Li Anne Liew however, jumped right in, following her heart despite not knowing for sure where it would lead her or how it would turn out to be.

For the 23-year-old Kajang lass, her love for art was apparent in primary school where she blossomed during art classes.

“It was the only place where I was allowed to express myself creatively without any constraints,” this art director based in San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles, told FMT in a recent Zoom interview.

Apart from painting, drawing and sculpting with clay, she often created her own short films, ‘starring’ her friends and family – albeit involuntarily for some!

“I enjoyed making films about my life so I documented travels with my family. I also forced my friends from high school to act in my films,” she recalled with a laugh.

Even from such a young age, Liew knew that staying relevant meant learning all she could about her craft, and keeping abreast with new technologies that emerged every so often.

“I learned every programme I could such as Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator,” she said, adding that she also volunteered to take wedding photographs for her older sister’s friends.

Dabbling in different mediums of art gave her the clarity she needed to pursue her real love – that of filmmaking.

After applying to several schools in the US, she got a scholarship to Chapman University in Orange County, Los Angeles to pursue a degree in film production.

Her parents were delighted. “I believe it’s because I knew I wanted to pursue filmmaking since I was 15, and showed them how much I wanted it,” she said, adding that she was grateful for their support.

Spreading her wings, learning to fly

In 2018, she started classes in sunny Los Angeles. Not wanting to limit herself to the classroom, she applied for internships and even took jobs outside of filmmaking just for the experience.

By 2021, she secured her dream internship – that of international creative advertising intern at Paramount Pictures, an American film and television production and distribution company.

Then came an internship at 20th Digital Studio, a production and distribution company under The Walt Disney Company. For Liew, who grew up watching Disney shows, this was the cherry on the cake.

But her ultimate dream? It was to work with the prestigious Los Angeles (LA) Times – and in March last year, she landed a job there.

“I was a design intern but I got to animate and design many photos for their articles. The environment was also really supportive,” she said, describing it as “the best experience” she’s ever had.

Admittedly, it was tough juggling work with studies and at one point, she was doing 40-hour weeks. But she kept at it, knowing that the experience was good for her growth. What’s more, the money she earned helped cover her living expenses.

Her hard work did pay off – in the form of a short film she wrote and produced for her final year project titled “Where No One Lives” about three women who are neighbours but who don’t know each other.

She said she was particularly proud of the film because the majority of the 60 cast and crew were made up of Asian women. “In film school, there were a lot of times where I was the only person of colour on set.”

The film bagged the “Best Student Film” title at the 14th San Jose International Film Festival and “Best Student Short” at the 15th Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival last year.

Then came yet another acknowledgement of her creativity – one of her photographs was chosen for the cover of a single, “Don’t Fade” by Australian singer-songwriter, Vance Joy.

The world, her canvas

Liew graduated in May last year and is a full-time freelancer now after a short stint as a digital designer with a company that closed shop early this year.

One of her present clients is her previous employer, LA Times, who she is helping to rebrand their food section.

“I am also currently freelancing for a property company where I am helping to design for a building in New York.”

For Liew, the world continues to be her oyster – or in her case, her canvas. “I am actually developing my first feature film right now that I hope to shoot in Malaysia.

“It is important to make something that is true to yourself and not be afraid of experimenting and failing,” she said.