Meet Chusu Kim

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Chusu Kim. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Chusu, thrilled to have you on the platform as I think our readers can really benefit from your insights and experiences. In particular, we’d love to hear about how you think about burnout, avoiding or overcoming burnout, etc.

Here is your translated text in English:

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I want to talk about overcoming my burnout. My burnout gradually started in September 2024 and fully manifested in early November.

I graduated in May 2022 from the California Institute of the Arts with an MFA in Scene Design. I returned to Korea in May and started applying for open calls and art funding programs around that time. After writing countless applications and facing many rejections, I was finally selected in January 2023 for an artist support program run by the Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture. As a result, I held my first official solo exhibition in December of that year.

At that time, I was also working as an exhibition designer at the National Museum of Korean Contemporary History. Preparing for my solo exhibition while working was undoubtedly challenging. However, I was so focused on completing my exhibition that I poured all my energy into it, unknowingly exhausting myself.

After my first solo exhibition, I started looking for new opportunities and submitted applications to various open calls. As a result, I was able to hold two more solo exhibitions in 2024, with the last one ending in late October. Around that time, I began to feel distressed just by looking at anything related to creation. A sense of lethargy and depression took over. Even seeing posts from other artists on Instagram made me feel miserable, as if I wanted to escape.

Since late August, I had been working as an administrative assistant at a graduate school near my home, but the job was not a good fit for me. This only worsened my psychological distress and burden. After work, I often found myself lying in the dark, staring blankly at nothing. Even watching YouTube or Netflix felt exhausting just to think about. My depression and lethargy grew, and eventually, I quit my job at the graduate school.

Only then did I fully understand that I was experiencing burnout. Overcoming it was difficult. I sought advice from fellow artists who had gone through burnout and tried to recall activities I had enjoyed in my childhood. One of those things was rereading the *Harry Potter* series from start to finish. For about two weeks, I did nothing but read, eat, and rest at home. I felt pressured to be productive, but reading brought me a small sense of interest again.

Then, I started drawing. Many designers and artists experience this—when constantly working on creative projects, they lose the chance to create purely for fun and personal interest. I, too, had not drawn for a long time, so I started painting with oils, gradually rekindling my passion.

However, the most helpful thing in overcoming burnout was meeting people and going outside in any way possible. Talking with friends provided comfort, and even though I often didn’t feel like socializing, meeting people little by little helped restore my motivation to converse and lifted my mood. I also sought help from psychiatry and psychological counseling. I made a lot of effort in various ways to resolve my struggles.

Most recently, I joined a project-based choir and even performed at a large concert venue. Practicing regularly and meeting new people encouraged me to step outside, gradually reducing my desire to isolate myself and do nothing.

Now, in early February 2025, two months after recognizing my burnout, I feel significantly better. I hope everyone can strive to prevent burnout by balancing hard work with small moments of rest and rewards for themselves. I am fortunate to have overcome my burnout by actively doing something about it, and I realize that a lot of time was naturally necessary for my recovery.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

Here is your translated text in English:

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I create artwork in the fields of installation art and video, among others. The themes I explore in my work often revolve around emotions that people tend to hide, such as loneliness, anxiety, and sadness. I personally experience these emotions and wish to express them through my art.

In terms of artistic form, I am particularly interested in interactive works and have always included them in my exhibitions. While I am unsure whether I will continue creating this type of work in the future, it remains one of my major interests.

I also have a deep interest in music and sound. For my exhibitions, I collaborated with musicians to compose background music, and in some cases, I designed the sound myself as part of my artwork.

Since 2023, I have been extremely busy. I officially held three solo exhibitions—in December 2023, April 2024, and September 2024. All three exhibitions were made possible through art support programs from cultural organizations or public institutions. I am truly grateful for these opportunities.

Beyond art, I also work in design. My background is in graphic design, and I earned my MFA in Scene Design from the California Institute of the Arts. Occasionally, I take on poster design projects, and two years ago, I designed the stage for a music performance featuring the *haegeum*, a traditional Korean string instrument.

Additionally, I worked as an exhibition designer at the National Museum of Korean Contemporary History for a year, until February 2024. My experience at the museum greatly influenced and supported my solo exhibitions, as I was able to personally design the exhibition spaces for my own shows.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Doing your best in the tasks given to you and approaching people with honesty and sincerity is key. I have always carried out my work diligently, which has earned me a good reputation and opportunities to collaborate with great people. You never know where or with whom you might work again in the future. When both you and your collaborators bring the same level of passion and dedication to a project, it creates a strong and productive working relationship. Building good relationships with colleagues is both important and rewarding.

It is also essential to consistently seek out new opportunities. Just as actors go through countless auditions before landing a role and becoming famous at the right time, artistic creation works in a similar way. By applying to numerous open calls and art support programs, you will eventually find opportunities that suit you. There is no single correct path. Through failures, you come to understand your strengths and weaknesses, and you develop the ability to distribute your energy more strategically. By repeating this process, you gradually gain the chance to grow as an artist.

Recognizing your psychological and physical state and taking appropriate breaks is crucial. No one can keep running endlessly. Rest is necessary—taking a step back to reflect on your past work and allowing yourself some time to relax is essential. Otherwise, like I experienced, burnout can take over, causing you to lose valuable time. Engaging in activities you enjoy and maintaining a balance is important for sustaining a long and healthy creative journey.

What has been your biggest area of growth or improvement in the past 12 months?

As I previously mentioned, I have held a total of three solo exhibitions so far. I did not work as part of a team; instead, I was solely responsible for everything, from planning to installation. Throughout this process, I received valuable support from various collaborators, including composers, engineers, video directors, translators, and graphic designers, all of whom contributed to bringing my exhibitions to life.

Over the past year, I have developed communication skills and learned how to manage projects through these collaborations. I also identified areas where I am still inexperienced as a collaborator and gained a better understanding of my unique approach to project execution.

Coming from a design background, I have achieved significant growth in the field of artistic creation, and I will continue to do so. I hope to leverage my diverse experiences and skills to create more opportunities in the future.

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