Yang Soon Ju a.k.a. Elizabeth Ju, from the Republic of Korea is an award-winning designer, educator, illustrator and artist. Although she was always interested in art, she took it up seriously only eight years ago and has not looked back since. Her belief that it is never too late to pursue a dream or learn something new has opened up a whole new world for her with endless possibilities.
Having lived in Qatar for more than 12 years, Elizabeth is currently pursuing a master’s in fine arts (MFA) at VCUQatar. Her academic background and career are varied and colourful; she holds a major in fashion design from VCUQatar; a master’s in chemistry from the National University of Singapore; has completed a course in business administration at CNAQ and studied art history as a minor.
Prior to pursuing a course in art, Elizabeth used to work in the area of accounting and audit and has had a stint as a research assistant in Singapore. Her experiences also include working as a teacher in Thailand and in Korea. Besides the academic world, Elizabeth’s love for theatre has seen her participating in stage shows and musicals in Doha, not to mention her involvement in Doha Debate.
“My strength is being able to prioritise my work with efficient time management under pressure, while my weaknesses can be that I sometimes take a long time to take decisions, and being too focused,” says Elizabeth.
Tell us something about yourself:
I’ve been living in Doha for 12 years. This is my second home and this is where I found my life’s passion, as I had the opportunity of studying art and design at Education City. I have a diverse education background and have performed many different roles over the years; these have all helped me understand art and design in a holistic manner. Recently, I’ve been enjoying interdisciplinary design projects as part of my master’s studies, in addition to teaching young students various art and design classes.
What got you interested in art?
I guess I’ve had a calling for art since my teens, I just never realised this until much later in my life. I’ve been collecting books on European paintings as far as I can remember, and used to buy antique-looking necklaces whenever I could afford. People seemed to get the vibe that I was an art student even though I didn’t seem to be aware of it. Come to think of it, interesting objects, stories, and paintings always got my attention.
Funnily though, I did not take up art seriously or consider following a career in art until a few years ago. The credit goes to my husband who was the inspiration behind this switch. He is the one who suggested that I take up art seriously. It was indeed a life-changing moment for me when I decided to go to art school and found out this was what I want to do for the rest of my life!
What kind of art are you interested in?
The most interesting and exciting part of art and design are the various ways in which you can create something. I would say my work is more or less similar to an interdisciplinary art and has a multi-disciplinary approach, similar to the style of Yinka Shonibare (a Nigerian-British artist living in London).
My recent work comprises of several capsule collections titled the Korabic Abaya Coat series (abaya-styled coats inspired by the traditional Korean coat). These collections were initiated by Tasmeem 2013, an international design conference at VCUQatar. I’ve also been researching headwear around the world, as part of my MFA thesis to understand hybird cultures and designs. Recently, the impact of globalisation on Third Culture Individuals has also been getting my attention.
What do you consider your significant accomplishment in art?
That probably would be my sophomore fashion show, a first for me. The theme was recycling — in a way ‘upcycling’ and repurposing resources. The project was more meaningful than creating an ordinary collection especially as it was my maiden venture. The creativity process resulted in unexpected outcomes in the form of interesting designs for children. It certainly was a good opportunity to express my cultural identity as a designer and also to grasp how design could be developed.
Share with us your preferences with art and the various mediums…
I find all arts quite challenging, but that’s what draws me to it!
It’s hard for me to specify one kind of art as my favourite as I enjoy different concepts and have varied interests. I often find fashion illustration exciting, especially as I can employ wet and dry mediums as well as collage, not to mention various digital tools.
Stating my preference for one medium over the other is also difficult because I feel it’s all about conveying the message. I generally choose to work with the medium that can best convey the message that is to be conveyed. These days I find myself falling in love with watercolour and gouache paintings as I use them often while teaching classes. New technologies like 3D printing or laser cutting are also interesting mediums for artists and designers of the 21st century.
Where do you draw your inspiration from?
From various sources: from people as close to me as my family, from places, and sometimes from the work of others artists or designs from varying time periods; occasionally, I’m also inspired by my research or experience.
What’s been your greatest achievement?
Being able to share dreams with my children; to show them that they should do what they want; to make them believe in chasing a dream — like I did. I’m glad I was able to make my children pursue what they wanted to. Being able to influence my young students to follow their interest in art and design, thus setting them on a path where they can pursue their dreams.
What’s been your greatest disappointment?
That would be the senior collection I worked on for VCUQatar’s annual show. I think the only moments I regret are those where I didn’t put in my hundred per cent or instances when I didn’t go beyond my comfort zone as a designer. There aren’t many moments like that because I always challenge myself and enjoy working hard, ever since I stepped into the world of art and design.
What are your other interests?
I am a person of varied interests. I used to enjoy sports like golf, horse riding, and tennis; watching musicals; learning languages; photography; calligraphy and playing Korean drums. Nowadays though, I’m more of a workaholic. I find that my hobbies and interests always revolve around art and design — there’s a fine line of distinction between work and leisure for me when it comes to creativity!
Who is your hero?
On the professional side I look up to Renoir, John Singer Sargent, Coco Chanel, John Galliano, Hussein Chalayan, Yinka Shonibare, Rene Gruau, Salvador Dali and David Downton, among others. In personal life, it is my husband for seeing the love of art in me, and encouraging me to take it up seriously.
Share with us your dream…
To be able to continue doing what I love whilst being able to be a strong pillar for my children. I want to keep improving — possibly at teaching, painting, and designing. Hopefully, I can have my own exhibition somewhere, one day.
How would you describe your life right now?
My life is full of challenges with several ups and downs. It’s been a complicated, yet simple puzzle. It took me a long time to find my pieces. Now that I’ve found art and design, it’s a matter of time before I complete a wonderful picture.
Life lessons
Always follow your passion; don’t hesitate to change. Never force yourself to follow the old course because you think ‘it is too late’. Never let your wrong choices haunt you from being better, either in your professional or personal life. Failure is just an opportunity to begin again.
FASHION STATEMENT: A Korabic Abaya (Abaya-styled coat inspired by Korean attire). Right: IN OIL: Boat near Doha Corniche.
