hilda tam.

I met Hilda when I was a freshman in college. I've always admired her eye for practically everything in the arts: photography, crafts, graphic design, and video. Hilda volunteered to be interviewed and photographed for my project, and I'm so glad she did!

We had coffee and talked at Casa De Luna Coffee House in Downtown Bellflower. I've never walked around Downtown Bellflower before, so it was cool to explore!

"Not what I do, but who I am"

{Hilda Tam. 23. Graphic Designer. UCI 2011 Graduate.}
Website. Tumblr. 

How about you tell me a little bit about yourself.

H: Well, my name is Hilda Tam. I am a recent graduate and I am an artist, I guess. I do mostly graphic design, but am interested in a lot of art-related things, like illustration. I’m interested in photography, but I wouldn't call myself a photographer. I like doing crafts like making costumes, or whatever it is in my hands. I guess I would say I’m an artist all around, like in music, too.

Would you describe yourself as an artist?

H: Yeah, I’d say so. I think because most of the things I’m interested in are art-related, or more on the creative side. When people would ask me, “What would you do if you weren’t into graphic design, or drawing?” then my second answer would be, "I’d be interested in performing, doing comedy, or acting, or maybe I’d be a musician," or something like that. My next answer to not being a graphic designer or illustrator would automatically go into something else that’s creative.

What got you into art? Or, you said graphic design is your...

H: It’s like my go-to thing. The most prolific thing I do is probably graphic design. I've always been interested in art ever since I was a kid. I think I still have pages and piles of drawings I used to do when I was a kid. They would all be the marker/crayon drawings, but I remember bringing around paper whenever I went someplace, and I would always have something to draw. Or one of those etch-a-sketch magnetic boards, I used to have one of those, and it’d be really easy just to erase my drawing, and do another one and keep on doing that throughout the day. 

I’ve always been interested in art, but I guess I got more into graphic design around high school. I had a friend that was making things for her Xanga, and I thought, “Wow, that’s cool! I want to learn how to do that, too!” so I tried doing it, and started looking things up. I guess that’s just how it got started, and I did it more in college when people would ask me to make things for them. The more I did things, the more people would know, then people would ask me, and that’s really how I got started.

Would you say that all your other artistic interests sprouted off from that? You just had other interests in making costumes, photography, and other things?

H: I wouldn't say it came off from doing graphics because I think I had interest in those things before, but I just never really pursued them until maybe high school or college. Probably because of funds, or not having equipment. I’d be interested in photography, but I wouldn't have a nice camera. Or I’d be interested in making costumes, but I wouldn't have a sewing machine at the time, so things I made were small hand-made things, or hand sewing things. As I got older, then those things became more available, and that’s how I started getting into them more.

Do you feel ever since you got a sewing machine and a camera, you've been able to make more stuff, or your creativity has been able to go off?

H: Yeah, I think so.  Now that there are things available to me, I feel like when I want to do something, I don’t have to sit around and wonder how I’m going to do it or how do I have the means to do it. I feel like I do have the means, but it’s more of my own personal desire to want to do something. Like doing side projects to keep myself motivated and inspired. Now it’s something I have to push myself to do. I enjoy doing it, it’s not always easy of course, we have periods of time where we're like, “Ugh, I don’t feel like doing anything,” but then once you get started on a project, it’s really hard to stop. You want to see it finished, and you’re in the zone. I think that’s the most exciting part; being in the zone and being so excited to have it be finished and to see it come into fruition.

Are there any projects you’re working on now, and what are one or a few of the projects you’re most proud of? Or that have made you really happy?

H: I’m actually trying to redesign my website and get business cards going. I think the one thing I’m currently working on are a few logos for my friend’s food blog. I’m trying to create something for her to put on her website so she can start her own branding. I’m trying to do my own branding thing, too. I always have a lot of ideas that are in my head or on a piece of paper, but for some reason I just don’t end up doing them until I feel like I have to do it and then the list starts getting really long and I tell myself, “Okay, these are just things on a list. When are they going to be actual projects?” 

When does that happen for you? When you have such a long list, but when does it actually happen?

