Today we’d like to introduce you to Kina Lee.
Hi Kina, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I have been drawing since I was about 3. My earliest memory was drawing Sailor Moon and Looney Toons characters while watching Saturday morning cartoons. I am both self-taught and trained in different art forms. During my schooling, I was a skilled artist for my AP classes and scored high in portfolio reviews for the College Board, local competitions, etc. I suffered from depression in my teens but music and my art kept me going at the time. Unfortunately once I entered my 20s, I had to move away from the craft I loved and went into the non-creative side of the video game industry. It was initially an extremely bumpy road in my 20s but once I was able to get myself mentally on track I have been growing rapidly as an artist since. I have participated in fairs, markets, and this year I am able to finally pursue galleries and grants properly. I have recently completed a gallery show this past month and I have more already lined up this year including a solo exhibition in August. So far I have created work for TV shows, small company products, podcasts, album cover art, and YouTube videos. Currently, I am working on commissions, more album work, gallery work, and starting my own comic series.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
My story as a creative is intrinsically intertwined with some of the challenges I’ve faced. Going into the game industry, I was so excited to finally be surrounded by others who loved the same things I did. I was over the moon for a time until I encountered terrible harassment situations. This was prior to companies taking certain types of harassment in the entertainment industry seriously, so my cries for help fell on deaf ears at every turn. These situations eventually boiled over into my personal life outside of work where some situations evolved into multiple forms of abuse.
Due to the situations I was dealing with, I was at the brink of suicide by the time I was in my mid-twenties. I ended up completely broken for a few years after that. My depression and fear of other people impacted any creative expression I tried to have. Eventually I went back to school to take classes that would help me return to the entertainment industry properly as an artist. Unfortunately, even that was a daily struggle, I almost didn’t make it through due to panic attacks because of my past. It would take all my mental strength to drive to class only to completely break down in my car once I parked. The thought of being near others terrified me even if no one spoke to me. It took a while but now in my early 30s, I am able to find ways to pursue my art again. Metaphorically, I feel like the teenage version of myself who loved art finally returned to me. I feel like trauma presses pause on any of your mental development and when you finally begin to move past it, you realize the world moved on without you. This was weirdly both liberating and horrifying to me. I felt like I went back in time and now I’m starting over a life that would make the younger version of me proud. I am now using all the pain, fear, and sadness I had during that time and turning it into fodder for my work.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m a freelance artist. My favorite styles are probably manga work and stylized realism. I tend to be a chameleon when it comes to art and enjoy messing around with all types of visuals. I am someone who enjoys working with both digital and traditional media. Currently, I tend to be known for three main types of work: Custom canvas shoe art, video game fan art, and surreal traditional works. My custom shoe work has been admired by many at different trade shows, art markets, and cons. Fans of my social media works may know me mostly from my video game fan art. A couple of years back, I came across some incredible metal covers of video game OSTs I loved. Harking back to the days when I was young something about these covers struck a chord with me and I reached out wanting to make cover art for the songs. To my surprise, the musician agreed to work with me going forward. So now a lot of my video game fan art is tied to the metal covers musician Geoffrey Day makes on the YT channel Geoffplaysguitar. It’s been great meeting other creatives through the channel and fellow video game OST lovers. I feel like being involved with that community encompasses all the things I loved growing up and I really enjoy my time being a part of it.
My traditional gallery work I am currently known for is my ongoing series called Kintsugi Girls. Kintsugi is a Japanese 15th-century practice where you repair broken pottery with gold. The meaning “to join with gold” is a reminder to stay optimistic when things fall apart and to celebrate the flaws and missteps of life. My series combines this practice with overcoming past trauma. The Kintsugi Girls represent myself and many other women around the world. Coming back from physical or mental trauma is one of the most difficult things a human can endure and it becomes a part of them throughout their lives. I want to show that anyone can take their trauma and create growth and beauty from it. You can be torn apart and broken, but you can always find a way to repair yourself and move forward. This series is still in its infancy but I want it to grow into a collection that invokes a hopeful melancholy of sorts. I am still a broken person both physically and mentally but I’m still here rebuilding myself into something better each time I fall apart. I want others to see that and be inspired by it. My series is not something you typically see in contemporary art and I feel like that’s part of the appeal.
Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
I used to be an avid reader of both comics and books growing up but I have difficulty finding the time now. Music has always been the common denominator for fueling my creativity for as far back as I can remember. I listen to a wide array of genres and I tend to keep playlists saved that each caters to the type of emotion or energy I need to feel when creating a piece of art. Most days there’s a 9 out of 10 chance I’ll have headphones on drowning out the world around me!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.worksbykina.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/art.by.kina/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/artbykina
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ArtByKina
- Other: https://www.patreon.com/artbykina
Image Credits
Photography: Shawna Real
MGR Raiden art was created for: GeoffPlaysGuitar
