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

Alright, Duairak thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

I started drawing and making art when I was really young. I think being around many creative people growing up got me interested in the field. I got more interested in art in middle school and had the privilege to go to art high school and college which is where I got my art education.

In 2020 when COVID hit, I was looking for something new to do since I had to spend most of my time in the room. I came across many rug-making videos online and it seemed really fun, so I thought I might as well give it a try. I started with needle punching first since it was cheaper and I didn’t want to invest too much money on a tufting gun when I didn’t know how much I would enjoy it. Turns out I really like making rugs, so I proceeded to buy the tufting gun. I learned everything from YouTube and reading posts and reviews on all the materials and the process of it.

Knowing what I know now, one thing that I think could speed up my learning process is to do a test run first and try to get used to it before actually starting. When I first started making rugs, I was too excited and didn’t really wanna spend time getting used to the gun. As a result, my first few rugs didn’t turn out that great and I had to throw them away.

I think it’s really important to be experimental and be persistent. When I first started making rugs, I had to experiment with many things including the type of yarns, clothes, glue, etc. I didn’t have all the perfect materials like the professional rug maker, so I just had to find something that worked for me. The process of making a rug can also be very frustrating and it may not turn out the way you want it to be in the beginning. I failed many times and I think if I didn’t keep trying, I would never be where I am today.

Duairak, 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?

I am a Thai illustrator and rug maker currently based in Bangkok Thailand. I studied illustration and graduated from Rhode Island School of Design in 2020. After I finished school I moved to Los Angeles and that’s when I started making rugs. It was during covid time and I got really interested in the technique, so I self-taught myself. I started posting my rugs on my Instagram and it got some attention on social media. I continued making them then took it more seriously when I moved back to Thailand in 2022.

I think my illustration background allows me to create very original designs and not just copy existing artworks and then transform them into rugs. This is something I often see many rug makers do on social media. I think is definitely something that sets me apart from some other rug makers.

One thing that I really enjoy doing is making whimsical, fun, and colorful art. I’m hoping that people who come across my art will enjoy looking at my artworks and leave with a smile.

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

For me, one of the most rewarding things about being an artist is seeing the outcome of my projects. I always get excited to start a new project and I always can’t wait to see how it turns out. Although not all the projects turned out the way I wanted, I think they were all good learning experiences. Especially when I make a more crafty project, for example, bags, rugs, sculpting, etc. It’s one of the most amazing things when you can make these things and make them look exactly the way you want them to be. Another very rewarding thing is when people enjoy and feel related to the artwork I created. I think it gives me such an amazing feeling to be connected to the people and give them something they can enjoy.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

I think something that non-creative might not understand is how much thought process is going into making art. As an illustrator, I would say the amount of time I spend coming up with ideas and sketches is about the same as actually making the artwork if not more. I think coming up with good ideas is much more frustrating and making the artwork is the fun part of the whole process.

I also feel like many think making art doesn’t require much skill and many think we were born with the talent. Which I think can be true in some cases but for many we have to spend a lot of time learning and practicing the skills to get where we are. I spent many years learning about many different skills and I don’t just get good at it in one day. I think many people don’t think about that part of the creative journey which leads to people not valuing art as much as some other career.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://duairakp.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/duck.ruai/