Meet Herok | Fine artist & Illustrator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Herok and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Herok, why did you pursue a creative career?
This question is something I’ve been asking myself recently. Artists frequently ask themselves ‘Why am I making art? Should I really be doing this?’ because it can be a struggle sometimes. To put it simply the process of making art is gratifying and I enjoy connecting with others through my art. Art is how I am able to express my voice and what goes on inside of me. I also really enjoy many different forms of art and constantly surround myself with it.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’m a visual artist and my work is like a diary that reflects my inner emotions, thoughts, and experience. I use metaphorical imagery which allows the audience to see their own interpretations. I enjoy this process and relationship with the viewer as it adds something more to the work beyond my intentions. My work is often based on a story or something that’s hard to express with words like secrets or feelings. Although my work is personal to me, I aim to express shared human experiences. Sometimes I make art with no message or meaning and just focus on emotion. I think I could be recognized for my surrealism style and the painterly quality of my digital work which sets me apart from other digital illustrators. When people say “I like your work!” find it valuable and want my work in their home I feel the most proud. I also feel proud and appreciative when my work resonates with musicians or filmmakers and they want to collaborate with me.
The most difficult part in my journey was coming to a foreign country, learning a language, and adapting to an entirely new and different culture. This has been hard, but I’ve grown a lot from this experience and I enjoy this feeling of uncertainty sometimes. For me as a foreigner, it’s a struggle to live here not knowing about my future and of course missing my family and friends who are in Korea while also doing my best to make new work.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
In Atlanta my favorite place to chill, workout, or play is at Piedmont park. I like to go there and ride my bike on the Beltline near Ponce City Market. For nice atmosphere, coffee and cake check out Cafe Intermezzo. I often go to Kale Me Crazy and Park 27 for food. Slim and Husky’s has the best pizza hands down and Tiger Sugar has the best bubble tea.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My family, friends, and fans of my work always help me to continue making my work. Because they enjoy my work they give me confidence to keep doing more. I get a lot of inspiration from other artists when I can understand their own unique language that they’re able to express and their success encourages me to create my own.

Website: www.herokstudio.com

Instagram: Herok

Linkedin: Herok

Twitter: Herok

Image Credits
Photography: @lucastamphto Movie director: @dc_soko