What do you get when you combine a fancy degree in Sequential Art and over 20 years of teaching martial arts? If you’re surprised by the answer “UX designer,” we’re in the same boat! My childhood dream was to become a comic book artist (or Batman), but I’ve found another home for my visual design and communication skills in UX.
While cool drawings and dynamic composition help, what makes a comic great is the story. To make a story click, I always ask myself what makes people tick. When I can portray that well, even a cartoon baguette can stir something inside of you and make you feel for it.
The desire to empathize with people helps me with my students’ goals, too. As an instructor to people of varying ages, body types, and temperaments, it’s important for me to make lessons as accessible as possible. By fostering a collaborative environment where everyone feels safe to experiment, I empower students to become problem solvers in dynamic situations.
So when I take a step back, it’s no wonder why I was drawn to UX. I can still use my curiosity to try to understand and connect with people in order to help in meaningful ways. Now I just need a Batmobile.
“‘Pen Guy’? What’s that supposed to mean?”
Back in art history class, I discovered that the “Pe” in my first name and “Nguy” in my last name could be smashed together to spell “PeNguy.” This was way more amusing than the medieval triptychs I was supposed to be paying attention to.
I wanted it to be reminiscent of Asian signature seals. The swirls of the P, e, and G are a reminder for me to embrace the exploratory fun of scribbling from childhood.
If you’d like to see my artwork, head over to Instagram!