Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Risa Iwasaki Culbertson. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Risa, first a big thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and insights with us today. I’m sure many of our readers will benefit from your wisdom, and one of the areas where we think your insight might be most helpful is related to imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is holding so many people back from reaching their true and highest potential and so we’d love to hear about your journey and how you overcame imposter syndrome.
At some point, somewhat recently, I realized the weight of imposter syndrome had lifted. I wish I had a proper formula to share but, for me, it came with the confidence to tell the story I was trying to tell. It didn’t quite matter what level of skills I had because it wasn’t about that. I was processing grief and the visual representation of that felt right to me. It’s easy to get in one’s head about techniques or feeling “good enough” but, your story is your own and it’s hard to argue with that.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I’m biracial and grew up creating art as a way to bridge the gap between my two worlds. As a kid, I learned that art , humor, and play were languages I could speak with both sides of my family. The foundations I still carry in my work today.
I didn’t start showing my personal art until my first solo show in 2019. Up until then, I had focused on my stationery company, called Papa Llama, which was inspired by all those letters from home my mom would get and send out. It was all about sharing a laugh and a note that you’re being thought of and took me on such an adventure in starting and running a creative business.
It wasn’t until that show that I clearly saw collections and individual pieces of work as telling a story. I grew up thinking that being a multi-media artist meant not having the ability to commit to one type of creating but then realized its importance. I connect to the story first then, figure out the best way for me to tell that story. Sometimes it comes out in illustrations, stop motion animations, wool sculptures, or even something new I haven’t tried yet. Through these stories, I’ve processed my own emotions, created a bridge to my culture, and connected with others I miss and long for.
I’m excited for new ways of bringing connections and sharing stories like the interactive Neighborhood Appreciation Cards I created for Chronicle Books, teaching more classes on the Creative Bug platform, and my fully immersive installation at Sweet Tooth Hotel in Dallas, TX. With a creative business I find it can be hard to let myself work on personal art projects so I’m excited about giving myself space to dive into some ideas and letting my spirit play!
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
My three pieces of advice would be:
1. Just make- I always get the question about finding one’s artistic voice from my interns and I tell them to make as much work as possible for no other reason than joy and practice. Then, lay them all out and something will be revealed. You might find yourself gravitating towards a particular subject matter, color palette, line thickness…. ya know, style! Get out of your head and on to paper and be your own gravitating force to see which direction you want to explore and develop.
2. You’ll figure it out- When I started my stationery company, I didn’t know how to go about doing it. In theory I knew how to start a business (got that business degree for some reason, right?) but not a creative based one and especially starting off with zero knowledge on letterpress. Then, I got my own machines and learned as I went. I never owned a shop before, then I did. I had never made an installation piece that took up an entire room that needed to be put together in a faraway different state. Then, I did. Planning is, of course, important (I’m a Virgo, I love spreadsheets) but there are plenty of things you won’t know and can’t plan for until they come up. Focus on being flexible, breathing, and building trust in your problem solving abilities.
3. Don’t forget to play- There are so many times when playing gets set aside: work (in a creative business or not), being sad, being super busy, being stressed out, stuck in a creative block, just to name a few. Being playful brings curiosity, gives us permission to get into a beginner’s mindset, problem solving, confidence, building skills, and straight up JOY. It has the ability to lift us up and get lost in something else. See if you can set some time for it. Schedule it in! (again, Virgo. Scheduling) Take a class (or better yet, take my class on Creative Bug!), learn to roller skate, dance, cook! Just play and turn the comments section off in your head (a.k.a. be nice to yourself).
How can folks who want to work with you connect?
Nothing is more energizing like creating art with people. I love collaborating for this reason and our collective ability to share stories and build on them. Working with clients to visually help tell their stories and creating works for their spaces, from children’s books to installations, set designs, and home decor and seeing how delighted they are at the outcome makes my heart explode with joy. Check out more of my work at www.RisaCulbertson.com and IG @Risa_Iwasaki_Culbertson. Let’s connect, collaborate, and gather everyone around for some storytelling!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.RisaCulbertson.com
- Instagram: Risa_Iwasaki_Culbertson
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/risa-culbertson/
Image Credits
Sweet Tooth Hotel photos by TA Visuals. Both located in Dallas, Texas Neighborhood Appreciation Cards photo by Chronicle Books Rest of the photos were taken by me but located at: Nonsense Makes Sense gallery wall at Park Life in San Francisco, CA Lucky Rabbit at Helvella Gallery in Oakland, CA Gather show showcasing Japanese foods at Rare Device in San Francisco ,CA Mouths located at Leroy’s Place in New Orleans, LA.
