We caught up with the brilliant and insightful DongHyun Han a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi DongHyun, thanks for joining us today. Are you happy as a creative professional? Do you sometimes wonder what it would be like to work for someone else?

“Fuck the man, until we are the man.”

I was 16 when I heard that phrase. It was when I quit school and did not know what to do with my life. Most of my time was spent digging through articles online and in magazines. I was looking at clothes, thinking, “I could probably make something better than that.” That’s when I learned there was a profession called “Designer.”

I never had a proper education before. Sure I liked drawing and painting since I was a kid, but I was never profoundly “good” at it. So I had to catch up on what I missed out on. On the road, I took every opportunity that came my way.

I tried hard. I was competitive. I was anxious. I was ambitious. More or less, I was hungry.

And now I’m proud to say I am a designer.

But being a designer is not glorious. More or less not healthy. A lot of times, you get misunderstood. It’s a constant chase for a high that comes out of the madness and the completion of your goals.

Sometimes I do wonder what it would feel like to have a regular job. Something safe. It comes to mind from time to time. Going through a dark cave without knowing when the exit is going to appear. I asked myself, “Should I just go back to the entrance?” But we all know that the grass just looks greener on the other side.

I’m still not satisfied with where I am. I don’t think I will be any time soon. But it has been more exciting knowing that I’m not alone and that there are great people around me supporting me through this journey.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I grew up in multiple cities around the world, and I learned how to hustle, how to adapt, and how to embrace creativity.

It took a while for me to understand my calling. But with all those different experiences, it only made my creations richer.

I tend to gravitate toward creating experiences. Mostly through objects and spaces, I blend my background in Industrial Design, Fine Art, and fashion. Because culture is a way of living, it is my main inspiration. Culture reflects history, and culture creates a lifestyle. With that, I intend to design and craft a sense of belonging for people.

For me, it doesn’t matter what I do. As long as I can create.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

At first, I think I started out with the mindset of “I can do better than them.”

I wanted to make better pieces than the existing products on the market. It was my competitive mind that made me think that it was me against the world. However, as time went on, I noticed it wasn’t a competition between me and the other designers. It wasn’t me trying to prove that I am better and that my designs are better.

It was about me sharing my stories.

For me, what makes a design unique is how personal it is. My experiences and perspectives are different from those of other people. Which is how it makes my designs unique from my own perspective. Whether it’s likable or not is up to the audience.

Nowadays, I think more about how I am able to share my story as an experience. What fabric, color, or silhouette could provide the experience of what I see. Or how could one feel a sense of belonging through the experience I provide.

For now, I am focusing on how people could experience my story through my creations. For me, it’s a constant competition between me against me.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

There are three books that I have enjoyed reading in the past year. “A Creative Act: A Way of Being” by Rick Rubin, “Can’t Hurt Me” by David Goggins, and “My Dear Bomb” by Yohji Yamamoto. They are all somewhat different but similar in terms of aiding me in terms of fortifying my path toward my north star.

“A Creative Act: A Way of Being” was a book about re-assuring myself of balance. Not every day can be a good day. There must be balance in my lifestyle. I should take a breather once in a while rather than looking at a problem that I can’t solve. I had to acknowledge the fact that I am not a machine that can solve everything by myself. I would rather accept the waves of inspiration coming through me and be able to work with the waves. It taught me how to surf through my path with balance.

“Can’t Hurt Me” was about hammering down on my discipline. I believe that success comes through accumulation. I believe that one should be at least 5% better than yesterday. When I was going through a personal rough patch after moving away from LA, this was the book that held me down and reminded me that I used to make ideas happen. I used to get things done by any means necessary. It was always about going big or going home. And for me, going home was not an option. This was the book that reminded me of how hard I tried to be where I am.

“My Dear Bomb” was about being true to my emotions and beliefs. My chapter, compared to social norms, is considered late. Yohji Yamamoto’s personal life and thoughts were written into this small book. It was very descriptive of how he suffered, how his mind was playing tricks, and how he was able to understand his emotions and be able to show them within his garments. I was able to sympathize with his path. That it’s okay to be vulnerable. That it’s okay to take my time.

That it’s okay to be myself.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://hansculture.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hanisachef/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/han9522/