Feature Friday: Kimchi Kawaii
Today I'm featuring a talented illustrator and plush artist: Holly of Kimchi Kawaii! Kimchi Kawaii's adorable designs usually leave me at "I CAN'T EVEN"; I can't deal with the extreme Cute!! I absolutely love all of her Coffee Cats and Punny Buns designs <3Check out the interview and a sample of her work below:
An Interview With Kimchi Kawaii
Is there a story behind your business name?When I first started, I was Soy Happy. I had no idea about the trademark office and all and someone politely informed me a year in that they already head the mark on that name. So I had to come up with something quick. My art has Japanese pop culture influence and I'm a Korean girl doing this so that's how I ended up with Kimchi Kawaii.Where do you find inspiration?Everywhere, is that a generic answer or what? Lol. But seriously, I was walking in the fog the other day and got an idea for a fog pun. I also get inspired by seeing other creatives doing what they love.What's your studio playlist? It's almost always EDM here, lol. It's like a kawaii rave. The high energy music helps keep me pumped up when I've just gotten off an 8 hour shift at work and getting ready to start Kimchi stuff.Where is your studio? I'm located in California. Stayed in my college town after graduating from UC DavisHow do you get yourself out of a creative rut? Sometimes, I just sit down with a pen and my sketch book and randomly doodle - anything from a random squiggle to just drawing eyes or something. Or I'll watch Cirque du Soleil shows. If all that fails, it's just time to put the art aside for a bit and veg out with a dvd or some video games.What's your dream project - if you had all the time and materials in the world? Oh man, that's a tough one...uh...well, I would LOVE to have some of my designs done as vinyl figures like the Funko Pop ones. I think it could be fun to have kawaii, collectible puns on desks and stuff. But it takes a TON of money (I've looked into it). Maybe sometime in the future.What artists influence your work and/or which artists do you greatly admire? I admire anyone who can do this full time. I would love to get there.Describe yourself in 5 words. art, art, art, art, art - most of what I do is related to art whether it's Kimchi Kawaii or some of my other side projects. I'm always thinking of creative stuff and the next project.Describe your work in 5 words. Kawaii, cute, punny, humorous, simplistic.How do you find balance between work and personal life? I'm still working on that, lol!What are your current short-term and/or long-term goals? Short term - just keep building up web presence and growing the income. I've been doing this for 6 years and recently have switched over to more plush - both self made and manufactured. Long-term is to get this to the point where I can quite my day job and have this bring in steady income that I can live off.
Website: www.kimchikawaii.comFacebook: www.facebook.com/kimchikawaii