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

Hi Nandal, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?

I just find a lot of joy in Discovering untold stories, and sharing it in a form of visual art.

Being an otaku (a manga fan), I really liked writing down novels or drawing comics as a kid. Those stories were based in a alternative dystopian future, featuring an abandoned robot, or a mutant, or a child who’s just different, and starts her own adventure. I guess as a queer, asian female, I just made a character that I can emphathize with.

I gradually found out how much power visual storytelling had- pointing the microphone towards the whispers, making invisible voices visible (literally), and catching the eye of a bypasser. I don’t write sci-fi stories or comics like my childhood anymore, but my adventure to find those quiet whispers in the wild has continued. I find joy in discovering new narratives, histories, and perspectives, that hasn’t been on the ‘main stage’. The non-white, non-male, non-hetero, non-abled, non-west heritages quietly existing right beside us.

Sharing these discoveries to the world and finding more people who appreciate this is a true joy to me. I experiment with different visual mediums, but this joy is the core of my creative journey, I would say.

   

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I have dabbled in many different fields of visual art. I started from drawings I have made as a kid, studied graphic design in my BA, worked as a freelance photographer and then was hired as a production designer in the film industry, and also worked as a marketer in a digital marketing company. What a journey.

For a while I always thought it was my weakness that I lacked steadiness and persistence. But later after finishing some bigger scaled personal project, such as making a short film or a music video as a Director, I have learned that being somewhat ‘wide, and shallow’, can also be an aspect that makes you more valuable in some tasks.

I also decided to respect myself on making some decisions in my creative journey based on the ‘fun and joy’- nothing more than that. It’s terrifying as a creative person to start doing something new when you have a practice that you’re used to, I know that. But if I have the ability and chance to do something that makes me joyful, why wouldn’t I take that chance?

Now I have just started my creative journey on ‘food’ here in London, which I had a great passion for a long time but never dived into. I’m discovering so many new inspirations that makes my heart flutter, imagining what to create.
Oh, if anyone reading this is interested in doing something fun related to food, drinks, culture, and narratives, hit me up!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Hmmm. Honestly, I’m more of a home party, home dinner, kind of person than to hang ‘out’- espesially because of the cost of living crisis in London. But still, if I were to show them around London for a week. Here’s some things I would love to do with them:

I’d love to take them to my local pub on the first day. We’ll have some local draft beers with crispy fish and chips or a sunday roast. I would definitely have a day or two to check out the galleries and the museums together- because the amazing part about london is all the amazing free exhibitions. My recent most favourite gallery would be the ‘wellcome collection’ (Yes, ‘Well’come). They curate every exhibition in an anthropological, historical, scientific, perspective- from the topic of ‘milk’ to the concept of ‘beauty’.

Definitely will have a day to visit farmers market to buy some local ingredients and cook at home. Visiting the local market and observing what kind of vegetables, livestocks, and produces are consumed is a fun way to learn about a new place. I’ve honestly never seen a rhubarb or a funnel before I came here, and seeing, smelling, tasting something new is always inspiring. I’ll definitely set up a day to introduce my favourite friends to them, maybe also being a nice little party at home.

Well, if you ask me “Are you going to eat in every day?”, the eating out will probably be to immerse ourselves in all the amazing international cuisines that have settled here in London. The Caribbean, the Indian, the Japanese, the Chinese, the Vietnamese, the Thai, the Lebanese, the Persian, and many more dishes will make you close your eyes from the first bite. After all, that’s my favourite part of London- it’s hard to be right or wrong because everyone is different here. You will be able to find your people somewhere, because we’re from everywhere.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My biggest shoutout has to be the community surrounding me- including my friends, colleagues, and my partner.

I am truly blessed to have met and connected to a community of non-competitive, like minded creatives who understand and support each other. The faster the pace of the world becomes, the more we are prone to comparing ourselves with other creatives, blackmailing ourselves with race faster and faster. The exchange of ideas, inspirations, collaborations, and even a chat with a pint when I have a creative block helps me to work in a more sustainable way.

Big thanks to all those people who laughed, cried, ate, drank and created together next to me until now!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nandal_seo/

Other: email: adios080@gmail.com

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutAtlanta is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.