Today we’d like to introduce you to Vivian Vien.
Hi Vivian, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Hello! My name is Vivian Vien! I’m a first-generation Chinese/Vietnamese American. Thank you for giving me this opportunity to share my story! I’m a freelance artist. I love illustrating anime-style illustrations with vibrant colors, flowers, and sparkles!✧ I’ve been drawing since I was three years old. I currently create illustrations for prints and various merch designs to sell in artist ally conventions under the name Viviitartt!
I would say it’s always been my biggest goal to share my artwork with others, whether in person or online with friends, family, and strangers. What has always brought me the most joy in creating and sharing my art is inspiring others to also draw and create. I know it may not seem like much to a person, but it’s always very special when people share that they’ve started drawing or show interest in something new and creative because of something I’ve done. You could say that my dream is to inspire others to pursue their own creative endeavors and to make people happy through my drawings.
This goal and dream of mine wasn’t just some random spark that occurred in me on one random day. It starts with my dad.
My dad worked at a restaurant in Downtown Louisville called “Double Happy,” a family business that was owned by very close relatives. Just a block or two away is a little preschool that I went to with my older cousins. When the day at preschool was over, my dad would walk over and pick up my cousins and I to go back to the restaurant. As with many Asian owned businesses, I feel, my cousins and I were always brought out to the restaurant to play, since there was never really a person to watch over us at home. It’s hard for me to remember exactly what “trouble” my cousins and I got up to, especially at such a young age, but I can say for certain there was hardly ever a dull moment.
Being the tiny children we were, we had little three-wheeled scooters that we would scoot around on throughout the restaurant. They were pink and purple with a cute plastic bucket on the front to carry our little treasures and a small bell to inform the adults that we were rolling by, slowly. If not on our scooters, I remember riding our small bikes with training wheels in the back parking lot, gathering around the TV to watch PBS Kids or movies we rented from the Louisville library, climbing over and under empty dining tables as if they were our homes… truly, there was always something to do. These are all very fond and precious memories of mine, but the most important memory that has led me to where I am today is the one where I would ask my dad to draw for my cousins and I.
As a little girl who was born in the year of the horse, I was obsessed with them. When my dad wasn’t busy with work, I would bring him pen and paper and ask him to draw horses for me to color. Sometimes, if not horses, he would draw large cubes or cylinders that my cousins and I would then decorate like cakes too! Calm activities like drawing helped pass the time. I’m sure there wasn’t one day where my cousins and I didn’t sit down to color. What was so special about watching my dad draw for me was how, with just a few intentional strokes of the pen, out of nowhere, the image of whatever I wanted was on the paper. It truly was magical.
After watching my dad draw horses for me many times, he eventually inspired me to try to draw them myself. My horses were not as realistic and admittedly silly-looking, but it was my Horse, something I created on my own. It’s something I still remember how to draw, and while I can draw it much neater now, I still cherish its silly little form to this very day.
From there, my love and enjoyment for drawing spiraled. I remember there was one day I was out at the restaurant and, being bored without my cousins to play with, drew horses on several different sheets of paper that I then taped up around the restaurant. I don’t think my aunt liked my little Horse art show… but, hey, I had fun!
For the longest time, I only drew animals—mainly horses of course—and Pokémon. Drawing humans wasn’t something I was particularly keen on, probably because my dad was never confident in drawing people. It was around middle school, when I started watching anime more often, that I started pivoting to drawing human characters from the shows I enjoyed. It was also the time when social media became more common. The artists that I followed or watched on YouTube kept me additionally inspired to keep drawing.
At the beginning of 2017, when I was around fourteen, I made one of my first digital drawings celebrating the new year. I did it on my phone with my fingers, so it was just a small doodle, but one I still look at fondly. It wouldn’t be until around two years later that I would finally get a touch screen laptop and pen that enabled me to draw on the screen like I would on paper… except for the fact that putting a stylus to the screen feels completely different. I struggled drawing on a screen, but it was around then when I was a sophomore or junior in high school that I started following and seeing elaborate digital illustrations online. I also saw artists creating digital artworks that they would then turn into physical merchandise like prints, stickers, lanyards, acrylic charms, enamel pins, etc. to sell online and at conventions. My creative world was expanding once again, I was inspired and more determined than ever that I wanted to make artwork to physically share just like all the other artists I admired online.
