Creativity and Fantasy

Brianna Kim’s Digital Art and Cosplay

Brianna Kim knows she was born into privilege. Her father is a doctor and he always provided well for his children. He also loved keeping up with all the new video gaming technology and encouraged Kim and her brother to play along as well. But a life of privilege doesn’t mean a life without struggles. Whereas Kim’s father was a constant presence of support, encouragement, and material stability, Kim says her mother was often out of the picture and struggling with addiction.

Growing up with a parent who deals with those demons can be chaotic and unpredictable. Kim often fluctuated between feeling loved and cared for and feeling alone and awkward. She would often retreat into the comfort and safety of her own imagination. “I would spend hours daydreaming and thinking about fantastic fantasy lands with castles and dragons,” she says. “I felt awkward in the real world but I was in charge of my imaginary world.”

Gaming with her dad and brother introduced Kim to Lord of the Rings, League of Legends, and World of Warcraft. She found that through gaming her imaginary world actually came to life on the TV or computer screen. A lot of games, especially role playing games, allow the players to create and tailor their onscreen personas. Kim was able to make characters who moved through magical lands, fought battles, and learned interesting skills. Nothing felt awkward in that land and as she grew and gained confidence, Kim began incorporating her love for fantasy and gaming into other parts of her life. First came digital art followed closely by dressing up and embracing cosplay.

As an adult, Kim’s life is often focused on being creative. She studied accounting at Confederation College and worked very briefly at a large firm. It quickly became clear that doing taxes wasn’t going to be her passion, so she took a step back, reevaluated, and decided to concentrate on creativity.

Recently Kim started working as a marketing intern for Swartz Fine Fashions in Westfort; it’s giving Kim an opportunity to be creative at work. She gets to set up clothing displays, work with the company’s social media, dress up her coworkers, and help customers pick outfits that look good. And when her job is done for the day, Kim gets to go home and focus on her own endeavours like making digital art on her tablet, selling her art, cosplay, and costumes, gaming, and curating a second-hand clothing boutique online with her friend Chloe, called Kimstyle.

Kim is a busy woman—that much is obvious. But there’s always time for daydreaming. From a shy and awkward girl to a confident and capable young woman, and from daydreams to computer screens, Kim is well on her way to making it big in the art world.

Follow Kim’s online clothing boutique on Instagram @kimstyle_tbay and her art and cosplay @ _heoni.