We recently had the chance to connect with Victor Lee and have shared our conversation below.
Good morning Victor, we’re so happy to have you here with us and we’d love to explore your story and how you think about life and legacy and so much more. So let’s start with a question we often ask: Have you ever been glad you didn’t act fast?
I think whenever I think about my journey as an artist, I’ve always taken it slow. Rather than slow I tried not to rush anything, and looking back I’m glad I did. I enjoyed my slow years of college of wandering and listlessness that led me to think a bit more about what I wanted to do with my art. In a sense, my complacency led me to come up with a less half baked idea of what to paint and a reasoning for why.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Victor Lee and I am a Korean-American painter. I enjoy aiming to capture scenes and feelings from my life. I think my paintings quite often capture the complicated emotions that I try to depict when starting the painting. I’m not too sure how people see my paintings, but I like to see them as very precious works to me personally. That’s why I have a hard time letting some of them go I suppose.
What I really want to work towards is work with more artists really. I just want to enjoy the process of working on projects and exhibitions with people I connect with.
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. Who saw you clearly before you could see yourself?
I would say my mother really believed in me before anyone else. She developed my interest in art by working on a whole variety of projects with me. We would hand paint, mold play-doh, life sized marker drawings, she invigorated my passion from the beginning. My mother might not really know, but sometimes I really feel like I paint for her sometimes. Especially during a lot of the quieter moments when I’m working on my paintings, I think back often to those times.
What fear has held you back the most in your life?
I still struggle with the feeling of inadequacy. To be frank, I am happy with what I’m able to create, but often times I grapple with making more works. I think because I treat all my works too preciously, I get in my head with trying to make each and every work profound, but honestly I see it more as a detriment to my workflow.
However, I feel this fear has affected me most outside of my art. I regret living so timidly when deep down, I wanted to live boldly and boisterously.
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. Whom do you admire for their character, not their power?
I really admire both of my younger siblings. I still imagine them as the younger versions that I bossed around, but really they’ve grown up and done things I can’t do. I still live in my past and drown in memories and regret while they are like two super powerful beings. They’ve accepted their pasts and moved to live in the moment in bold stride. I’m sure their lives are far from perfect, but in a way, they’ve become my role models.
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. What will you regret not doing?
I’ve had my share of regrets and knowing them, I would definitely regret not chasing art.
I don’t think I will ever regret working on the paintings that I’ve created. Whether they are recognized or not, these paintings are so very charged for me and forever will be.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.victorleestudio.com
- Instagram: @victorsleepy
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@victorlart
