Young Guns 16: Victo Ngai
By Brett McKenzie on Nov 01, 2018
Showcasing the incredible winners of Young Guns 16
After months of decisions, discussions and debate, The One Club For Creativity is thrilled to unveil the winners of Young Guns 16! These 30 art directors, illustrators, filmmakers, photographers and designers of all types stood above all in this career-making, globe-spanning portfolio-based competition.
Ahead of the Young Guns 16 Ceremony + Party taking place on November 15, we are shining a spotlight on the various superstars who will be honored that evening.
Victo Ngai
Illustrator
Los Angeles, CA
What does winning this award mean to you?
I have entered Young Guns a couple of times before, and finally winning this award at 30 feels like a milestone to this period of my career. I was much younger when I first entered, and although I thought I was ready at those time, in hindsight there were much room for maturing.
Since the competition takes into consideration a whole body of work, it allows me to evaluate my own development and growth through the years with each submission. I think this is what makes entering Young Guns a meaningful experience for me.
It’s not easy to be a successful creative. What sorts of challenges have you encountered to get where you are today?
Many challenges have shifted as my career progresses, for instance in the beginning it was difficult to find enough clients to stay afloat and to obtain the US work VISA, then when things started to pick up, I had trouble saying no and ended up getting sick from overworking. Then there are these challenges that seem to never go away, such as the imposter-syndrome and the struggle to reinvent oneself. Looking back now, the big challenges in life don't usually have an immediate answer or solution, all I could do was to be mindful of them and try not to let them overwhelm me, while focusing my energy on every small step.
How did you decide what to enter into Young Guns? Was it a challenge to curate yourself?
I think "practice makes perfect" also apply to entering competitions. After having entered a bunch of different competitions now, I have noticed that certain types of work do better in some competitions than the others. Looking at past winners was a good way to help curate my entries.
Can you name any past Young Guns winners who you look up to, whose work you admire or are even inspired by?
Jessica Walsh (YG8) is inspiring to me, not only for her creative work, her savvy brand-sense and impeccable fashion (I want all her clothes!), but mostly for the immense self-discipline and drive the way she carries herself in every little thing.
What keeps you going, creatively speaking?
I think it's the simple fact that I wouldn't know what to do with my life if not making art. Being a creative is not so much a choice butan innate urge.
Now that you’re a Young Guns winner, what’s next?
Keep whistling with my struggles and insecurities and hope that when I look back in ten years, I will be astonished by the distance I have travelled.
The Young Guns 16 Ceremony & Party takes place on Thursday, November 15 in New York City.
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