Today we’d like to introduce you to Otto Lai.
Otto, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
I started my professional career in New York as a modeler on MTV’s “Celebrity Death Match” back in 1998. Then got into children’s television as an animator on Nickelodeon’s “Little Bill”. After moving from New York to San Diego, I started teaching CG while doing Stereoscopic 3D Conversion on Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland” at Legend in Del Mar.
My main job now is teaching in the Multimedia department at SDSU. My ultimate work-in-progress is my own animation school in Liberty Station. It’s called FX Dojo and it’s a combination of many mediums.
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
I like to design positive learning environments. Teaching is really my art form. If you’re in a class for drawing, painting, making a 3d model, or editing video, each session can be an awesome adventure you share with others. My class is Dungeons and Dragons and I am the Dungeon Master.
Using digital tools makes it more interesting because Photoshop, Maya, Blender, you name it – that’s your sword with +1 to strike. Magic weapons aka software allow a single artist to be ten times more powerful as someone using a paper and pencil doing it old school. Of course, I also love drawing and painting by myself too. But I value creativity in groups, so sharing is very important.
Artists face many challenges, but what do you feel is the most pressing among them?
I struggle to stay focused and I think a lot of people have that problem. It’s not even a new problem but it’s an old challenge that has become even harder to fight. Technology made rabbit holes everywhere. I gotta be extra vigilant about what I watch and read – seeing too much awesome stuff can throw me off my own goals.
Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
I’ll advertise creative jams on social media. I hang our large painting collaborations in Liberty Public Market next to the bathrooms. I love sharing what I know about digital tools. Take a class, or if you’re a kid or teenager, sign up for a Summer Camp!
Contact Info:
- Address: 2690 Historic Decatur Rd #205 San Diego, CA 92106
- Website: www.fxdojo.com
- Phone: (619)354-3656
- Email: otto@fxdojo.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/fxdojo
- Facebook: facebook.com/fxdojo
Getting in touch: SDVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
