toankotsu
21-year-old Artist Toan Truong (@toankotsu) has found the key to marketing your own talents using the popularity of TikTok. His digital content showcases his incredible talents, often taking multiple videos to display the process to create just one piece. His most popular works include paintings of The Simpsons, Avatar: The Last Airbender, and SpongeBob characters. However, he makes sure to have fun with his followers as well: back in May, he painted the iconic Debby Ryan meme. This distinct talent has earned him over 185.6K followers and a combined 4.4 million likes on the app. Toan’s videos consistently get thousands of views, a testament to the quality and creativity of his work. We recently spoke with the artist about how TikTok has impacted his life, his greatest source of inspiration, and more!
Did you have any specific plans or ideas when you joined TikTok?
When I first joined TikTok, I very much had the same mentality that almost everyone possesses on the app: to go viral. I figured if 15 seconds of dancing can get you thousands of views and likes, I’m sure I could do the same with my art. Unfortunately, that was far from the case. I ended up feeling a bit discouraged, took a break, and when I returned, I had a new plan and mentality: post art with zero expectations. My art started to become less about pleasing others, and more about just documenting the progress of art that I wanted to dedicate time towards making.
How has TikTok changed your life?
TikTok has given me reassurance towards my skills as an artist. Between the views, likes, and positive comments, I can’t help but think maybe this is what I am meant to do with my life. Especially in Asian culture, a career in entertainment and the arts is highly discouraged, as it often is viewed as unstable and idealistic, but in my eyes, all of those worries seem to disappear when I see all the amazing content being created on the app. I have witnessed careers being built by people just posting their talents, whether it be through art, dance, cooking, and so on. Therefore, if there is one thing TikTok has taught me, it’s to never underestimate your talent and to not be afraid of sharing it with the world.
What do you like doing when you aren’t making content?
When I am not preoccupied with creating content, I love spending time with my 10-month-old maltipoo, Charlie. He’s always full of energy, to the point where he sometimes gets a hold of my art supplies and chews them up, but he’s great company! I also enjoy playing video games, or it’s actually just one video game: Animal Crossing. I used to be extremely confused about the hype surrounding the game, and it wasn’t until I played it myself that I understood its brilliance. As of now, my island is in shambles, but don’t worry, I’m trying my best to fix it up!
Who’s your partner if you had to choose anyone for a dream collab?
I’ve actually never thought about collaborating with anyone in particular, but how cool would it be to work with the actual companies that my art is inspired by? I also think it would be amazing to work with fashion designers and create a clothing line featuring my designs. At the point I’m just spitballing, but it’s always been a lifelong dream to have my art be discovered by big names and brands.
Where do you get inspiration for your ideas?
My greatest source of inspiration thus far in my career would have to be from my childhood. A lot of the pieces I create are inspired by movies and shows that I grew up watching and obsessing over. I remember there were countless times as a kid where I would get frustrated over not being able to perfectly capture the essence of my favorite characters in my drawings, and to see my art now versus back then is mind-boggling. There’s a sort of comfort that comes with creating familiar art. People always wonder why I don’t create my own characters and designs, and the truth is that it’s not that I don’t, but it’s that I want to publicize art that taps into the childhood of my viewers. Life is pretty rough, but you can find comfort by looking back at the simpler times, which is exactly what I want my art to emulate.
What does the future hold for your TikTok career?
Well, if the rumored TikTok ban does not happen, I want to keep creating content, and hopefully get one of those verified badges. I know it shouldn’t mean much, but I think that’s such a cool way to mark all the work put towards gaining public attention. I would love to make a career out of this, but as of now, it’s way too soon to tell how this will pan out. Regardless, I realize this is something that not everyone can experience in their lifetime and I will be forever grateful for the love and support that I have been shown.
