We recently connected with Taegi Kim and have shared our conversation below.

Taegi, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

We can earn a full-time living doing creative work. My own tips.
Invest in content development and commercial skills separately.
This means that when I’m working as a painter, I’m only thinking about what I want to do, and that’s how I create my own stories and content.

And when I’m a figure and doll maker, I’m solely focused on the customer’s needs.
And when I’m a figure and doll maker, I’m only thinking about the needs of my customers, and that’s how I get the positive commercial results they need.

Of course, that wasn’t always the case.
I was a painting artist who painted on canvas.
It was my content and a commodity at the same time.
The overlap between the two has always been a source of irony and anguish for me.
I didn’t know whether I should create for me or with someone in mind.
The confusion continued.

Then one day I realized that I was making my paintings into dolls and figures.
It brought me a lot of fans and customers.
And I realized that my purpose was correct: my dolls and figures are solely for my customers and fans.
My energy to consider others was focused on the dolls and figures, and not only that, but my paintings became more and more focused on me, with a strong sense of originality.

Maybe we try to put too much into one thing.
Find something that you can create consistently and solely for your own taste.
If you’re looking for technical work to satisfy other people’s tastes.
I think anyone can be a full-time creator.

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.

My name is P.KIM Kimtaegi and I run a customization factory for figures and dolls called 357PARTMENT and I also work as a contemporary fine artist.

In recent years, there have been many IP character contents such as animation, movies, and artists in the world, and they have great competitiveness in the global market.
With the development of platforms such as YouTube and Instagram, various IPs have become more segmented and personalized than before.
Anyone can be a content developer now. However, in order to commercialize them into art toy products such as figures and dolls, there are financial burdens and constraints such as mass production and mold costs.

“357PARTMENT is a customization factory where experts have teamed up to solve these problems.”

Starting a business Ever since I was a kid, I loved customizing toys and turning them into the characters and shapes I wanted.
Later, I studied sculpture and painting in art school. This hobby continued into adulthood.
As my work spread and became a topic of conversation in the online community, more and more people wanted to learn my skills.
I opened an academy and taught classes, while also taking on custom orders for figures and dolls, and gradually grew my factory.

“357PARTMENT is a dream factory for figure and doll collectors. “

We’re now working on the whole character sculpting business, and we’re doing everything in a segmented way.
In order for a single figure product to be born, it requires consulting service, 3d design, 3d modeling, 3d printing, post process, painting, production, etc.
There are processes for each step. I came up with a way to unbundle those processes and offer them to customers individually.
Customers can choose and customize the steps they want, and get all the services at a convenient and affordable price.
In other words, it’s a toy factory where all your dreams can come true.

And we are not just a factory full of machines, we are a special factory of professional artists.
Professional artists in their respective fields have long-standing bonds and, like the spirit of Japanese craftsmanship.
We create various values through time and technical collaboration to create well-made products.

The hybrid of digital and handmade production methods, along with rigorous quality control, sets us apart from other factories and allows us to offer products that impress and reward our customers more deeply.

We believe in diversity, which is why we’ve been able to attract a more diverse fan base.
We have customers of all genders and ages, from teens to 60s, men and women.
International customers in more than 50 countries, and fans of Barbie dolls, action figures, Japanese anime, Marvel, old movies, idol culture, etc.
When we saw fans of so many genres building collections and documenting their memories with us, we knew we were doing something right.
we feel like we were born to do this.

So if you want to bring your memories to life, come to us.
We’ll make your Toy Story.

The way to approach us is very simple.
Attach a photo of the dolls and figures you have and let us know how you’d like to upgrade them.
Or, if you want to make your own figures and dolls, send us photos and information about what you want to make!
We have daily consultation hours where our experts will be happy to help you get what you want with ease.

We use the following two platforms to communicate with you.
email : [email protected]
instagram : @357partment (https://www.instagram.com/357partment/)

I also share my personal account as a character artist and fine artist.
1)@_kimtaegi
2)@p_kimsss

Thank you

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

In order to create something new, we need to see and experience a lot of new things. And as much as we struggle to express the new, we also need to think philosophically about
we also need to think philosophically about what is new.

We share very similar platforms now, and our content is actually no different than anyone else’s.
We receive information from YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Twitter(x), and other similar social media.
We are living in an era where individual tastes and thoughts are unified.
I think this is not just a story of one country, but a trend of people around the world losing their individuality.

People are greatly influenced by their environment, even artists.
What we eat, what we listen to, and what we watch will affect our thoughts and expressions.
If we want to express something new, if we want to be original creators.
I think we have to be constantly self-aware and question, is what I’m seeing really new?

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

Persistence. I think the most important thing in my creative journey is not how great the work is, or how many missions I fulfill, but that the most important thing is to just keep creating, no matter how big or small.

And when the results and actions of the past meet the present, a story is created, and it will be a great foundation and story for my creation.
The trust that the creator will continue to do this without stopping will soon be built with the belief that it is a great value and heritage for fans or people.

To do that, we have to choose to do what we really love.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.357partment.net
• Instagram: company : @357partment /private : @_kimtaegi / fin art : @p_kimsss
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@357PARTMENT
• Other: [interview] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lg8PXEUOQ3c https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4i5WO9Ah1c