Victoria Dai

A furor of art supplies, markers and canvases surround junior Victoria Dai as she draws and unfolds her creativity onto a piece of paper. Starting from the age of five, Dai attended many classes, including art, dance, piano and viola. However, art was the one class that she enjoyed the most. Her passion for art soon manifested into dreams of becoming an animator or storyboarder.

In seventh grade, Dai turned her art into a business by taking commissions from people, and learned to work more efficiently, realizing that her art could be a potential career. In high school, she started to take her talent more seriously as she began to think about her future plans. Dai used the COVID-19 lockdown to draw more and cultivate her skills.

Pursuing her dream of becoming an animator, Dai began drawing cartoons and animals from TV shows and games. She watched YouTube tutorials and joined online platforms where she could post her art. Seeing other people’s art and improving alongside them inspired her to expand her drawings to other art forms and work harder. 

“Through art, you can show a lot about yourself and how you have developed as a person,” Dai said.

In the future, Dai hopes to work in user interface and experience design or graphic design. She hopes to minor in concept art for college, paving the path for a career in the entertainment industry. Even if it doesn’t end up as a career, Dai wants to keep art in her life. 

“I just want to spread some joy,” Dai said. “There’s a common saying that art comes from suffering. I want to take that suffering and make it a bit more colorful, taking power away from that anxiety and fear.”