We love asking the folks that inspire and excite us about what inspires and excites them. Check out their responses below.

Eunsuh Choi | Glass Artist, Instructor, and Director

I’m interested in portraying human aspiration with organic forms from the new perspective I had about myself within a foreign country. Originally from South Korea, I relocated to the United States. My Korean heritage tends to make me question myself in terms of my direction as an artist and an individual especially here in the USA. To address my interest in human aspiration, I like to integrate my personal philosophy and experience incorporating my Korean heritage into the work to merge my Eastern background and my Western experiences, like how we, as humankind, are unified through the sensation of personal ambition. Read more>>

Kiso Kazanchian | Visual and Performing Artist

Debris. From a young age, I have been entranced by “discarded” things; empty boxes of Ararat cigarettes peppering the patio of my Glendale family home, candy wrappers, receipts, furniture tipped over the sidewalk, lotto tickets exposing their bones from penny scratches…I thus fell in love with practices that renewed found objects, sounds, and spaces using human interference, such as graffiti, sample-heavy music, and marginalia (how cool is it that the sidelined drawings of monks along manuscript pages appear, in both energy and form, in my grandmother’s absent-minded WhatsApp phone call doodles?). Every day I am reminded that things never end; they simply transform. This reminder keeps me curious, present, and purposeful, albeit turning me into a hoarder from time to time. Read more>>

Duke Yang | Screenwriter

Inspiration can come from many sources. I find myself constantly inspired by those around me. Take my mom, for instance. She’s by far the most inspiring person I know. Without her influence, I wouldn’t be the person I am today. There was a point in time in our lives when she single-handedly raised me, pursued college, and maintained a full time job. If that isn’t inspirational, I don’t know what is. Despite enduring hardships, my mom continues to instill in me the importance of living an adventurous, fulfilling, and imaginative life. More than anything,, I’ve come to appreciate our shared passion for food, travel, and lifelong learning. Thanks, mom!!! Read more>>

Aaron Fjellman | Filmmaker & Agency Producer

On the heels of making my first feature film, and releasing it during the height of the pandemic, I found myself without health insurance feeling extremely proud of myself, but also wondering “Am I cursed?”. For 3 + years I overcame every obstacle in front of me, taking an intriguing premise for a contained, elevated horror project and ultimately turning it into a feature film distributed around the world. Needless to say, when I premiered at an LA based film festival in March of 2020 on the same weekend that Eric Garcetti mandated no public gatherings over ten people, and the film festival didn’t cancel, I found myself calling and emailing 300 of my closest friends, family members, and business contacts to persuade them to NOT to attend the premiere of my debut feature film, Caged to avoid contracting Coronavirus. The movie played on the big screen for one night only, the only time it ever played in a theatre, for thirty-five truly diehard supporters (not the 300 confirmed attendees we expected). After which, the world shut down. With free time on my hands for the first time in years, I carefully contemplated “What it is it about this business that truly inspires me, and how can I turn that into heath insurance, today?” Fairly quickly, I realized how much of my success was achieved through creating a trailer, reel, or sales tape. If i’m honest, casting, financing, wooing key crew members, representation, landing festivals, getting press, and attaining distribution all hinged on a 90 sec video and a well designed press kit. With that in mind, I set my sights on landing a producing job at an entertainment marketing agency, uncertain how exactly this would help satisfy my burning desire to write and direct another film.Read more>>

Kalee DeHamer | Storyboard Artist

This is a bit like asking my favorite color and it’s so hard to choose! In truth, I am inspired by everything, life, science, music, nature, people. However, I will be more specific for the sake of being more interesting. I am deeply inspired by the empathetic human spirit. Humans have, and continue to do, both incredible, beautiful things and horrible, monstrous things, but deep down I feel most of us know that our world, our society, should be more beautiful and true, more empathetic and kind, and that is what most humans fight for their entire lives, in whatever way they are able. I am inspired by that fight. Read more>>

Shannon Wibisono | Footwear designer/ CMF designer/ Industrial designer

Growing up in Indonesia, I’m constantly exposed with vibrant colors and rich textures. Since I was little, I’ve always been a curious child who’s always been fascinated by Color, Material, and Finish (CMF): the sensory, the first connection, the feeling of materiality, the excitement of a colorway, the creativity in the finishes. I use CMF to craft a story and connect to a brand’s culture and history allowing people to see a reflection of their best self, to tell an ‘untold’ story through design and ultimately, bring vibrancies to people’s life. Read more>>