into worlds or histories I could escape in and rest, piggybacking on heroes’ wondrous journeys. Later on, this expanded into films and television, and for a precious year, weekly oil painting classes at a local crafts store called Treasure House.
Having shared this, ‘art’ was a hobby I dearly loved, but I never meant to pursue for my future; I did not take art in high school. Instead, I kept journals which I poured myself into whenever I could, using ballpoint pens and a koi watercolor set my mother gifted me the summer I was sixteen – and this was enough.
Before charting my path into art, I was on track to become a teacher, content to inspire children with my love for storytelling and literature. I graduated with honors from the University of Hong Kong (HKU) with a Bachelor of Arts in Comparative Literature in 2019 – which by chance was the same year I was admitted into Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD).
Going back, I discovered SCAD through chaperoning my little sister to open days. During her orientation, we were approached by someone, who I recognized as my seventh-grade art teacher, Chris Wong; she was and is a professor for SCAD. I distinctly remember her shock, discovering I did not take art. This, along with a series of missed creative chances, took a toll, and with support from others, like my sister, Danny Li, and Cicy Tong, encouraged me to try applying for SCAD.
When I got an acceptance offer for 2018, I pushed my prospective admission to the following year to finish my first degree and try raising their scholarship offer, and after several months of back and forth, was blessed with the Frances Larkin McCommon Scholarship – a full ride – a matter of weeks before the start of the academic quarter. In 2019, I finally entered the Hong Kong campus as a student – and full circle, Professor Wong was my foundation’s professor.
Fast forward to the present, I recently graduated Summa Cum Laude from SCAD with a B.F.A in Animation, and have collaborated on several animated productions, including “The Sun is Bad’ – a finalist for the 43rd College Television Awards and 50th Student Academy Awards, and also won ‘Film of the Year’ for the Rookie Awards 2023. Currently, I am collaborating on many wonderful student and independent films in pre-production, from blue-sky to background and prop design.
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?
Nope (haha). Growing up, I couldn’t tangibly foresee myself making a living out of art – there were a lot of responsibilities I took on myself being the eldest daughter from a Filipino immigrant family living in Hong Kong, a highly developed economy in Asia. Like art and storytelling, teaching is an intrinsic part of my life, but career stability was a major reason why I was content pursuing it. Getting out of this mindset was difficult, even though I was struggling more each time, like a broken record, whenever I reasoned myself out of the creative path.
Then when I finally committed, a few months in, SCAD Hong Kong closed down. My sister and I attended classes virtually for about a year from home before moving to the United States to finish our studies. This, and having no formal training in art before, I struggled a lot, particularly with imposter syndrome. Looking back, I am grateful I persevered up to this point and to have the privilege to study abroad together with my sister, which was possible with scholarships, aid, and growing support from our family.
Right now, I am doing my utmost keeping afloat amidst the throes of job hunting. The animation industry is going through a rough patch, and being of international status, I do not have much time. It took a while, but I have grappled with my situation and am focusing on being grateful for what I have control over. I will keep fighting for a place here while I still can, and also embrace this as a chance to create and collaborate on art that sparks joy.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a visual development artist; specifically, I specialize in set, color, and prop design – with experience in background paint and layouts. My general mission is to explore, examine, and establish the look of the film during the initial stages of production and create visual guidelines for it. My favorite part as a visual artist is building complete fictional worlds into existence, making the places that the audience gets to see on screen believable.
Notably on ‘The Sun Is Bad’, I was tasked with research, and compiled a visual archive about Hong Kong’s Golden Era, during the late eighties and early nineties. Aside from being the point historian for the concept and modeling teams, I designed and textured props, as well as the Chinese calligraphy set dressing the world as neon street signs, including creating our film posters. Being very detail-oriented, I took efforts designing easter eggs of fellow capstone films and some meaningful for our crew; no matter how small, I enjoy discovering ways to suspend disbelief and deliver delight through storytelling.
I am proud of how far I have come in my pursuit of visual storytelling. In spite of everything, I have remained kind, tenacious, and driven to keep growing. My nonlinear journey has given me a strong introspection on how to help and encourage others to move forward in our careers and for the stories we want to show and tell together.
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
Rather than luck, I would say I’ve been blessed to have found and have people grow more supportive throughout my life. I’ve gone great lengths to get where I am, but I would have not gotten this far without the people who trusted and chose me, mentors who remembered and encouraged me, the friends who create and enjoy tea with me, my family who love me and especially my little sister, Fran, who first listened and was always delighted for more stories.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://rielleyapong.weebly.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/riel.leity/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rielleyapong
Image Credits
Rielle Yap Ong
Rachel Mow
