We recently connected with XAMO and have shared our conversation below.
XAMO, so great to have you with us today. There are so many topics we want to ask you about, but perhaps the one we can start with is burnout. How have you overcome or avoided burnout?
I think burnout comes at least once or twice a year. As a freelancer, I have to find work on my own, and I have to do everything on my own. Sometimes it’s hard to do everything by yourself, and if you do a lot of things in a row at once, you’ll get burnout.
I think the best thing to avoid burnout is to find a hobby. I like to experience different kind of things and learn various things. Experiences of various things refresh me and gain new ideas and inspirations. It also gives me interest in my work again. And I can get to know what I like and what I hate about myself.
I am interested in many things, but among them, I am interested in making things and also sports.
I really enjoy create something through drawing, and create something with various tools, various programs, and various materials. During the process of creating something, you can focus and time flies really fast. Recently, I’m learning a 3D program, and I’m going to learn woodworking and pottery soon. In the process of experiencing and learning these various tools, I get to know myself in which I’m focusing on, I want to experience more diverse things in the future. I think I avoid burnout as I focus on other things like this.
Also, I like sports very much. Especially sports with balls. I like soccer, basketball, baseball, tennis, and so on.
Among them, I like soccer the most, and I have a team that I have supported since I was young. I am crazy about this team! Due to the time difference, I always watch the soccer game on early morning like 4:00am, and I actually went to London to watch the game a lot. Every week, the team’s performance and victory determine how I feel.
Also, I enjoy running around the town. I run 3-4times a week by myself or or with my friend. I know it’s really hard to go out and run, but I really enjoy to see people on the street while running, and I really feel good when I finish my run!
My friends say that they envy and find it amazing how I’m so into something. They say that they have difficulty to find something they like this much.
I think when I fall in love with something like this, it becomes my biggest hobby and life becomes fun.
Sometimes when you’re tired of work, when you’re tired of people, when you’re tired of something, there are things you can enjoy by yourself and if you have various hobbies and experiences, I think you can get out of burnout anytime, anywhere.
It is really important to know what you like and what you hate. To do that, it is important to experience various things.
Don’t be afraid and if you think you want to do something, do it right away!
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I’m a tattoo artist! I’ve been a tattoo artist for 5-6 years now.
I wasn’t originally a person who draw much, but I started to draw after getting interested in tattoos, So my drawings are quite different from others who studied art majors. I never learned how to draw, so I don’t really have a rule when I draw. So there’s a lot of graffiti and abstract elements in it.
I think the biggest attraction is that I can draw on someone else’s body, not on paper. I’m so grateful and happy to choose my drawings as a drawing that stays with their body for the rest of their life, and to trust me and come to get a piece from me.
When someone sees my work, I want them to my name to come into their mind. That’s the most important thing.
I find it the most interesting and exciting to be able to meet various people from all over the world who loves my work! I think conversations with clients allow me to learn about various lives, memories and topics, and provide knowledge.
I think it’s a great job for me, as I love learning and getting to know new things. I can travel freely, meet people who like my works, and experience various things!
I’m planning to leave Korea for Europe soon because I want to experience it in a wider place. I hope I can develop further through exchanges with more diverse people.
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?
I think that if people want to do this, they should enjoy it on their own, always develop their work consistently, and be open-minded!
I think drawing and skills are elements that you can build up enough over time, but I don’t think they can last long unless they are consistent and enjoy their work. As with everything, it’s important to be open-minded, embrace many things, and try to develop yourself by looking at various things!
And it is important to have confidence. It is very difficult for someone like me who has not learned how to draw to work in this industry. But I think I can draw my own drawing style, and I am still trying to create my own! I appreciate that more and more I meet people who likes my works, I have gained more confidence than before, and I think I am improving more and more!
What was the most impactful thing your parents did for you?
I think the biggest impact I got from my parents was probably my overseas experience. (I’m not sure if this is the right answer for the question!)
As a child, I lived in Paris, France for about two years. Thanks to my parents!
As my parents’ job is related to France, I lived in Paris as a child and had a different childhood than other friends of mine.
There are a lot of friends around me who don’t have much experience living abroad, but from my childhood experience, I learned that the world is wide, that there are many different people, that there are many different races and cultures, and that I gained a lot of knowledge. So as I grew up, I grew up to be an open mind, and I’m really grateful to my parents.
Also, I learned French, so I can speak three languages in total, including Korean, English, and French. That’s my biggest strength! Languages are the biggest barriers to communicating with people, and I have the advantage of being able to speak three languages, and even having fun learning a new language, so I really enjoy to communicate with people from other countries. These days, I really want to learn Japanese and Spanish! And I try to study the local language little by little and use it when I go abroad. It becomes all good experience isn’t it? haha
Contact Info:
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/xamofromseoul
Image Credits
XAMOFROMSEOUL (all images credits by myself)
