We were lucky to catch up with Christopher Choi recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Christopher thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. I’m sure there have been days where the challenges of being an artist or creative force you to think about what it would be like to just have a regular job. When’s the last time you felt that way? Did you have any insights from the experience?

I could not even imagine a life that’s not intertwined with creativity. My wife and I tried out running a restaurant for about a year and that turned out to be one of the most miserable years of my life. I easily discovered that I would rather be a little less financially flush and work in the creative field than be rich and have a “regular” job. I am back in the field at a large tech company doing design. This allows me to flex my creative muscles while making a living to chase my true passion of making art on my own time. I think its all about knowing who you are and living a life that accommodates you.

Christopher, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I was born to Korean immigrant parents, I grew up immersed in a vibrant world of comic books, anime, and surrealism.
These influences fueled my imagination and passion for art. I think being brought up in a first-generation family gave me a different outlook on life, I’ve never really been fully accepted by the Western culture and also not ever been fully accepted by my Korean culture either. This background has made me think a little outside the norm for as long as I can remember, I think this has also made my art a little different, and different is good! My style is a dynamic blend of Influences from his childhood. My love for comic books, anime, surrealism, and graffiti has shaped my artistic vision, leading me to explore various mediums throughout my life. These days, I’m primarily focused on sculpting.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

Don’t let your career become your whole life!! For almost a decade all I did was concentrate on making money. That left me with no time or energy to follow my artistic interests. I was drained in every way. While it was good for my bank account my soul was slowly dying.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

After almost a decade-long hiatus, I just reignited my artistic journey in July of last year, I literally just started creating again realizing it was the only way to get myself back. Now I m back with a passion, even selling lots of work and meeting so many new people with the same passions as I do. I LOVE it!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @the_mecha_panda

Image Credits

These are all my own images taken by myself