For college, my parents always told me to do whatever would make me happy. I genuinely couldn’t think of what else I wanted to pursue, so I enrolled at the University of Colorado Denver for illustration in 2021. In the program, I took the project assignments as chances to push and learn skills that I admired in my favorite artists. I also used the assignments as opportunities to create something I could hopefully see myself making as physical merchandise someday.
In 2022, I made my first-ever acrylic charms of my three beloved original characters. In 2023, I launched my small business and tabled at my first night markets in Denver: the Saigon Azteca Night Market and the Mid-Autumn Festival. In 2024, I found myself in my first year of anime conventions: Colorado Anime Fest (COAF was my very first!), Anime Onsen, and Nan Desu Kan. Just earlier this year, 2025, I found myself tabling in FAN EXPO Denver at the Colorado Convention Center!
I actually hadn’t drawn my Horse in several years until 2023 when I launched. After all, how could I make my dreams a reality without bringing it back to the beginning, to the very first thing that my dad inspired me to draw? My Horse remains an integral part of my whole journey. Horse carries the passions of that little girl who has never once given up. Horse serves as proof that through determination, anything can be achieved.
It’s thanks to these amazing opportunities of pushing myself in the illustration program with my instructors, meeting artist friends, and meeting people who find joy and inspiration from my Horse and illustrations that I have the confidence to continue creating and seeking new heights. If someone had told me even just five years ago that 1) I would be familiar with creating artwork that people want and adore, 2) I would be tabling in artist alley at conventions around Colorado, 3) have the confidence to travel beyond Colorado for conventions, 4) have life-size renditions of beloved original characters of my art, I would have never believed them… But here I am, living that reality and more!
My mom says I take after my dad, whose name is Vi, in pursuing my goals. In the same “Vien,” (forgive me lol) my little Horse takes after all the horses he ever drew for me. Though I’ve taken my art even further than what my dad ever drew or showed me, without him, I wouldn’t be where I am today. I’m so excited to see where I go next!!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
As great as I’ve made out my journey to be—don’t get me wrong, it has truly been a wonderful experience overall—there is still never a moment behind the scenes where I’m not scared out of my mind. I’m very fortunate to have had things work out as great as they have, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t moments of struggle behind the scenes. I said before that for college, my parents didn’t mind what I did as long as it made me happy because I had already made it further than they had; they’re very proud of me. I decided to pursue a major in illustration, but there has also not been one moment I don’t put pressure on myself and have doubts about it because of the idea of the “starving artist.” Anyone can pursue art with or without a degree, art school is sometimes even coined as “easy,” which can be true, but no one talks about how hard it is outside of school or how much work artists need to put in to be successful with their art alone. It scares me even now. It’s actually for this reason that I decided to get a minor in General Business Administration to feel a little more secure and to ease my worries. I share this not to make young artists scared, but that doubts, fears, etc. are all valid feelings that everyone feels. People usually only talk about the positives of an experience, but remember that it’s okay and normal to have low moments. Seeking a business minor doesn’t have to be everyone’s solution, it just happened to be mine! What I’ve learned in the business school has been beneficial to what I do as a convention-going artist, but it has also made me realize that being in the illustration program has given me so much more confidence thanks to where I can put my focus in learning and the experiences that have worked towards having. I don’t doubt my decision as much as before, but what’s a little spice of fear here and there to always work towards overcoming?
