We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Joanne Lee. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Joanne below.

Joanne, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

My creative journey has taught me several valuable lessons. Firstly, the act of creation itself is paramount. From childhood, I found joy in crafting: beading, drawing, and eagerly anticipating art class. While accolades were gratifying, the process of bringing something new into existence was most fulfilling.

Secondly, cultivating passion requires dedicated effort. At nine years old, I pursued formal art lessons, eventually leading to an audition for a specialized arts high school. This experience instilled the discipline to invest time and energy in honing my craft, experimenting with various mediums like pastels and oils.

Thirdly, embracing risk can unlock unexpected opportunities. Despite initial plans to study illustration, I ventured into the unknown, switching majors to User Experience (UX) Design at California College of the Arts. This leap of faith, though daunting, introduced me to the human-centered approach of UX design, a field I ultimately embraced.

Finally, reconnecting with your roots is essential. After years in the fast-paced tech world, I felt creatively stifled. I rediscovered the joy of hands-on crafting – knitting, sculpting, painting – and channeled these passions into a new venture: a small business creating handmade bags and pouches.

These experiences underscore the importance of nurturing creativity, embracing challenges, and continually exploring new avenues of expression.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Born in Seoul and raised in Southern California, I’ve always found joy in creating art that resonates with people. Whether it was a hand-drawn card or a painting inspired by a friend’s favorite flower, my passion has always been about sharing the power of art.

This naturally led me to the world of User Experience (UX) design, where I can translate my creative vision into meaningful digital experiences. As an UX Designer at an automotive startup, I focus on understanding user needs and designing intuitive digital products. This requires a blend of creativity, research, and a deep understanding of human behavior.

My design journey has been diverse, spanning industries from genealogy and hospitality to the creative arts. I believe good design is essential in all aspects of life, and I’m passionate about creating solutions that enhance people’s daily experiences.

Beyond my professional work, I run a small business creating functional and beautiful bags from recycled materials. Drawing on my background in illustration, I design each piece with both aesthetics and practicality in mind. My beliefs remain unchanged: Art enriches our lives, provides meaning, and helps us better understand ourselves and the world around us. It’s what we crave in the human experience.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

A crucial lesson I unlearned was the fallacy that my career path rigidly defined who I was. During my transition from illustrator to designer, I mistakenly believed I had to choose one or the other. While both are creative fields, they operate within vastly different contexts. This misguided belief led me to neglect my passion for traditional art forms – painting, crafting. I became overly reliant on digital tools, which ultimately left me feeling creatively unfulfilled. The truth is, both pursuits nourish different aspects of my creativity – the logical and the intuitive. I now understand the importance of nurturing both sides of my creative self to achieve true fulfillment.

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

The idea of creating without the fear of failure – pure bliss! Thomas Merton perfectly captured this with his insightful quote, ‘Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.’ For me, art is a form of therapy, a way to channel my subconscious onto the canvas or page. It’s about courageously sharing a piece of my inner world with others.

This perspective completely shifts my mindset. In my daily life, I tend to be a bit of a perfectionist, constantly setting high expectations for myself, my career, and even the people around me. But when I’m creating, those expectations fade away. It’s a liberating experience to simply allow the creative process to unfold, to embrace the unexpected, and accept the final result, flaws and all. Art reminds me that sometimes, the most beautiful things emerge from letting go of control.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.jlee.work/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joann.ne/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joannelee8311/