Bio
An aspiring animator and storyboard artist who has been on the Dean’s List for the College of Liberal Arts, Julia Ahn is a Bachelor of Fine Arts candidate at Auburn University with a concentration in animation and a minor in film/media studies. While she has a focus towards 2D animated media, she is currently collaborating on Auburn University’s first animated short film, Cling and Claw, made in 3D animation and directed by Jamy Wheless. Julia explores aspects of storytelling in her works, intentionally adding details to build the world behind the art. With the goal to create for a variety of projects such as indie games and animation, she plans to create a game based around her own style and stories.
Much of her style was influenced by her childhood, her biggest inspirations being the cartoons she would watch, such as Avatar: The Last Airbender. Other than her childhood influences, she also uses her experience of disconnection with a cultural community, being raised as a Korean immigrant in America. She focuses on emulating her own emotions from experiences rather than depicting the experiences themselves when creating stories and worlds. When she's not building new worlds, she participates in them, often engaging in popular tabletops roleplaying game Dungeons and Dragons.
Artist Statement
Stories have been passed down, retold, and created anew since the beginnings of human civilization. They exemplify the creativity of the human mind, and with every new story is another inspiration for the next generation. Storytelling has been a constant part of my life, from Korean fairy tales and folk stories to American cartoons like Avatar: The Last Airbender. These childhood influences are what sparked my desire to create stories through art, especially through the use of animation and detailed illustrations. Animation itself was always particularly special to me because of the limitless ways stories could be told in this medium.
In the current decade, 3D animation has become widely used and often preferred for films and shows, yet 2D continues to remain, particularly in cartoons and tv shows. Unlike 3D, which frequently gravitates toward similar rendering styles aside from a few notable exceptions, 2D offers endless stylistic variety. Its traditional roots—such as hand-drawn frames paired with painted backgrounds—continue to inspire a desire to build stories and worlds. Advances in technology have further expanded the possibilities of 2D animation, from digital painting with a wide range of brushes to the use of 3D models as reference for 2D work. Within 2D, there is a greater sense of freedom and opportunity in how stories can be shaped and told.
My creative process is heavily shaped by emotions and current events. Each project becomes a reflection of personal reactions and experiences, whether they’re tied to current events or not. These influences shape not only the tone, but also the content and themes of the stories being told. As a result, ideas often shift during production, and the same content is rarely revisited when moving on to a new project. This factor is mainly caused by the extensive time needed to complete a project.
While my style draws inspiration from cartoons and Asian animation, these techniques are adapted depending on the story being explored. This flexibility makes it possible to work across a wide range of themes without being tied to a single aesthetic. One consistent element across all works is the use of details to build the world around the story, even when the narrative lasts less than a minute. Making the audience want to think and investigate details is part of why adding worldbuilding elements to the background is important and remains a key goal in my work. The audience should be able to see and feel the emotions engrained into the story.
In conclusion, storytelling has always been the foundation of my creativity, rooted in stories absorbed in childhood and the narratives that continue to develop through ongoing work. From traditional folk tales to animated TV shows and films, these early influences shaped my approach to narrative stories and worldbuilding. It draws inspiration from the past and reimagines it through a contemporary and emotional lens. Whether through illustration or animation, the intention is to create stories that reflect lived experiences while inviting others into imagined worlds. Ultimately, the goal is to contribute to the ongoing cycle of storytelling that first sparked this passion.