Interview

What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?

“Like many creative people, I gravitated toward art at a young age. It's a need for me. I've been drawing for as long as I can remember, but I never received any formal training for art. Rather than make a career of art, I ultimately decided to go to medical school and become a Psychiatrist. I've been dabbling in the world of art, marketing, and social media for many years, but I suppose my foray into the creative sphere really started in 2025 after graduating from my residency program in Psychiatry. As much as I love Psychiatry, the years of training were rigorous and I had no choice but to make art secondary to my education. However, I continued to draw in spite of my busy schedule. I couldn't help it. Finally, after 4 years of college, 4 years of medical school, and 4 years of residency, I figured it was time to really explore my heart's desire and pursue art more seriously. I thought to myself, ‘What are you waiting for? Now is your chance. Go, go, go!’”

What inspires you?

“I draw inspiration from many things: stories, nature, movies, books, videogames, my own life. I have a big, nerdy side to me, and I was a voracious reader of comics as a child. I grew up in the 90's and early 2000's, so I was influenced by a lot of the trends at that time. It was the era of Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, and Toonami. I still vividly remember watching my first episode of ‘Dragon Ball Z’ by the small TV in the bedroom, thinking that my life would never be the same. I like serious themes too, of course. I just like drawing all sorts of things, but especially living things.”

What themes do you pursue? Is there an underlying message in your work?

“My art is heavily influenced by my personal experiences. I use a lot of symbolism in my art, so the references can be hard to see sometimes. However, I don't think it's possible to totally divorce my art from my life, even if I tried. I’ve been an ‘outsider’ in many ways. Because I was the daughter of Korean immigrants in the US and was also homeschooled for many years, I often found myself looking in from the outside. While lonely at times, it was an invaluable perspective that I feel blessed to have experienced. I love incorporating Psychology and Philosophy into my art. I have always been intrigued by darker topics, and I find it therapeutic to draw horrible things and make them beautiful. Emotions are a major source of creativity for me. When I’m grappling with a serious problem in my life or I just don’t understand what I’m feeling, I’ll draw it out. It almost always helps and I think I do my best work that way. I’ve used art to communicate in ways that I just couldn’t with my words. There were things that I wanted to say, but didn’t know how. I think there is a lot of truth to the quote by D.W. Winnicott, ‘Artists are people driven by the tension between the desire to communicate and the desire to hide.’”

How would you describe your work?

“I think I'm in the process of finding my voice as an artist. I enjoy exploring different styles and mediums, but I typically use a mixture of traditional mediums like pencil, pen, alcohol markers, and colored pencil. I make use of digital art as well. I draw both cartoons and detailed illustrations and sometimes I like to mix the two. I like bold colors and expressive faces in my art. While I want my art to look nice, what I really want is for my viewers to feel something.”

Which artists influence you most?

“So many! One of my favorite artists is Akira Toriyama, the creator of ‘Dragon Ball Z.’ His art radiates with vitality and expressiveness! He was such a genius with his designs, and I modeled a lot of my early landscapes, characters, and creatures after his. I also admire Mike Mignola, the artist behind the ‘Hellboy’ comics. His style is so unique among American comic books, and I love how he uses ‘simple’ shapes and negative spaces so creatively. Some of my favorite artists with darker, surreal styles include the Polish painter Zdzislaw Beksinski, and of course, H. R. Giger.”

“My art is heavily influenced by my personal experiences. I use a lot of symbolism in my art, so the references can be hard to see sometimes.”

What is your creative process like?

“It depends. While I occasionally dedicate time to practice something specific, I usually like to go with the spur of the moment and draw the first thing on my mind. It's something I've done ever since I was little. A thing would capture my attention - a shape, a person, an animal - and an irresistible urge to draw it would come over me. Other times, I start with a vague feeling or concept in my mind's eye and flesh out the details on paper. In contrast to the other areas in my life that require more objectivity and discipline, art is almost completely based on emotion and passion for me. Of course, there are times when the creative well runs a little dry. I remember watching a documentary on Joan Rivers, and she had thousands of jokes written on index cards that she kept in a room full of file cabinets. I try to emulate that and I keep a long list of ideas on my phone and my Google drive, so these days I never run out of things to draw. It doesn’t matter if it’s a dream, or a joke, or a half-formed idea. I always write it down.”

What is an artist’s role in society and how do you see that evolving?

“The sad truth is that art has never really found its ‘place’ comfortably in capitalism. Artists have received more or less support at different times in history, but art has always been a high-risk venture with artists existing on the fringe of mainstream society. I personally don’t believe that this will ever change, it’s just the nature of creativity. However, we need artists! They are the visionaries and entrepreneurs of our society. We all need beauty to survive, so art will never totally go away. There’s been a lot of talk these days of AI invading the art space, and while I think AI will make a dent in commercial sales, I’ve seen what AI can do and I am not afraid. You can fake pictures but you can’t fake true creativity or beauty. I trust, maybe foolishly, that art appreciators will ultimately be able to tell the difference and return to genuine human art.”

gates of judgment final cropped larger.jpg

Have you had any noteworthy exhibitions you'd like to share?

“I haven’t yet presented my art in any physical galleries, but my art has been accepted into several digital spaces and magazines. I’ve also been to over half-a-dozen events as an art vendor, which has been amazing because I’ve never done something like that before this year and never thought I would!”

Website: www.officialwayworld.com

Instagram: @whichwayworld

Other links: www.facebook.com/whichwayworld