Today we’d like to introduce you to Sophia Gi.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I grew up in a pretty volatile household environment, and in order to find some peace in all of that, I turned to art as a way to express myself and an activity that made me feel safe.
For as long as I could remember, I was always creating. As a kid, I would always be doodling, crafting, or tinkering with something. At least I was easy to get gifts for, maybe a little too easy. Family members knew exactly what to get me for my birthday or for Christmas; which resulted in me having about a dozen of those art kits – you know, the ones in the little suitcase that has every art tool in every color that a kid would want.
As I got older, there was this unspoken expectation for me to pursue a career in STEM, and due to my family’s strict structure, I didn’t really know what I wanted to do, I was pretty lost. I didn’t feel connected to anything and I ended up changing majors 4 times. Then it hit me, something that was free and surrounding us this whole time: Nature. Nature, in its purest form, is a work of art; the different blues in an ocean, organic lines that create the trees, and the endless inspiration from all the critters that share the world with us.
During the time I was pursuing my degree, I stopped creating entirely and my mental health tanked. Nothing I looked at sparked anything in me, it felt like the flames were smothered. I second guessed myself often; because I wanted to pursue animal science and art, but that just wouldn’t cut it for my family. I was lost for so long, just trying to get to the finish line.
One day, I stumbled across some advice that really changed the way I looked at everything. That advice was, “Choose a career that you’re interested in, use that career to pursue your hobby.” It made me realize that I was trying to achieve my goals in such a linear way, when life isn’t meant to be linear. So, in 2020, with a General Biology degree in hand and a career in animal care in my pocket, I purchased my first iPad and started creating digitally and posting my work onto TikTok & Instagram. In 2021, I launched my shop, “okSUSHEH,” where I sell my artwork in the form of vinyl stickers. In 2022, I started vending at artist markets. As of this year, I’ve shifted most of my time & energy to commissions, working on custom artwork for clients. Which I feel is especially important, the human component in artwork, with the rise of AI technology.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Oh definitely not (haha)! I didn’t go to art school or take any art courses in college. So, I feel like there is definitely a gap in my knowledge there. I know there are a lot of studios in San Diego that offer classes for adults, but with my full time job taking 40 hours of my week, everything that I know and have learned has just been me on my own time watching tutorials and practicing online.
I think the hardest part is trying to manage my time too, to make sure I don’t get burnt out, which has definitely happened a few times; When you work 7 days a week, it starts taking chunks out of you.
I’ve learned that this whole journey has been trying to find a balance of making sure I am creating art for my audience, but also making time to create art for myself. When you only create for clients, it starts feeling like a job, and having your hobby feel like a job, really takes the spark out of the creative process.
Additionally, I don’t have employees, it’s just me; and I am one person – They don’t call it small business for nothing. For online sales: I handle the product photography, listings, marketing, packaging, branding, all me. For social media: photo editing, filming, video editing, all me. For in-person markets: from set up to break down, all me – well I should also say with the occasional help from my partner and my friend Darien, who I have dubbed, my unpaid interns. I pull all of the strings, and somehow make it all work. Sometimes I wonder how I make it all work.
But that’s it, it’s the passion, the dream, and the smiles, that really encourage me to keep doing what I’m doing.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I have a pretty wide array of skills.
When I first started out, in 2020, I was doing mostly commission based work, creating digital assets for streamers on platforms like Twitch and Discord. I also made digital pieces for personal profile photos for various social media platforms as well, among other assets. One of my hobbies is playing video games, so to be able to incorporate my artwork into that community has also been rewarding.
In 2021, I started making physical items of my artwork for sale, that’s when I shifted my goals a bit. I still took on commission work, but not in a high volume, since now I was tending to another aspect of my art and business.
From 2022 – 2023, my focus was doing artist markets, now that I had sufficient stock and physical items.
In 2024, I started taking on design commissions for tattoos, and I am currently working in collaboration with another local artist, Brian Divine Tattoo, who works at Emaki Art Collective located off of Friars Rd. He is a very talented artists, and most of my designs are available at his shop. (You can support 2 artists for 1 visit!)
It’s also always really fun running into people at events who are genuinely excited to see me and to see what new things I have available in stock. It’s also really nice seeing familiar faces as well. Overall, I really enjoy connecting with like minded folks. I love doing collaborative work, but also, at the end of the day, I just want to create. I used to create to relieve stress, I used to create only just for myself, but now I get to create for everyone.
I absolutely love it when people see me at in-person events, and they go “OH! You’re the snail girl!” – referring to my brand mascot, who is a Salmon nigiri colored snail, with a dollop of wasabi for its shell.
I’m most proud of my growth, I didn’t think I would ever put myself out there like this. Maybe it was the 2020 pandemic, that made me realize that life is short, and that there’s no day like today.
It’s never too late to teach yourself something new.
Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
People don’t realize that there are a lot of free or low-cost resources online that are available from artists to artists. By utilizing those resources, as well as putting in the time, you can get to where I’m at today. You can find so much community and support in the San Diego art scene, and I think that’s really amazing.
When people tell me, “oh I use AI because I can’t draw.” I disagree, you can draw, you can if you tried. You just need to put in the time. We live in a society where we are so used to convenience and everything being available at the touch of a screen, that we forget to just stop and enjoy things slowly. Art is a skill you can learn. I didn’t get to where I’m at today, if I didn’t pick up a pen and paper. If I stopped creating art fully, then I wouldn’t be here right now, doing an interview as a creative.
And with that I leave a quote from Bob Ross:
“ ‘I can’t draw a straight line, I don’t have the talent Bob, to do what you’re doing,’ that’s baloney.
Talent is a pursued interest, in other words, anything that you’re willing to practice you can do!” ― Bob Ross, EXPERIENCE THE JOY OF PAINTING Volume III
There’s no day like today, to learn a new skill, or a get involved in a new hobby. You don’t have to create as a business, you can just create for fun. You can use social media as a diary of your progress, and also meet people with similar interests that way.
I encourage everyone, go create something today; it can be as simple as a little doodle on a love note to your partner, it can be a thank you doodle left on the receipt for an employee, it can be a little sticky note on the fridge for your roommate. It can literally be anything. Whatever it is, just create. Keep on creating.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/okSusheh
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/OkSusheh
- Facebook: https://www.tiktok.com/@oksusheh
- Twitter: https://x.com/oksusheh
- Youtube: https://www.threads.com/@oksusheh
- Other: https://www.etsy.com/shop/okSusheh
