bio

having only reached a quarter-century of life, i feel i’ve spanned ten lives over...at least. to say it’s been an interesting ride would be an understatement. i wouldn’t exchange even a moment for anything. a child of korean immigrants, i was born and raised in iowa. i had a wonderfully extraordinary (yet turbulent) childhood, far too complex to detail here. at the age of 16, i legally divorced my parents and became independent in all ways. i was deemed a legal orphan and ward of the court. rapidly eager to start my adulthood, i finished high school in 3 years with an immaculate academic record. cramming everything in to skip my senior year was my early ticket out. i took it.

a full-tuition scholarship beckoned from the university of iowa. barely 17, i was ecstatic to be free of an existence that had aged me considerably more. i obtained the first place i'd call my own: a quaint, ragged, dingy (yet affably lovable) one bedroom place. it had crookedly worn hardwood floors, and it sat on the second story of a curiously old victorianesque house that had been split into 4 rental units. near campus and on my own at last. it was phenomenal to thrive in a cultural environment. being a university town, it was a hotbed of education. although still iowa...exceedingly different from the only small town i had ever known.

the next years of my life progressed down a fittingly unique path on par with what preceded it. i’ve always been interested in what all the world entails, so it was only natural for me to study all things. scholastic life suited me well. with so many interests, i voraciously tried to do it all while there. utilizing my full-ride, i took as many courses as i could. literally, pieces of everything i could get my hands on. i dabbled in the school of music with my focus in vocal performance, procured a bachelor’s in cultural anthropology, and another in religious studies. to round it out - minors in studio art as well as social work (of which, i couldn’t absorb enough non-profit organization education and intriguing studies into family violence).

i self financed 100% of my college education and related expenses with the academic scholarship, grants, federal loans and above all, my full time career. i often maintained a 50-60 hour work week on top of the 18-22 semester hour course load. i simultaneously excelled in school and profession, which entailed managing a local print & graphic design chain. by the end of my five year tenure there, the company's owner and i had single-handedly managed the expansion of a sole shop into a chain of three stores providing full service print & graphic design. this vocation complimented my artistic interests amazingly well.

since my livelihood dominated my time, i took evening and weekend courses. i was fortunate enough to have been taught by exceptional professors in classrooms of 20 or fewer, (a phenomenon unheard of at most public universities). although i had to sacrifice any semblance of a "normal" collegiate social life, it was well worth the invaluable university enlightenment and personalized education. as a child, my parents instilled in me a strong work ethic, and this only reinforced it.

very early on, i discovered the remarkable resources in the UI Center for the Book. i quickly became quite passionate about book arts. bookbinding, handmade boxes, letterpress printing, handmade paper and the like became the central focus of my art. out of necessity, i supplemented this with basic courses in graphic design. this enabled me to construct its contents held. it also aided in my professional realm. as an undergrad, i essentially completed the entire curriculum of the center for the book graduate program; however, i didn’t qualify for official certification (absent grad student status). i learned so much regarding these arts in those 4 years and will forever be grateful for this. it definitively shaped my budding cultivation into an artist.

virtually all of 2006 overwhelmed with invasive tests; and consequently a minor surgery, stemming from a brush with pre-cancer. just having barely concluded that ordeal, i found my sister’s body in early 2007 - victim to a lifetime of trauma which inevitably led to suicide. she and i were extremely close. added to my childhood among so many other vicissitudes, i’ve had more than enough exposure to life than one could hope. these surreal and perspicacious events supply the influence on which i write and express through art. my expression of choice takes the form of handmade books, and their contents composed by graphic design. around july 2008, i started story-boarding my first graphic novel - an autobiography of my childhood. ultimately, my goal is to develop several (in a connected series), phasing the various stages of my life.

in october 2008, i was subjected to yet another equally catastrophic shock to my system. it served as a catalyst for incessant writing. typically, my initial reaction in these situations is to ignore things in hopes to escape...then cope later. that had always worked well for me in times past. in this instance, i chose to write...and write, and write. it ended up being an intensely cathartic process with a positive outcome. the emotion was so fresh and on the surface...my creative energies acutely raw. my recent writings have shaped into a personal memoir...just another chapter in so many tumultuous years i’ve come to know. it's still a jumbled mess, and there remains much for me to parse through and edit. however, after spending more time on it...perhaps publish? foolish hope, anyhow. at first i resented my artistic efficacy being pulled off of my graphic novel...but somewhere along the way, i've come to realize its importance in the place of things.

the combination of that diligent work ethic, vigorous labor, and luck led to an amazingly successful livlihood in print & graphic design (for which i can only be grateful). i had reached the height of an established and very promising career. i fully comprehend that most designers, notwithstanding my age, would kill to have the opportunities i was afforded on a daily basis. designing for the largest multi-national casinos alongside the most prevalently recognizable brands in the liquor and brewing industries has taught me more than words can convey. it has proved to be a supreme honor.

i had reached the exact moment in my life where i needed to initiate the necessary steps to become an artist for myself full time. graduate school. i’ve held back too much within me for so long. i wanted to hone in and fine tune the technical skills i may lack in graphic design to shape this autobiographical series...to watch its evolution into exactly what i envision. the result of which would serve as my graduate thesis. in my arduous search for the perfect grad school, the elements i sought were difficult to find wholly inclusive at one spot. with my background, i needed access to a bookbinding studio. the narrowed list of graduate schools to which i applied included: Yale, RISD, SVA, SCAD and iowa. the interim was absolutely killing me (between application submissions and when i was to discover the next place i'd call home).

i’d been living and breathing this industry for well over seven years. i witnessed its real world applications daily. i thoroughly understood how demanding and competitive some of these top-rated programs must be; however, i felt my extensive hands-on training, unique background, credentials and accomplishments in both graphic design and print production more than qualify me for the premier task. so i humbly asked these schools to review my experience, portfolio and vast resume to consider my acceptance. i had hopes they'd see the substance, drive, ambition, passion, creativity and potential i knew i had to accomplish great things.

however...(amidst an economic recession), i voluntarily thew it all away. career. grad school. lucid sanity. gone.

in a cold day in february, i chucked that plan out the window. i made the abrupt and impromptu decision to instead move to LA. this judgment came during a rough week i had near my birthday. i was months away from hearing back from most of the schools. i'd spent tireless hours over months in blood, sweat, and nearly tears prepping apps and ports...and here i was changing course. there were many factors that played, but ultimately it's exactly what i needed to do in that moment. i would arrive in this lovely, foreign city that i'd call home by the end of april.

it was the risk of my life. i limped into town with my bank account $1800 in the negative...this on top of the $500 i borrowed from my best friend to pay for the u-haul that got me here. did i mention i had an active warrant out for my arrest in vegas when i left? (long and hilarious story.) triple yikes. i'm happy to say that my friend was paid back immediately, and i'm now arrest and warrant free. i worked 3 jobs around the clock to pay back my friend and eliminate debt on my lines of credit...then i quit all 3 to honestly tackle what i came out here to do. more debt, more borrowing from family and friends, and a whole lot of foolish dreams. i have no idea how long i'll be able to afford this lifestyle, but the adventure certainly doesn't disappoint.

ahhh. being a starving artist is magnificent.