We were lucky to catch up with Ken Mori recently and have shared our conversation below.

Ken, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

A couple years ago, I quit my corporate design job of many years, with no new job in place, to explore my many creative endeavors and dreams. I didn’t have one singular goal as a creative, but rather a scatterbrain list of many things that interested me. To do this risky change, I was very fortunate to get the support (on many levels) from my wife. While I’m making just a fraction, if that, of my old salary, I’m gaining so much more as I have more time to explore and learn. If you’re not earning, you better be learning.

Ken, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My background is in Industrial Design, where I was involved in designing mass-produced consumer electronics, amongst other things. While I love design, I became disillusioned with the concept that a lot of what I helped design and manufacture became obsolete and quickly wound up as e-waste in landfills. But being a designer for so many years has ingrained a problem solving mindset which is often needed when creating art.

I’m still actually trying to figure out what I’m doing as an artist as I’ve only focused on it for a couple years now.
But I do know I like to have an element of sustainability in my work, with hopefully a focus on upcycling discards such as cardboard and furniture. Not only do I get inspired by perusing back alleys, but I find materials to use in my work.

As far as what I like to make, I do like the impact of exploring scale, whether it’s a giant cockroach or spray can. . Maybe it’s an attention-grabbing crutch? I don’t know, but maybe I need to learn how to walk first.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect for me is to see someone’s reaction to my work, hopefully a smile or some other positive reaction. This goes for commissioned and non-commissioned works. Secondary rewards are being in the zone during the process and then the sense of accomplishment.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

For centuries, art and artists have been an important part of society, and they’ve always been under-compensated. Now there is a huge pay disparity amongst successful artists and struggling artists. Maybe there’s a way for successful artists to give back and help struggling artists. Some base solutions to just aid in creating art could be subsidized studio and gallery spaces and discounts for artists materials, etc.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @kenmoriprojects