Jessica Whang
Artist
Cultural Artists Spotlight: August 26 – September 3, 2019
Can you tell us a little bit about what you do?
Hello all! I’m just your average girl who loves art and has been working her way slowly, but surely, into the art world! I’ve worked as a server at a few restaurants here in Burbank (maybe we’ve already met) and have lived here my whole life! Currently, I’m going back to school to work on my bachelor’s degree and pursuing art in entertainment design with a focus on gaming concept art! Throughout the school year I take on small projects and commissions and also work on designs for a small group of friends making car videos. I work a lot digitally, but also love to work in graphite, pen, color pencils, and markers as well. Other than that, I am a dog mom to my 8-year-old Pit bull and I also stream on Twitch.tv here and there!
How did you first become interested in art?
Art has always been a part of me and I believe that is because growing up my older sister was pursuing art (she’s currently a graphic designer) and my older brother was always playing video games! I grew up in a family that was very supportive about creativity and having my siblings there, they supported me the most when it came to exploring new things. I remember being in awe (and also kind of jealous) about my sister’s art skills and just trying to practice and work harder to hone in my own art skills and techniques. I also grew up playing (and still do) many video games through my brother. I also watched a million and one cartoons and I loved how there were so many different art styles. What caught my attention the most and why I became so interested in art was due to the fact that art can be anything you want it to be. It’s literally your own fantasy world that everyone doesn’t have to understand.
How can art enrich a community, and what are some ways people can become engaged with art in Burbank?
Because I believe that art is anything you want it to be, the possibilities are endless! In Burbank, think about the Arts Festival, October Fest, the Classic Car shows, and even the farmers’ market we have every Saturday morning! This is what enriches us–it’s art in so many different mediums and we get to engage and play on these different canvases. The Arts Festival bring together so many different artists in a space where we get to witness and sometimes even learn about the process of their art and hear their stories. The same is for October Fest and the different crafting of ale, liquor, wine, and beers! And don’t get me started on the car show (possibly one of my favorites here in Burbank)–we get to see GENERATIONS of cars throughout the years! And the Farmers Market, being a staple in our community, with locals bringing us the art and love they worked on by presenting us with whole foods and nutritious goods. Art brings warmth and gets us out of our comfort zone, which is why it’s so enriching; it lets us learn about ourselves, about each other, and lets us break out into something more creative that maybe we’ve never even thought of before.
Aside from the festivals, there are so many different ways to engage with art in Burbank. You could take a dance class at Parks & Recreation Center; there’s Gorilla Art Studio, which is kid friendly, and they even have figure drawing on Thursdays! Art is not limited to just a paper and pencil, it can be animate too!
If you could share with our community one thing about art, what would it be?
I think this needs to become my life motto, am i right? Art is ANYTHING you want it to be. And more than anything, no one has to understand it, not even you yourself. I really believe that as humans, we think too much and we always want to attach meaning to things – but I believe that in art, you don’t need to.
To find out more about Jessica’s work, visit instagram.com/charbat03 / twitch.tv/charbat03