My parents and entire extended family are a resilient group. They came here with nothing, yet have built so much just to support each other and the next generation—my cousins, sisters, and I—such that we may have the opportunity to live a good life and pursue what we desire. This wouldn’t be possible without the support of everyone helping each other. When I’m filled with stress, doubts, and fear of the unknown, I tend to freeze up, but I know my sisters will always give me a loving push to get me out of my own head. I also know that I have a family that will always believe in, help, and support me. Who am I to let fear completely ruin the opportunities my family has worked so hard to provide? The least I could do is keep working hard so that I can support them someday too. My parents opened up my world at a very young age, and it’s thanks to them that I can also open up their world through my artsy adventures now!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I think it’s fairly safe to say that a lot of people (especially in Colorado) have started recognizing me from the silly little Horse! It’s special to me when people laugh and point out how cute they are. I just know my baby self would be overjoyed at the fact, I mean, I am overjoyed! However, I don’t only bring silly Horses to the table. I primarily go by Viviitartt online and enjoy creating digital painterly anime-style illustrations with “vivid” colors, flowers, and whimsy.
Much of my detailed illustrations consist of characters from the popular games Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail by miHoYo. I was a part of the certified content creator program for Genshin Impact a few years ago, leading to the creation of a lot of fan art of popular characters from the game.
As much as I enjoy creating art for various games, I also love illustrating three original characters that are iconic faces to me as an artist: Vee Quil, Yanila Blu, and Leyah Sunne. Each girl is represented in their own color, red/pink, blue/cyan, and yellow, respectively. Otherwise seen as primary colors, the source of all other colors, they give me the courage and joy to create life and bring color to my world. These characters are extensions of myself in various aspects, but they’re also very much their own characters. I hope one day to write and illustrate them in a webtoon-like story to share more about them!
Most recently, as part of the 2025 University of Colorado Denver BFA Thesis Exhibition, I created and illustrated Leyah in Wonderland—an imagination of original characters Vee, Leyah, and Yanila in an alternate universe as iconic Wonderland characters: the Mad Hatter, Alice, and the Queen of Hearts, respectively. The project consisted of conceptualizing and designing their looks in Wonderland, and then illustrating splash art of them within the world. These three characters are especially dear to me and are just as pivotal in my art journey. I’m very fortunate to have had the opportunity to illustrate them breaking through the boundaries of the frame to invite viewers into their Wonderland, while also having the chance to invite them into my physical world as their artist and creator by making life-size standees of them in their Wonderland design. The concept designs, illustrations, and life-size display stands were exhibited at the Redline Contemporary Art Center in May 2025.
What I value most in my work are the stories, experiences, and connections that are embedded. My stories are deeply rooted and lead me to create artworks with intention. Though it’s not always easy to tell whole life stories in a single drawing of a silly Horse, or detailed illustrations of a pretty anime girl… or three, I’m always grateful for the opportunity to share about them! Feel free to ask me about them anytime! *･ﾟ♡*･ﾟ❀ ༄
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
I feel like there’s never a dull moment as an artist. These days, we’re dealing with A/I being used to “create art.” I think there are many people who are scared to pursue art because of A/I. It’s really unfortunate, and I do admit that it is a valid fear, but I like to think that it has created more awareness and appreciation for art made by real artists. If you think about it, the people buying into A/I generated work were never going to truly value art made by artists anyway… so is it really a loss in some regard? Discourse on this can certainly be expanded upon, of course. Just as people begin to show more appreciation for art by real artists, the “art” being generated falls into being very cheap. I think it’s much easier today to start learning how to draw, there are more resources than ever, so anyone saying they don’t have the “time” or whatever excuse not to learn to draw is… well. Even just spending a few minutes every day with intentional drawing can be beneficial in the long run. It took years just for me to reach where I am and I’m still striving to learn and grow. My point is that it is always possible to develop skill with time, patience, and practice. Horse is proof of that! Learning and improving on skills for your next big project is often part of the fun and satisfaction of creating something by your own hands.
I believe that nothing can ever replace the passion, creativity, and beauty that artists exude and put into their work.
It’s hard to say what else will happen in the next decade or so with A/I or what comes next, but, at least for me, I’m excited for what future projects, opportunities, and people I will cross paths with next! I’m always open to meeting new artists and friends! Reach out anytime ♡
Contact Info:
- Website: https://viviitartt.wixsite.com/viviitartt
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/viviitartt/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vivian-vien-/
Image Credits
Vi Vien
Phung Lam
Kikian Vien
Lavian Vien
Vicky Vien
