Found an old image from my early days in the Sichuan Digital Media Base...

The air in the Hi-Tech Zone back then was thick with humidity and a frantic, creative hunger. I was looking at a shot of myself and Yang Yu: the world knows him now as Jiaozi, the director of Ne Zha, sitting in my animation studio office long before the global records were broken. We were just two guys obsessed with the craft, navigating a nascent industry from a Chengdu base that the Western world hadn't even put on the map yet.

Seeing that younger version of us reminds me that the 'Sovereign Art Trajectory' isn't just about oil on canvas; it’s about the grit to build something where nothing exists. Whether it’s an animation frame or an impasto stroke, the discipline remains the same. You stay the course when the room is empty and the budget is thin because you believe in the imprint you’re leaving. It’s a long game, and looking back at those early days, I’m glad we didn't wait for permission to start creating.