Meet Clarissa Kumala

We recently connected with Clarissa Kumala and have shared our conversation below.

Clarissa, thank you so much for joining us. You are such a positive person and it’s something we really admire and so we wanted to start by asking you where you think your optimism comes from?

This sounds strange, but I think I started being optimistic during high school exams, the A Levels. Before every test, my friends and I would be so hopeless, but I just kept on saying ‘the test is already done, this is just what happens before it!’ From then on, I just applied that to basically every hurdle I’ve faced in my life, in uni, etc. For example, I’ll think, ‘this assignment is already done, this is just what happens before it,’ or when it comes to a personal issue, I’ll think, ‘there’s a time where I’m okay and at peace with this, this is just what happens before that.’ It reminds you that where you are right now is just part of the natural sequence of events it takes to get to the end goal and to not overthink the process. Can you tell I’m a fan of time travel?

Other than this, I’ve also faced people asking me ‘are you sure you can do that?’ when I mention learning a new skill or trying a new activity. Of course, I’m not sure, but if you think like that forever, you are gonna be such a boring person. It’s embarrassing how often I lose motivation to do something if I’m not good at it immediately, but I think it’s important to not take yourself too seriously. You don’t have to scold yourself for everything you do wrong; it’s not mandatory. You can just make a mistake and move on, you waste less time and energy when you do that.

You can keep changing who you are, what you like, there’s no pressure to stay the same. Even rocks change.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

Hi, I’m Clariiku (Clarissa Kumala), and I’m an Indonesian artist currently studying Art Direction in London. I’ve dabbled in painting fine artworks, graphic design, ceramics, art, film, photography, and more. I usually make art about whatever I’m experiencing at the moment and showcase my creative process through my videos on social media (because I believe no artist should gatekeep!). My most recent projects involve a short film titled ‘FULL OF SH*T’ (that can be found on YouTube) and an exhibition titled Just A Girl, and I’m hoping to get into more curating and video work in the future! More of my work can be found on @clariiku on Instagram or http://linktr.ee/clariiku or https://clariiku.my.canva.site/clariiku

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

1. Knowing when to take a break
Usually when I’m doing a project, I’ll get to a point where I am just so sick of it! Like, I’m not excited about it anymore, I’m confused about where it’s going, how it’s gonna turn out, etc. When that happens, you need to take a break. I know that you’ll think, ‘Ugh, I’ll be so much more productive if I continue to work on it’ or that taking a break is a ‘waste of time’. But, like Ocean Vuong said, taking a rest once in a while is part of the creative process. Letting your brain relax and letting your ideas marinate in your head is essential! Sometimes, the best thing you can do for your work is to get away from it.

2, Being curious
I’ve learned so much by asking people how they’ve done their projects, their inspirations, where they learned to do this and that, even though their work is in an industry that I might never touch! A lot of industries and courses have so many more similarities than differences, and you shouldn’t limit your creativity to the ones you’re familiar with. Being curious also helps boost your bravery in terms of the kinds of creative projects you want to take on, and also even just the bravery to talk to people.

3. Forget what you know
Setting expectations before something actually starts leads you to fail before trying. For example, I want to learn a new program/software, but I get discouraged because I’ve just heard so many terrible things about it like, ‘the learning curve is so steep’, ‘the program is only for people who are already experienced with this, this, and this.’ Eventually, you begin to use what you’ve heard as an excuse to never start. Or, it leads you to think more pessimistically than you have to. If you start the day by thinking, ‘this project/assignment/task is going to be so, so difficult,’ then it will be. But if you lean more into the ‘let’s see what happens’ then you’ll deal with problems as they arise.

Awesome, really appreciate you opening up with us today and before we close maybe you can share a book recommendation with us. Has there been a book that’s been impactful in your growth and development?

‘How Do You Live?’ by Yoshino Genzaburo. It’s about Copper, a 15 year-old boy, and his coming-of-age story where he shares his thoughts with his uncle who writes letters back to him. I read it when I was 15, but I’d recommend it to everyone, no matter what age you are; it’s such a timeless and comforting book. I know this sounds so ‘self-help’ but it’s really about the small human observations that you maybe made at 15 but never bothered to articulate.

In the book, Copper’s uncle tells him that the root of arigatai (thank you) means ‘difficult’ or ‘impossible’, ‘that it never happens’. He says, ‘We are grateful for good fortune specifically because we feel that it rarely happens. Thus, the word arigatai has come to refer to something special.’ And so, when you say arigatou/thank you, it’s an ‘expression of gratitude’, a reminder that being thankful is a privilege itself. When I have a problem I’m dealing with, I’ll tell myself how lucky I am to have this problem. Not everyone is as fortunate as I am to be dealing with the (perhaps little) things I label as ‘issues’.

Another point I took away was when Copper’s uncle told him, ‘what you discovered without anyone teaching you is a great thing.’ That’s a quote that I remember whenever I feel imposter syndrome. It’s so easy to forget that you are not supposed to be born with all the knowledge in the world.

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