Today we’d like to introduce you to Thienkim Cao.
Thienkim, before we jump into specific questions, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
In 7th grade, my math teacher introduced us to an online game called “the eyeballing game”. The goal was to eyeball exactly where points converged, where shapes formed perfect angles, and where the center of a line or shape would fall. I was never good at math, but I excelled at the eyeballing game. Ever since I was younger, I’ve always had an affinity for visual arts, and an obsession with creating perfectly aligned notes, layouts, and compositions. I’d spend hours on an acrylic painting, making sure that my lines and color blocking were crisp. My sketches were refined over and over until I was satisfied with the composition and quality. I had never thought much about this fascination with visual arrangements until I discovered graphic design. Instantly, I fell in love with this digital world and the new tools that allowed me to create real, applicable work on packages, on print, and on interfaces. After seeing the multidisciplinary applications of graphic design, I was set on pursuing an education in design. The amazing designers I discovered at San Diego City College really inspired me to branch out, and I would not be the confident designer I am today without that experience. Although I’m still learning, I’ve already worked with designers from here to Seattle! I can’t wait to see where this career takes me next.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I’m extremely grateful to have reached the point in my professional life to be comfortable and confident with the choices I’m making to develop my place in the design community. Before, I had always been unsure of going into a creative field because I’d grown up surrounded by non-creatives and had been told art would not make enough money for me to be satisfied in life. At times, I was almost heartbroken by the unsettling fear of creating mediocre work, thinking “maybe they were right”. I attended community college with no guarantee of success. I spent nights on pins and needles watching others chase their dreams. It was difficult for me to stop the comparisons. As frightful as it may have been however, my competitive spirit fueled my desire to prove the invalidation I received wrong. I’m very lucky to have had the chance encounters in my education with super encouraging peers and educators in the creative field. The further along I pushed, the more I discovered about design and its ability to connect individuals, aesthetics, and experiences across multiple disciplines. Endless nights worrying about my future eventually turned into countless ones tackling new projects and ideas. I think that, somewhere along the way, I found my passion to become a designer more critical than anything else. I have yet to graduate from my university, but I’m surrounded by amazing designers and resources. I worked my way into the internship of my dreams, and every day I look forward to the opportunities it’s opened for me. I have no regrets. I’m more proud of myself than I have ever been.
Thienkim Cao – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I’m a multidisciplinary designer! I love working with branding, packaging design, print designs, motion graphics, but most importantly, I’m in a passionate relationship with user experience and interface (UX/UI) design. As much as I enjoy creating and discovering clever, aesthetic designs in graphic works, I find myself entranced by the way design is integrated into rising technologies and human experiences. It’s absolutely amazing how visual design is practically anywhere, and that I have the creative skills to make an impactful difference in other fields. Whenever I’m designing for interfaces, I love to imagine how an end user would interact with it. These individuals would be doing more than just looking at my work; they’d be smiling, enjoying the little convenient tap of a button and the small “swoosh” animation I had designed. If my design work can bring delight to a person’s day, then I’ll always be the happiest designer in the world. So really, I love making the little things count.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Definitely perseverance. With all of the support out there in the artistic community, I feel however, that there is always fear of getting “burnt out”, running into artist block, and falling behind skill-wise if you don’t practice your craft every day. But there’s always going to be someone who create absolutely amazing work, and it’s easy to get dissuaded by their sheer awesomeness. I like to think that eventually, I’ll reach that point. I want to someday be that role model others look up to for design inspiration. To be the girl that simply “makes really cool shit”. A large part of me is always fueled by that desire to never give up, even in face of adversary. As a runner, I love to make the analogy that pursuing career success is like a race. There might be faster opponents, and the air in my lungs may burn at times, but I’ll never stop running.
Contact Info:
- Website: thienkimncao.com
- Email: thienkimncao@gmail.com
- Instagram: @tkcao
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thienkimcao/
Suggest a story: SDVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
