An Interview with Chasing Linen's Dianuh Kim

Today, I am sososo excited to feature my very first interview! This has been something that has been on my heart for almost two years now and has been falling from my lips for at least a year. I'm so excited to have finally begun this process.

It's also a double fold event to celebrate because it also happens to be my very special guest's 1 year anniversary for her watercolor business!

Our featured guest today is:

blog//etsy

I fairly recently became friends with Dianuh Kim, of Chasing Linen, via instagram after admiring her beautiful watercolor work and instantly fell in love with her undeniable talent. I knew that she would be an amazing initial interview! So for now, enjoy the insight behind this young artist with so much more soul and talent than you can believe her years on this planet would provide her.

Since she's so skilled at her art, one might wonder how she got into the beautiful craft of watercolor! Here's a little introduction:

Dianuh has drawn all of her life and began painting in highschool with acrylics and oil but was always so afraid of watercolor. She actually continues to enjoy different art forms and majors in Illustration currently in college. She began by trying to create something she hadn't seen done before, a watercolor calendar, which as she put it wasn't Covergirl "breezy and easy" but ultimately ended up being so much more than worth that initial effort!

From Dianuh:

Once I started, oh my gosh, I fell in love, super fast. And everything I wanted in a medium, IN ONE MEDIUM, I found it in watercolor. So I just love it. I just love it so much. And it all started with that watercolor calendar... by the end I felt super confident. I felt like it was such a divine thing because I'd never touched watercolor in my life. It was like love at first sight.

When you picked up your watercolor brush did you just get it instantly?

It was definitely a foreign thing. The way I look at myself as an artist, I definitely think of myself as an experimental doodler. I started off watercolor like that. I never took any art classes. I grew up teaching myself, that's kinda what watercolor was to me. But the different thing about watercolor is that it just made sense to me. It acted like I wanted it to act and it does so much. It can be transparent or it can be thick. It can be layered or it can be flat and I just love it so much. It's like my soul mate.

So how did you begin your journey with art?

One time, we had a mandatory art contest. I didn't think much of it and I just turned it in and I ended up winning! And that's when I was like, Oh, I'm actually good at something?! That was first grade and from there I started drawing. It was for fun and I didn't really think realistically about it and then in high school, I had a teacher who encouraged me to pursue it, but everything was self taught pretty much!

It's crazy how you've only been doing this for a year!

I don't want to over spiritualize things, but I feel like it's totally a God thing!

So as far as inspiration, are there any books or sources you follow or could recommend?

I really like this one guy [Doyald Young]. His book is called Dangerous curves and he is amazing! He is a hand letterer. I also read/follow a lot of art magazines and blogs.

Do you have any other hobbies?

I love music. I like to play the ukele and guitar. I used to do a bit of worship...

Do you sing?

I definitely don't consider myself a singer, but I like to sing. I like to write. I like to do a lot of stuff but I can't really think of it all right now! I also like to skateboard... but I also like to rollerskate too.

I think that's what keeps things exciting - when you're not doing the same thing all day-everyday. I think it's awesome to be multitalented! What type of advice would you give to budding artists?

Dabble in everything. If I wasn't afraid, I would've started long ago and would have loved it from that point! Not saying I regret anything, but I'm just saying, don't be afraid to try new things! For me, I discovered the love of my life like last year. But it's always been there! So I feel like if it's accessible to you, totally go for it, totally try it out. And that's something that I tell myself every day now. And there's so much room for error, because everything's a learning experience. So I think watercolor, as intimidating as it sounds, it's so fun and it's so freeing for me. And I love that I can express myself in a way that I can't otherwise, through watercolor. 

- We took a little break to exchange some names of some other awesome watercolor hand letterers - see Shalyn Nelson & Vanessa Documented and for me to think up some new questions -

Are there any specific things you draw inspiration from when painting or do you just kind of start ?

I'm definitely more free flow, but before watercolor I was definitely more spontaneous. But with watercolor you have to plan ahead [with where you place your paint] with watercolor so because of that I think I've been a lot more structured and organized; but my style is still messy. Which is very true to who I am. And I'm still really experimental (which is when she showed me an expressionist watercolor self portrait she had recently made on a whim).

When do you typically find yourself creating?

I guess it's a little different because it depends on my schedule. During school time, I'm doing art all the time so during summer I take breaks because I don't wanna get too overwhelmed with it... This summer I took a break and dabbled more into calligraphy and digital design, but I was still begin creative and got really into digital and display design. I love editing and doing photography, so I always have a creative outlet because that's just who I am. 

And finally, where does the name Chasing Linen originate?

Chasing Linen actually comes from the bleeding woman who chased after Jesus to touch his robe! [Matthew 9:20-22] It represents chasing after your dreams/higher calling, purity, healing, whatever's important to you. Also in a secular sense, linen is high quality fabric so chasing the finer things in life ;)

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So what did you guys think? Would you like to have more of these interviews? Any tips, questions, suggestions? Please leave them below! I'd love to hear from you :) I definitely hope to create these interviews with audio/visual accompaniments in the future, so stay tuned!

& Dianuh, thank you so much for taking a chance on me and being my guinea pig for these interviews! I had such an amazing time getting to know you a bit through our skype conversation. You are such an inspiration and I know you are only going to continually inspire so many more people in the future with you passion, creativity, uplifting attitude, and beautiful work. I'm grateful to have made a new friend in you!