Exploring Inspiration and Creative Process from Sona Lee's Artistic Perspective
Interview By Sooa Lim
1. Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your background as an artist?
I was born and raised in Korea and began studying art professionally while preparing to enter Kaywon High School of Arts. I later earned a degree in Contemporary Art from Konkuk University. Afterward, I moved to New York to pursue further studies and am currently enrolled in the master's of Fine Arts program at Parsons School of Design. There wasn’t a specific reason that led me to start creating art – I naturally developed an interest from a very young age, which has continued to this day as I work as an artist. Although I don’t remember it myself, my mother told me that when I was around three years old, I would wake up in the morning, fill a container with water, and start painting with watercolor by myself.
2. What themes or messages do you aim to convey through your art?
My work reconstructs moments where the conscious and unconscious overlap into surreal spaces through cinematic compositions. I also explore the way memories are recalled, weaving together fragments of dreams, imagination, and reality to create multi-layered visual narratives. Combining digital imagery with traditional painting techniques, I address themes of escapism and emotional emptiness in contemporary society, transforming these voids into spaces of reflection and exploration.
3. How do you approach a new artwork, from concept to completion?
When inspiration strikes, I typically begin by sketching on my iPad and then translate those ideas onto canvas. I often pull from various images I’ve captured, reassembling them in a collage format to craft new, personal narratives. I strive to reflect the way old memories resurface or how dreams unfold, allowing these processes to guide my expression. As I paint, I sometimes write short texts—condensed stories or descriptions reminiscent of a scene from a film. This writing helps me articulate the emotions embedded in the work, adding another layer of meaning to the visual piece. This year, I’m eager to experiment with incorporating sound into my practice.
4. What inspires your artwork, and how does your environment influence your creative process?
I often get inspiration from reading through my dream journal, and sometimes I find ideas from photos I’ve taken on my phone or with a film camera. If a certain moment inspires me, I capture it with either my camera or in writing, which I then incorporate into my work. The way I express my work is heavily influenced by films and music. I enjoy films across genres, from animation to horror, particularly those that explore themes of utopia/dystopia or delve into human psychology. I love analyzing the mise-en-scène crafted by directors, finding great fascination in how they shape narratives through visual and spatial elements. When working, I often listen to original sound tracks from films. I’m drawn to the grand, dark, and beautiful sounds of composers, for example, Joe Hisaishi, Alexandre Desplat, and Hans Zimmer. Their music helps me build my creative world and sparks my imagination as I develop my work’s imagery.
5. What challenges have you faced as an artist, and how have you overcome them?
Since coming to New York, I have faced countless challenges and moments of deep contemplation. I’ve encountered emotions I had never experienced before, and there were times when I went through difficult periods of depression and frustration. I tried various ways to overcome these struggles, but I don't think any of them were immediately successful. I have yet to find the best way to fully overcome such moments. I’ve learned that the best I can do is to focus on what needs my attention at the moment and let go of the things that don’t. Sometimes, I can’t overcome the difficulties right away, and I find myself suffering. But even in that pain, I occasionally discover new ideas. So, I try to trust myself—allowing sadness when I feel sad, and embracing happiness when it comes. I focus on enduring the present, no matter what it holds.
6. Does your identity as an Asian inform your art, or do you think it's irrelevant?
As an Asian foreign artist working in the U.S., I’ve had many opportunities to think about my identity, but I don’t think it has directly reflected my work so far. However, growing up in Asia has certainly shaped aspects of my practice. Since childhood, I’ve loved the way ink and pigments seep and spread into paper in traditional Korean painting. The permeated ink spreads subtly, blurring the boundaries and giving a unique feeling of liberation. I also felt drawn to the concept of “the beauty of emptiness” (여백의 미) when I first learned about it. In fact, this idea of emptiness remains one of the most important elements in my current work. When constructing the background in my painting, I use a brush rather than an airbrush because I consider the act of gradually blurring and spreading the boundaries as a liberating ritual and it reflected my early concept.
7. Can you describe your daily routine as an artist? What practices or habits are essential to your creative process?
I start my day by writing down the dreams I had the night before in my dream journal. Usually, I jot them down chaotically in my phone’s notes app, trying to capture as much as I can remember. Sometimes, when words fall short, I leave simple sketches to represent the harder-to-describe parts. Since last August, I’ve been trying to record every single day without missing one. Reviewing this dream journal later helps me understand my inner self and serves as a valuable source of ideas and direction for my work.
8. What upcoming artworks, projects, or exhibitions are you currently working on?
I have a group exhibition scheduled for February. After that, my biggest project will be the Thesis Show at the end of March. I consider it the most important opportunity to showcase the work I have developed over the past two years of my master's program. My main goal for the first half of this year is to work without regret and fully enjoy the process leading up to the show. Unless there are significant changes, I plan to continue developing my current work while trying out a few new experiments.
Chief Editor Paris Koh