Wednesday Indie Artist Fixx is back from it’s hiatus over the holiday season and my interview of the year is with Keith Lee of Dekanimal. Keith creates colorful and graphically striking cards and prints inspired by nature.
What’s the name of your business, what do create and sell and how did you get your start?
My Etsy Shop is called Dekanimal. I sell cards, prints and calendars.
I have always like graphic illustrations. Even after I graduated from a design school in Osaka, Japan, my interest had only grown. I would sit behind my desk for a whole afternoon just to make a logo or to create some name-cards or letterhead, only just for fun. I have never thought of sharing my ideas with others until one of my friends encouraged me to put up my artwork on the Internet.
What are your inspirations in your art and life?
New ideas always flash into my mind the few minutes before I fall asleep. They can stem from everywhere. Most of them are from things I have seen or have thought about during the day, and these bits and pieces always get together and become a perfect combination in my mind before I go to sleep.
What’s your creative process like?
I always do the sketching in my mind first, then I will draw them out on a watercolor paper or on the computer until I am pleased with the result.
What’s the best thing about what you do? And the worst?
The best thing is there is no time pressure or a deadline to meet. The worst is this can be an endless job, if you are looking for perfection.
Is your home messy or organized? Which one do you think is ideal and why?
My home is organized, or at least most of the time I try to keep it as such. I do prefer half organized. Sometimes, a messy environment ccn be conductive to my creative process and a little imperfection could just be perfect.
What do you do when you hit a creativity block?
I leave all work behind and go for some exercise, like running by the beach. A bit of sweating, not only refreshes my body, but also my mind. I found that creativity blocks can only get worst if I force myself to think, so it’s better to do something totally different and let the ideas flow into my mind naturally.
Do you have any suggestions or tips for other artists who are just starting out?
Don’t just follow trends or what you believe people would like. Art is a personal subject and you should please yourself while doing it.
Sometimes, when I read blogs, I don’t really read them, I just look at the pretty, pretty pictures…..and you have some really fine eye-candy!