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

Juri, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

If you watch movies, the main character often has a moment where they suddenly discover the meaning of life, drastically change their path, and pursue their lifetime dream. I suppose my experience is similar. Strangely, a mixture of tears, depression, and hopelessness pushed me to the edge of making art. During the pandemic, I lost my dream job due to visa issues and faced rejections after countless interviews for the same reason. I felt like I’d lost all my accomplishments and didn’t belong anywhere.

I felt like I was drowning in depression. This experience made me think more deeply about life and death, and I asked myself, If I die tomorrow, what would I regret the most? The answer was not making art. This idea shifted my perspective. Maybe the universe was taking away everything I had to make me realize those things weren’t my true purpose.

I’ve always known I wanted to be an artist. Still, I avoided it as much as possible because I was afraid of failure—which, to me, included not selling any work, being hated, and dying poor and alone in my parents’ garage studio in my late 40s. Today, I know that even if I were to die poor and alone in my parents’ garage at 40, I’d be happy. (And thankfully, none of those fears came true: I’ve sold many pieces and met my ride-or-die partner.)

To those who hesitate to pursue their dreams, I’d say: go for it! It will be a hell of a ride, but you’ll enjoy the rollercoaster of life.

Juri, 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?

My art is simple and easy to understand, even if it contains deeper meaning. I believe I make it easy enough for every audience to enjoy. I think that makes my art and myself unique because everyone can enjoy it. I am proud of my art and myself for keeping simplicity and making it accessible to all.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

When people tell me they feel accepted and warm through my art.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

My goal is to continue to create art till the end.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://jurirhyu.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/jurirhyu