Today we’d like to introduce you to Justin Kim.
Justin, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I would describe my early childhood self as a nomad. Born in Wisconsin, raised in Florida, and developed in Southern California from my early teenage years, I have lived my life so far relying on observation. Observation of the people around me and the environments I found myself in. Naturally, I turned out to be a child driven by curiosity. Even now, it is hard to keep track of all of my hobbies from fishing to guitar and MMA to film photography. Most fortunately my parents’ eagerness in finding ways for my mind to explore, experiment, and question was the core reason for why I pursue a creative life today.
My desire to become a filmmaker came to me in one of the most memorable summers in my life. Ten years ago, my family moved from Orlando to Chino Hills in San Bernardino County. We took a road trip across the country, from sea to shining sea. My dad had bought me a small point-and-shoot camera to document what I saw during the journey and immediately my ten years old self was enamored with this odd way of looking at the world. It just so happened we were moving to a town just 50 minutes outside of Tinseltown, the film capital of the world. Sure I loved watching movies, but to show other people how I saw the world and make my own? Now that’s the kind of challenge I needed.
From 5th grade on, I was resolute in my ways. I slowly built myself an arsenal of knowledge about telling stories visually. From the primitive skits I recorded on mini DVD disks with my elementary school buddies to creating the first and only film production club in my high school, it has been a fun and enriching process which got me to where I am currently. The point at which I became unshakeable in my path, I believe was in 2017, when a short film I created with friends was accepted as an official selection at the San Antonio Film Festival. To finally have an outside voice give affirmation of my efforts, there was no other feeling like it.
Since 2018, I have been continuing my film making journey at Chapman University as a film production major emphasizing in directing. Starting in 2018 as well, I have also pursued music seriously as a medium to express myself artistically. Using a borrowed guitar, amp, and a laptop I recorded my debut EP in my freshman dorm room, under the alias of “Suave Punk” later in 2019.
It’s great to hear a story of such supporting parents. So, looking back at your journey so far, has it been a smooth road?
Being someone who moved towns a lot as a kid, I sometimes felt out of place. The idea of a hometown still is a foreign concept to me. The struggle of identity was something that has been formative for me and even now, I’m still exploring where I feel I belong. As a Korean American, I have felt the barriers between me and others in the same cultural group: it’s kind of hard to integrate as an Asian kid walking into a new 5th-grade class in another state with a slight southern accent. Namely the slightly insular attitudes that locale-specific Korean communities held were the main challenges: I didn’t go to church like other Korean American kids, I didn’t grow up in the same neighborhoods, and surely I did not feel compelled to stick with an in-group. The greater Korean American community believed in a certain level of uniformity that I really did not fit with.
However, I believe that this difference I felt was a positive element for me in the long run. Because I did not restrict my social group to people of my own walk of life, I ended up naturally creating a small but strong circle of friends of various backgrounds. And from these friends, I learned the meaning of empathy: understanding someone else regardless of differing ideas and remembering what created our friendship in the first place. And not to worry, I have many Korean American friends as well!
Since college started for me, I continued to learn more about who I am and where I belong. I learned that sometimes some people’s personalities can overshadow mine in a group setting, sometimes being alone is not too bad, and conversely sometimes I’m alone a bit too much. I learned for the first time what love could feel like and what it feels like to lose it. I believe that identity is an ever-evolving challenge for me, as well as everyone, to figure out. But on the bright side, I have channeled this question into the forefront of my mind and I use it now to fuel my creative endeavors. I feel the more experiences I have with an open mind, the more I feel the answer becomes clearer.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
Currently, I focus a lot of my creative energy into making music, a medium which I can explore relatively safely during this pandemic. Technical setup-wise not much has changed from the “Suave Punk” EP, but I have been able to develop my sound more in that last two years into something that I believe is unique to me. Stylistically I draw influence from dream pop and alternative rock genres, namely shoegaze and even some synthwave. The overarching moods and themes I try to touch with my music are nostalgia, emotional introspection, and the fleeting nature of bittersweet moments: but that’s really up to y’all to judge! With the release of my first full-length album, “Goon Tunes”, this past April, I feel that my technique and songwriting skills are getting honed slowly but surely.
With my filmmaking endeavors, I spend more time writing screenplays these days than working gigs: mostly due to COVID-19 pressures. I am drawn to stories that provoke and challenge one’s better judgment. In the vein of my own philosophy of living life with an open mind and not just taking anyone’s word for it, I want to tell stories that show that the world is a confusing, frustrating, bewildering, and beautiful place. I want to be as honest as possible with where my stories come from and ultimately tell my audience, “Damn, we’ve all been through a lot, but I’m so glad you’re here with me”.
With music and filmmaking, I know that my journeys really just begun. Right now, I want to learn as much as I can about everything really and hone the skills I need to translate experience into art. Hopefully, I’ll get to work with you one day too!
Contact Info:
- Phone: (909) 927-7552
- Email: [email protected]
- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7mHAXsMI3hAj3dUZMR4fnt?si=qNdrAqW9Rhu9GkFOumz5Ag
Image Credit:
Cooper Lichacz, Isaac Marziali
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