Ted Chin Is a digital artist and photographer based in San Francisco, USA. Ted has always taken interest in the creative arts and found his creative outlet through photography and Photoshop. Ted fittingly summarizes his journey of self-expression, storytelling, and creativity as "Ted’s Little Dream” which is also the name of his Instagram page: @tedslittledream.

Thank you for taking the time to do this interview, Ted. Could you please tell our readers a little bit about yourself? Are you originally from San Francisco? Is being a digital artist a full-time job for you and what else are you passionate about and like doing?

My name is Ted Chin and I’m a digital artist/photographer. I’m originally from Taiwan and now I live in San Francisco. When I’m not using my photoshop skills to make surreal fantasy art, I like to take photos and travel around.

Have you always been the creative type? Is this something that you knew you wanted to pursue when you were in school? If not, what set you in the direction of photography, digital artistry, and discovering the wonderful world of Photoshop?

I’ve always liked to paint since I was a kid. Animation, film, and other artwork were the main sources that inspired me when I was growing up. After studying a few traditional art classes in college, I took an interest in digital art and pursued it for my career.

Are there any other programs or apps that you use for your composites? How long does the average one take you roughly before you are ready to publish it? What is the most time-consuming aspect of your work?

I mainly use photoshop most of the time for my work. The average time for my creation really depends on how complex the project is. Sometimes it takes 10 minutes but sometimes it could take up to a few hours.

You are also an avid photographer! How do you find that your photography compliments your digital artistry? Is there something that you get from, or enjoy about photography, that you can't get from photo manipulations? How often does your photography show up in your digital art pieces?

I actually have a great passion for shooting black and white street photography and high fashion. You can find some of the models that I shot in my composite work sometimes. I try to keep my street photography separate from my surreal artwork since they are very different styles.

Where else do you find the images that you use in your composites and how do you go about working with brands or clients who have a rough idea of what they want in the composition? Do you make sure that you have a certain amount of creative freedom and maintain a high level of communication for example?

Yes, strong communication is very important when working with clients. Depending on the projects, sometimes they give you more creative freedom and sometimes they give you a direction for their concepts. I use Adobe Stock for my client’s work.

What branded content or job for a client was your hardest creation and what challenges did you have to face and overcome?

One of the tough projects I had to work on was for a mattress company. We had a minor misunderstanding on the project and I had to do a few revisions to make the composite right. But after that clients were happy with the final turn out and it was fun to work with them.

Where do you find your inspiration for your high level of creativity and feed your unique imagination? You've managed to turn clouds into flamingos, pyramids into camels, and plastic bottles Into whales, for example.

Animation, film, and other artwork was the main source that inspired me when I was growing up. To see how our mind works really made me wonder about how far I can push myself with my dreams and imagination. There is no limit to it and I want to share what I saw with people who haven’t realized that they have the same ability to see it too. I’m constantly challenging myself to create new projects. The process while creating and picking my own brain is really interesting. It helps me to understand myself more.

Do you believe that each image that you create is - in part - an extension of yourself and your current mood, experiences, and feelings? Art can be a fantastic way to express oneself in ways where words or one’s courage may not always be able. I was wondering if you have thought much about this or not? Or if there are any other reasons driving you to keep motivated and creating and putting out work? Is creativity an outlet?

I believe some of my art is an extension of myself and an impression of a mood, story, or a message from my perspective. Sometimes it could mean nothing and just for fun too. Art is a way to express my feelings and photoshop is my tool.

You consistently have reoccurring themes showing up in your imagery such as the moon, clouds, or scaled up animals to name a few. Is this just coincidental or is there something in certain subjects and aesthetics which you have a particular interest in?

A little bit of both. Most of them have stories and hidden messages within.

Would it be correct to place your work into the categorical realm of surrealism? How would you personally define your creative style? And do you have anyone or anything in particular that you admire heavily or use as a source of inspiration for your work?

Yes. Surrealism is actually what I study first when I start my photoshop composite work. I would call my work a surreal fantasy style. There are a lot of artists that inspire me. Man Ray, Dali, René Magritte are a few that come to mind.

Have you gotten much support from your friends and family? What do they think of what you do? Have you ever had to deal with much destructive criticism online before? Being judged negatively for their work – or at least the fear of it - is often what holds people back from posting it online. Could you offer any advice to anyone that isn't so sure of themselves or what they have created and how they could deal with negativity and rejection online?

I’m very lucky that I have the full support of my friends and family. I’m not too worried about online criticism unless they are offering helpful advice. I focus on myself and consciously try to figure out how I can do better. If you are posting your work because you want to share with people and just have fun, you should be able to enjoy that too. But if you are posting your work and seek feedback from others, you will hear a lot of different voices online.

My advice would be to work on yourself first. Figure out what kind of art you want to do, what stories you want to tell, what message you want to send. From there you can then look at how to perfect your craft and get better.

Is Teds Little Dream a destination or end goal or is it a journey of expressionism? What was that dream and has it changed at all over the years? What would you like to do more of, or try in the future?

Storytelling has always been something that inspired me when I was growing up. When I was in grad school, due to a lack of time and money, I was not able to travel as much as I wanted to. I’ve always dreamed about visiting different places, to see and experience new things, and to tell stories. So I started to dream about it. I find it easier to tell my stories with images rather than words. By using my imagination and photography/photoshop skills, it becomes my passion to recreate and share my surreal fantasy with the world. I place it into a lifetime project - “Ted’s Little Dream”

The concept of the project has been adding more elements to it over the years. I’m always trying new methods and new projects so it will never stay the same. One of the many goals I have is to travel more and see more. Maybe collect more stories to tell with my photoshop skills.

Most of us are driven by a dream. Yours has to lead you to a very respectable level of success Ted. Many people would admire that and wish to replicate your success in their own lives and chase down their own ambitions, hopes, and dreams.

How do you stay focused and on track in the age of distraction and immense competition? Is being true to, and understanding yourself an integral part of standing out and becoming successful as a creative?

I think as long as I’m focusing on improving myself and have a clear idea of what my goals are, I shouldn’t be lost or distracted too much. After all, I am doing what I love the most.

Once again, your time has been very much appreciated Ted, thank you. Where can people find you on social media? If people want to buy a print, where can they go?

You can purchase my prints at https://tedslittledream.darkroom.tech/

My social: https://www.instagram.com/tedslittledream/

My website: http://www.tedslittledream.com/

Stay Creative!