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

Naomi, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

Being an artist brings me great pleasure. Growing up, I was surrounded by many kids who had parents who weren’t supportive of their artistic career goals. Parents who wanted their kids to be doctors, not painters. Parents who wanted their kids to be engineers, not photographers. So, there were times when I felt pressured to pursue careers that everybody else had planned for instead of what I really wanted to do. However, I was lucky enough to have parents who were more than happy to support me in any way possible. They watched me grow and they knew that art was something that was truly meant for me to do and they have supported me financially and emotionally.

It all started when I bought my very first Canon DSLR at the age of 10. I realized how much I loved taking photographs with my family’s digital camera and with the bulky old tablet I had (which had horrible camera quality). So I thought, why don’t I just get my own camera? And that’s what I did. I finally saved up, I bought myself a Canon EOS 1200D.

Now, did my camera have a high-speed CMOS sensor? No… Did it have a remarkable shutter, advanced AF, exposure, and image processing systems? No…not that either. But did it stop me from taking photos? Absolutely not. I took a lot of photos. From flowers to people to food to events, everything. I brought it around with me everywhere, even when my family and I were simply going out to just grab some lunch, I’d bring it then too.

Fast forward to now, I still take photos. I have a new camera and a lot has changed since I was 10. I really feel like I have grown so much not just as an artist but as an individual. I have expanded my fields of art and I am now pursuing both graphic design and photography. I have opened myself to other options and pathways. One of my biggest sources of inspiration is my uncle, a graphic designer based in Bangkok, he has created countless designs for brands we see today. My passion for graphic design grew from my appreciation for package designs. I would always comment to myself about what I liked or didn’t like about a package design for a bottle of moisturizer I would see at a beauty store or a packet of protein bars at the supermarket. This is what inspired me to create my own designs. I started pretty simple, creating designs for my first cookbook and also designing the packaging for a fictional skincare brand. From there, I continued taking photos and creating more designs.

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.

To give a little more background about myself, my name is Naomi. I am from Japan and Thailand. I grew up in several countries but mainly in Singapore and Thailand. Growing up I have always been pretty active, since middle school I’ve been in basketball teams, football teams and I also did track and field. But now, I really enjoy hiking and going on runs. Fun fact, I can cook up a pretty mean seared scallops and bake the softest Japanese Strawberry Shortcake. I have also enrolled in classes at a baking school back home, so growing up I really enjoyed combining my love for art and cooking (you can check out my fusion food cookbook project I made in high school in the link at the end of this article ;))

I am currently a junior college student pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts (studio) at the School of the Arts Institute of Chicago. I started off as a photographer and I have explored different fields of art, but now I focus on graphic design and photography. Within photography, I enjoy both street photography and studio photography, I also really enjoy taking portraits. For graphic design, I work on logos, package designs, and poster designs.

I approach my work with an open mind, often starting off messy, my ideas float everywhere. Through the process of pulling things apart and making as much of a mess as possible, I am always able to come to a meaningful conclusion. My thought process behind this is that before you can create something as a whole, you must tackle each individual aspect. Finding flaws, experimenting, making a mess, cleaning up, making even more of a mess, and finding solutions. I want my audience to appreciate the elements of my work as a whole and look within for deeper meanings and connections rather than focusing on individual elements. Being a graphic designer, I believe that it is crucial not just for artists but for anyone to understand that sometimes, as Aristotle once said, “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts”. Although I am still exploring the meaning behind my work, my goal is for my audience to view my work and to be encouraged to find beauty in unconventional places.

I think what sets me apart from others is my ability to combine my range of skills and passions together. I think it can be very difficult to incorporate things that are so different from each other and it was difficult even for me to combine my photography and graphic design work. However, I feel like I can finally say I am able to do this but also being in the process of learning how to do so because you can never really be done learning something.

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

Feeling burnt out as an artist. I think this can be one of the most overwhelming things an artist can feel. You’ll start off really well, you know – you’re on a roll, you’re creating art every day and you love the art you’re making and then suddenly, you just.. don’t feel like it. You don’t feel like making anything… and when you do make something, you end up hating it. It’s this stage you reach where you just don’t feel creative enough, you feel anxious, and overwhelmed and you feel tired physically and mentally. This is something I felt halfway through my college years, so pretty much a few months ago. I didn’t have the motivation to create any more art and when I did I never felt proud of it and I found it hard to love what I did.

So, there’s a lot that comes with feeling burnout that non-creatives can struggle to understand. We will sometimes wonder if we’re even good enough as an artist, and we will compare ourselves to other artists thinking we’ll never be as successful as them. It’s definitely hard and it’s even harder to get out of this but it is possible. My only advice is to simply take a break. This is what I did because you’re not obligated to make art every single day to be a successful artist. So, just do something else, anything else. Whether it’s spending time with family and friends, taking a vacation to somewhere you’ve never been, even taking a rest, or doing some exercise. Something to help you feel at peace and to help put yourself in the right headspace to come back because in the process of this, you might suddenly know exactly what you want to do and you’ll slowly regain the motivation and energy to do so.

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

Being able to turn an idea into reality. There is a reason why we have a client and an artist. A client has an idea, a concept. We, as artists, are turning that into a reality. For me, this is the most rewarding aspect of being an artist. It brings me joy to be able to use my artistic skills in ways that help others when they aren’t sure how to. I love to listen to people’s ideas and feelings in order to incorporate them with my artistic and technical skills to turn them into something beautiful.

Contact Info:

• Website: naomioshima.com
• Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/naomioshima