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

Alright, Kyu Ho thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. I’m sure there have been days where the challenges of being an artist or creative force you to think about what it would be like to just have a regular job. When’s the last time you felt that way? Did you have any insights from the experience?

The last time I thought of this was when my artist friends asked me, “if you weren’t an artist what kind of work would you do?”. I think it’s a fairly common question artists ask each other, as a way to get to know one another or to imagine some alternate reality when being an artist becomes hard. And most of the time I don’t really think too much about whether I’d be happier doing something else. I simply answer, “I think I would want to be a paramedic, a librarian, or maybe a therapist?” But even as I write this I’m thinking how hard it would be to be a paramedic or a therapist. I guess I’ll be a librarian then haha. But to answer the question I think I am happier as an artist. I think it can be challenging at times but for me I think being an artist is the perfect blend of creative expression and philosophical wonder. It suits me the best. That being said, I think it’s an incredible blessing to have the opportunity to be an artist. And if circumstances were different and for some reason I needed another job, I think I would find my way to be happy there too. I guess what I’m trying to say is, I think there’s this idea that being an artist is bliss. And to a certain extent this is true, but it’s also a job. I know for a fact that there are artists out there who would say “if I can’t paint I would die.” or “I paint so I can feel normal.” but that just feels unhealthy to me. No disrespect for those artists. For me I feel like I’m at a point in my life where my main source of happiness isn’t tied to a job. In that sense I think being an artist for me is not so much about being a professional artist but more about a creative approach to life, an approach filled with wonder and curiosity.

Kyu Ho, 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 name is Kyu Ho Lee. I was born in Korea, but grew up in Indonesia before coming to the states for college. I am an artist working in the medium of painting and drawing. I first started my career in graphic design, working for various companies and creative studios. I ended up coming back to art during the pandemic. At that time like the rest of the world I wasn’t really sure where I was headed. I was still working as a designer then, but I was starting to have doubts about whether this career was right for me. I had planned to take some time to travel and think about things when the pandemic hit. At that point I had nowhere to go. I was here on a work visa that was slowly nearing its end. And I couldn’t return to Korea or Indonesia. My family urged me to think about going back to school. I thought that was a crazy idea that I wasn’t really ready for. But I felt like I didn’t really have an option. So I took a chance and decided to do a MFA program at SVA in the middle of a pandemic.

Cue the roller coaster ride of emotions and self doubt haha

Those two years of school were definitely challenging. I’ve always loved to draw ever since I was little. But the idea of making it a career was unfathomable to me until then. To me, the Korean kid in a small town in Central Java, being an artist was too glamorous, a self-serving career choice reserved only for the elite- ergo my stint in design. It took me a long time to unlearn all these things. And to learn that being true to myself was something important, something worthwhile to dedicate my life to.

Finding my own voice as an artist has definitely been a journey, one that I’m still on. But I was able to meet a lot of great friends and mentors that helped me along the way.

Fast forward to the present. I’ve managed to create a practice for myself doing the thing I love. Currently I work as an artist in New York City while also working for one of my professors as an artist assistant. I think what separates me from other artists is my own philosophy and approach to my work. For me art is a very personal spiritual practice. One that requires care, respect and patience. My process is an exploration of my own inner being as well as a gesture to a larger beauty that surrounds us in each moment. In a way, I’m trying to align myself to nature and allow the work to happen. Through my work I hope I can find ways to truly be with myself and in turn be with the world.

I’ve written many artist statements since I’ve gone back to school but I’ve always come back to this small blurb:

If everything was forever then it wouldn’t be as beautiful.
It’s like when you’re young and someone hands you a lollipop.
You have it for a brief moment and it’s gone.
It makes it so much sweeter I think.

My subjects are brief moments, impermanent and imperfect.
Through my practice I hope to create spaces they can call home.

I think the main thing I want people to know about my work is that it is about care. It is about holding space for those moments of imperfection, uncertainty and pain. Giving them space to heal and finding beauty in that process.

Looking back I think I’m most proud of my perseverance. I think I’ve fallen on my butt a bunch of times. And at times I’ve stayed on my butt for a while, yelling at people around me trying to tell them how much my butt hurts. But I’ve always gotten back up and continued. And I’m proud of that.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

I think it’s an internal mission. I want to understand myself more and find peace. Sometimes I feel like my work is like a journal, where I can explore my inner thoughts and feelings, and discover new aspects of myself. And in return I feel like I understand myself in relation to the world more. For me art is a medium for my life. A way to express myself to understand myself, other people and the world at large. I think that’s where I can say art is truly necessary in this world. It is the deepest form of empathy. Without it I think we close ourselves off to other people, new ideas and new ways of understanding. And when we close ourselves off, I think that’s where hatred and pain comes. Art serves as a bridge between our hearts, a way to heal, and a gentle reminder that life is beautiful. When I think of that I want to really give it my all.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

Most recently, Meditations by Marcus Aurelius. I feel like that book really gave me a lot of strength. And in particular helped me organize where I put my purpose and values. Recently I’ve been thinking about why I do the things I do. I’m not sure if other artists are this way, but I spend a lot of time fighting myself. Sometimes as an artist I find myself thinking “wow I’m so cool and special.” and I work in that way of “I need to make sure people see how special I am.” Other times I think “wow I really am not that great” I need to work harder so I can feel great. I fall into these two traps a lot. Working out of ego or out of insecurity. In that sense philosophy helps me a lot. I guess there are all types of people in this world and maybe some people work out of those ways and it works for them. But for me when I fall into those modes, my heart suffers. Meditations is a book by Marcus Aurelius who was a Roman Emperor and stoic. Meditations is an interesting book because he didn’t write it to publish it, but it was more of a personal journal. In it he talks about aligning to nature (he calls this logos). I won’t go into too much detail since I’m not an expert at all. But what I took from it was that I need to remind myself that I am just a human in this world, and I am doing human things. Like a tree is doing tree things. I have to remember that I’m just a part of nature. I don’t have to struggle to make myself be seen or make up for something. I have to remember that the most important thing for me is to find joy here and now and live with dignity and kindness as a human being.

Contact Info:

• Website: kyu.website
• Instagram: @kyuholeestudio