Today we’d like to introduce you to Lun (Duairak) Padungvichean.
Hi Lun (Duairak), so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I started my rug business back in 2020 right when the pandemic started, I remember seeing people making rugs on social media and I thought it looks really fun, so I tried. I thought making rugs would be a great way for me to make my illustrations become something more than just a drawing. So I create original designs for my rug and make it in my small studio apartment in LA. When I start posting my work on Instagram, it got a lot of attention and that’s how I started my rug business. However, not long after that, I received probably the worst news of my life. My visa got rejected and I had to move back to Thailand. So now, I continue my rug business here in Bangkok, Thailand.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I think I was really lucky that my rug business was getting a lot of attention and I was able to start my business that way. But it’s not always easy since I have to move back to Thailand, lots of things have been much harder and I do struggle a lot in the beginning. I had to figure many things out such as finding new sources of materials, shipping methods, and many more. Trying to work with the Instagram algorithm has been a really big struggle for me lately as well (which I believe happens to many artists and creators who rely on Instagram account engagement). It’s really hard to keep up with the same amount of engagement and it’s pretty much out of my control. So I think this is one of the biggest struggles for me since my business relies so much on how well I do on the platform.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a freelance illustrator and also a rug maker. I like to make fun and whimsical images and cute little characters that always appear in my work across many mediums I work with. I think many of my creatures are somewhat inspired by myself and how I am as a person. They usually seem to be unbothered and just kind of exist in their environment. Which I think is quite different from many characters which tend to be more expressive. I also like to be inspired by things that I see in nature and create a version of my own. Since I really enjoy observing nature and animals, I think it shows through my artwork from the color I use and all the organic forms and objects. Along with my own life experience and interesting events that happen whether it’s in my everyday life or when I travel, I like to use them as inspiration and create drawings or artwork.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
I used to think that art and craft are one of the few things that can’t be replaced by machines. However, we’ve been introduced to advance AI technologies that allow the machine to generate artwork based on the database by just putting in keywords. Although I don’t think it will fully replace us, I’m certain that it’s going to change the way we run the industry in the future. Apart from AI, I think and hope to see more art incorporate into our everyday life over the next 5-10 years. I think especially illustration and design works have been very prominent in many places in the world. You can start to see art in our everyday life and I think people has been appreciate it much more than before. Moving back to Thailand this past year make me realize how many things have changed. I see a lot more art events and I see that many companies start to use art as their way to connect with people which I think is truly amazing.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://duairakp.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/duck.ruai/
