My name is Lilian because when my mom heard she was having a baby girl, naturally she thought, "We have to name her Ian." My dad compromised by including Ian in the latter half of my name but insisted that Lilian be spelled with one "L" because he wanted me to be unique. Little did he know that would end up being the most normal thing about me, and little did I know that would be one of their few compromises throughout my life.
Currently, I am a Senior Advertising student at the University of Texas at Austin. I am leaning into the Art Direction direction, which may or may not become evident as you are reading this. For me, creativity has always been my safe space and my biggest motivator. I continuously look at the world through a child’s eyes and fight the urge to let familiarity and normalcy impact the way I express myself. I find excitement within discomfort and comfort in the way it gives me room to grow.
My second biggest motivator has to be food, the art of chewing. Every time I compile a list of my favorite things, I notice a common trend: Chipotle, jelly beans, my mom’s kimchi fried rice, chili cheese tots...trust me, the list could go on forever.
When I am not doing any of those things, you will find me resting horizontally, either on the couch, in my bed, or lately, enjoying the floor, holding my phone above my face watching TikToks until I get the notification checking in on my mental health. Let’s be honest, the notification hurts more than the two hours of doom scrolling.
My Current healthy obsessions include the last second of a workout class, pretending Diet Coke is healthy, learning about Quantum physics on TikTok, and Phil Dunphy.
My ultimate goal is to create impactful work that is interpreted as art before it is seen as anything else. Currently, in the Texas portfolio program, I have the opportunity to work under incredible creative directors and mentors, alongside talented students. As much as this program has taught me tangible skills in software, the most impactful thing I have learned is that asking questions, having differing opinions, and speaking out are what keep things interesting. And dumb ideas are sometimes smart ideas that other people are too afraid to say. As I grow, I aim to continue to leave embarrassment at the door, relish in discomfort, and learn as much as possible through every experience.
