Understanding Artists, Get To Know The Creators: Julie Lai
IN THIS 21C ERA,
DIALOGUE, LEARNING, AND CHANGE CAN HAPPEN IN MANY FORMS ACROSS DIGITAL MEDIUMS.
MEET JULIE LAI AS SHE DETAILS THE IMPORTANCE OF SAVOURING THE PRESENT !
Pearls by Julie Lai
How did you start your artistic process?
Starting my artistic process took a lot of trial and error, as well as learning to figure out what worked best and aligned with me. I realised earlier on that a lot of the practices and methods I relied on were enforced from school, hence I saw the importance of taking the time to understand what practices truly resonated with me. It ultimately comes down to playful experimentation and the willingness to take inspiration from anywhere.
What was a challenge in the creative process that you have learnt to overcome and how?
I used to be a huge perfectionist over the entirety of my creative process, from ideation to completion. Each sketchbook page had to look neat and immaculate, if not I would want to get rid of it. Luckily, for the past few years I have loosened up a lot. I was opened to many new ways of thinking during university, one in particular was getting all ideas on the page without chasing perfection. At the moment, I try to let all ideas and inspirations flow out of me before I start to refine them. When it comes to finishing pieces, it often is hard to tell what point you should stop. For that, I am usually called to stop by my intuition or the deadline.
If you could give your younger self one word of advice what would it be?
I would tell my younger self just to savour each present moment to the best of her ability. Sometimes it feels easier to live on auto pilot, but each stage of life so far has brought a variety of unique experiences. Certain moments are special to that time and season of your life, so it would be a shame to miss them. Enjoying and taking comfort in the present moment alleviates a lot of fears and concerns about the past and future, and that’s what I would really want for my younger self.