We were lucky to catch up with Emily Kobayashi Woods recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Emily thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s jump back to the first dollar you earned as a creative? What can you share with us about how it happened?
During my senior exhibition at Regis University my friend’s family bought 3 of my art pieces. I could not believe it. Someone appreciating your work so much that they pay you for it is an experience like no other. They had been asking about one of my drawings and when they would be able to purchase some of my work, but I had heard that before from many people. As an art major I had been asked by friends to make commissions for tattoos, drawings, and paintings, but nothing ever came of it. People would say in passing, “Could you make me something? I would pay for it!” A lot of people under estimate the time and effort that these things take or they would just never follow through with talking to me about what they wanted.
Another reason why it meant so much to me was because it was not a commission. They bought three pieces of artwork that really meant something to me and that I enjoyed making. My artwork is themed around darker issues of the United States and I did not ever really think anyone would want something like that on their wall.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I was born in Towson, Maryland, but my parents came to Colorado when I was about 4 year old, so Colorado is my home. I am now a visual art teacher at a K-8 school in Denver and I am currently earning my master’s degree in K-12 art education from the University of Florida. What I do as a professional artist is create works about social justice issues. My work is an ongoing critique of the historical events that happen in the United States. Some of the different issues that I cover are women’s rights, immigrant rights, the LGBTQ community, police brutality, and gun laws in the US.
The artwork that I create is intended to inspire my audience to act upon the societal issues that are happening in America. Through realism and my titles I depict intense emotional pieces that show the reality of the situations of the oppressed in this country. I also make pieces to honor people who have been killed or discriminated against. One of the pieces that I am most proud of is a piece I created to honor of the strength and resilience of Lia Thomas. Lia Thomas is the first transgender swimmer to win an NCAA Division I national championship. Thomas continues to receive hate for being a transgender athlete while they are subject to undergo testing through NCAA to make sure that her testosterone levels are not high. Through simple research anyone can find that transgender athletes go through extensive tests and procedures in order to compete. Guidelines can be found here: https://www.ncaa.org/sports/2022/1/27/transgender-participation-policy.aspx
I wanted to create a piece that showed her hard work and dedication to the sport that she loves. Transgender athletes only want to continue to participate in something they love.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
My goal is to document the continued mistreatment of groups of people in the United States. I want to show my audience different perspectives of the realities that discriminated people go through. I want people to reflect on their own biases of what they think about issues like immigration, abortion, and police brutality. I think it is easy for people to brush off these issues when they are not faced with the faces of people or the situations that they are put in. The way that I learned about a lot of groups of people was through educating myself and going to protests in the summer of 2020. I heard a lot of stories that made me want to try and make a difference and fight for the rights of others. I learned a lot through listening to the stories of people at these protests. It made me realize who I was and what kind of society I want to fight for. I hope my viewers will see a different perspective through my work and want to fight for change in the US.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?
I think it is very important to not let other people’s judgment get to you, especially those who are not creatives. I have been told that my art was purely for “shock value” with no other deeper value or meaning and that they specifically did not like my recent work. This person was not a creative. When you put your heart into something and people do not understand it or like it, that does not mean that your work is bad. It just means that they do not get it. Situations like this can really hurt, but be assured your art matters and is valid. Those who are not creatives do not understand the time, effort, and vulnerability it takes to put art into the world.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.kobayashiwoods.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/303kobayashi_art/