H: Usually I try to keep myself motivated when I follow a lot of artists on Tumblr. Or I try to keep up with a lot of artists’ websites to see what kind of updates they have. I admire the way that other artists can keep themselves so motivated. I feel like that’s a difficult thing when you don’t necessarily have anything to keep you from doing it, or keep you going besides yourself. Especially if you’re doing a job that’s totally unrelated to what you’re interested in, but you kind of do it on the side, it’s really up to you to keep it going. When I look at what other artists do, or I follow things on Tumblr that I’m interested in,  that’s the kind of thing that helps me turn an idea into an actual project. You see something, and you think, “Man, I want to do that, too,” or, “Wow, that’s really cool! I can do something just like that.” 

I guess that branches into what I actually have ideas for. I could tell you I have business cards ideas. I have Christmas card ideas, too. Especially since it’s the holidays, and I want to put them on paper so I could actually use them for something. I have ideas for making clothes. I have a lot of old t-shirts that I’ve kind of been saving up that I don’t really wear anymore. One of the ideas I have not done anything with is making a t-shirt quilt. Like, cutting out the design of the t-shirts, and having squares of t-shirts and making it into a quilt rather than just throwing them away or donating them. Y’know we have a lot of t-shirts that mean a lot to us and you’re like, “I have 50 t-shirts, but I don’t know what to do with them and they still have so much meaning to me.”

melinda + dave.

A few months ago, my friend asked if I wanted to help her shoot a wedding. I agreed, and was able to take photos at a wedding as a photographer for the first time! :) On their wedding day, you could just see how much they loved each other and how special their journey together has been thus far.

Uhm, and did I mention that it was on a yacht? What.

jonathan liao.

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to take photos for my great friend Jonathan Liao. You might have seen him in a few skits, or on my blog earlier this year. The shoot from last time was more formal and serious, but this time around, Jonathan needed more casual pictures.

We went to Heritage Park in Tustin, which was pretty nice. As I said before, keep your eyes peeled for this guy. Better get to know him while his schedule is not so jam packed. :)

first friday.

Last month was the first First Friday at Newsong Church.

You're probably wondering what that even means.

Starting from October, Newsong, along with several other churches in the OC, started a service where people from all over the area come out to worship together as One body. I was able to take some shots around the church and also of the night. :) These gatherings would usually be every Friday, but now it's on every first Friday of the month; thus this was the first First Friday.

{Facebook page.}

grandparents.

Around a month ago, my sister and I decided to make weekly visits to our grandparents. I wanted to start making more regular visits because: 1) whenever I'd see my grandma, she'd call me out and ask why I haven't seen them in so long. (heh!), 2) they have such a rich history and a great story to tell about their past, living in internment camps, among other experiences, and 3) to spend more quality time with them.

My grandpa and grandma are two of the most hard-working individuals I know. They have hearts of gold and a huge compassion to love on others. Being able to meet up with them around once a week has reminded me of the days when they would watch me when I was younger, and appreciate all that they've done in my life. :)

{The last picture is something my grandpa made! He's super creative and thinks of so many different ways to reuse materials and turn it into art. :) }

"not what i do, but who i am".

As a recent post-grad, the most common question I get is: "What do you do?"

I know that our occupation, (or one lack thereof), helps define who we are, but that barely does it justice. We are more than what we do, what title we hold, or what society claims we are. Every person has a story to tell, dreams they're chasing, growing passions, and personality quirks that make them who they are.

I highly dislike the fact that people in our day and age put such an importance on what we do instead of really getting to know who people are, the stories they have to tell, and seeing a person deeper than the surface.

Through this project, I hope to show others who I've come to know and love that they are more than what others see them as, but they are amazing individuals with beautiful hearts and incredible souls. I want people to know and understand that they're more than their job, their relationship to an institution, but that they're uniquely and beautifully themselves.

This is personal because it's something that I struggle with myself, as I'm sure a lot of people my generation can relate with. This will be an ongoing project, and I hope that it'll spur me on to develop deeper relationships with people, and see others how God sees them.

{If you're interested in being a part of this project of mine, contact me and we'll talk. :)}

current inspiration.

I finally feel like it's time for me to do something. October marks the fourth month of being a college graduate and still confused-as-ever about what next steps I should be taking. Four months ago, I wouldn't have imagined myself still stuck on what I want to do for next year, trying to think of jobs or internships to pursue, etc. More recently I've been searching for different leads to pursue, yet fear is always causing me to hesitate. Stephen couldn't have been more right: the scariest moment is right before you start. What I take away from that statement is that that moment is the fear of what you're about to embark on blown out of proportion.

I'm starting. It's scary. Yet, I know that it can only get better from here. :)