Art That Stands Out
Since I was a child, art has been central to my being. Art and creativity drive me, complete me.
I have always loved to draw, read comic books, watch animated shows, and visit art museums. This (almost) obsessive consumption of visual media subconsciously developed into a career path. I found that exposing myself to art and drawing for my whole life led me to wanting to become a graphic designer and artist. It was something that I always thought would be cool, but I didn’t want to fall into the struggling artist trope. It’s one thing in college but another when you’re paying rent and grocery bills. Besides, this realization didn’t dawn on me until I was a sophomore in college.
At the time I was studying business and wanted to do whatever I can post grad to make money. I found that this was not interesting to me, I had no passion for what I was studying, and my grades reflected it. This is around the time I decided to make a change in my life and follow my heart. I began telling everyone who asked what I do that I am an artist and graphic designer. I practiced drawing and designing all the time. I began taking on freelance work and learned what I needed to know about the profession as I went. I went all in. I was “faking it till I was making it”.
I found that anyone can be an artist, and everyone has it within them to create. Art transcends cultures, nationalities, class, race, and more. Art is something that unifies mankind and is available, in many ways, for all people to enjoy. It can be, however, a tough and unfair business. It is tough enough for anyone to make a living as an artist and it is harder still for women and minorities. Most famous artist are white men. It is an ugly truth, but women, minorities, and disabled people are extremely underrepresented in art.
It is not often that you see a company create something that is beautiful, functional and gives a platform to artist that are historically unrepresented in art. This is why the Artstand by grapelab has really resonated with me. The Artstand is a folding laptop stand made of 100% recycled materials. The Artstand features artwork from Korean artists who have disabilities. A portion of the profits from the Artstands goes directly to these artists.
The two Artstands that we carry at Inbebo are the “Pyramid” and the “Sunset” designed by Hyun-woo Kim and Kyung-wook Bae respectively.
Hyun-woo Kim
The artist Hyun-woo Kim transforms everything he sees and feels into ‘pixel’ shapes. He is immersed in drawing for over 8 hours a day, making his unique world through pixels. His pixels go beyond the canvas, expressed on notes, recitals, media, and products.
Kyoung-wook Bae
The combination of the artist’s daring brush movements and color express passion and hope. The colors and brush movements on his naturalistic and abstract works are free and they are composed of daily subjects that seem to embrace the pains of life in an open-minded approach.
There are a lot of people like me whose life is given purpose and meaning by their forms of creative expression, and it is a beautiful thing. Ever since I have chosen to lead my life around art, I have found that I am being true to myself and what is right for me. Everyone is an artist and has it within them to create. I am glad that Artstand is providing opportunities for everyday artists to share their gifts with the world.
by Patrick F.
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