Studio
Interview with THEYSELF byWAKE.
BORNARTIST.
Lumi’s eye for art and design is one of a kind. Her eclectic style provokes depth and inspiration from things we can find within our everyday lives. Diving into Lumi’s art, we quickly find that there is a level of consciousness within the soul of her work that screams LIFE. and DISCIPLINE.
“My parents noticed my creative spirit at a young age, and they helped nurture it within me ever since. I remember being around 5 years old. They put me in after school programs and art classes as much as they could, it helped to build my confidence and explore my sense of self. I don’t really think I ever had to make the decision to become an artist, I think a lot of the passion was already within me, it was just a matter of learning how to harness and emanate my inner light.” – Lumi
Our lives as artists is a never ending journey of recreating ourselves. Pulling inspiration from the world around us, we find as artists that creating things has always been a journey of self discovery; Recycling and repurposing ideas from our youth, using our life experiences as our paintbrush and the world as our canvas. “Growing up in the Black Hills I spent a lot of time in nature, connecting with divine energy rather intimately. As I got older, I looked to artists like Kahlo and more recently Alex Grey, as well as more unknown creatives. It’s always been more about the feelings and energy I felt from someone’s work that inspired me” – said Lumi. It seems that art transcends creativity in itself but it is truly a source of healing, growth, and good news for others to keep pushing forward in life. Talking with Lumi, we found that this is evident. That the life and work of an artist goes far beyond their hand to canvas.
Taking our life experiences as creativity that brings color to our world, it gives the world hope. It’s exciting watching the work that Lumi does, using her perspective and discipline as a person brings forth purpose and passion through her work, a drive to pour beauty, lessons, and purpose back into the world.
LIVINGINTHEMOMENT.
“My art is a form of healing for me, using it as a tool to process a lot of my life that I repressed. I recently just finished up a mural in collaboration with the Dahl Gallery, located in downtown Rapid City, with their Art Alley program. The composition was themed around a variety of things I value in response to their Conversation Ignitor Project, commenting on sustainability and expansion of oneself. I feel as though most of my work is an attempt to harness the past into something tangible for myself to mentally and emotionally process. I don’t often have the future in mind during the creative process, it’s a rather intuitive and meditative process that helps to ground me in the present. As for the viewers, I’ve learned not to conform to trends or requests from anyone, rather just create for those that can understand and resonate with what I make. So, in regards to the future, all I hope is that my work is inspirational and moving for generations to come. The future is something I will continue to contemplate as an artist, but I’ve grounded myself in the present to where I no longer fear it anymore, it inspires me to persevere.” – Lumi
The will to overcome the struggles we face in everyday life.
Art has real life utility, a tangible source of thought, that then provides value to our world. Hypothetically, there are many stories on how perhaps a symphony from Mozart, a painting from Salvador Dali, or a rap song from Jay Z has helped people with the battles they face in everyday life.
“There is an interesting commonality I find in studying the greats, artist life Basquiat, Van Gogh, and Andy Warhol, their art bleeds the will to overcome. Overcome our struggles as humans, the problems within our world, our communities, ourselves, and others. Art has utility” – Tyler Blake
Art shouldn’t be viewed as something that is subjective, rather, stories on the will to evolve as human beings. Highlighting one’s perspective, using it as a tool to push our world forward into a space of vibrant life, lessons, and evolution. Maybe coming from a place of vulnerability, a common struggle, or beauty in a new lesson learned.
“Lumi’s work causes me to think about who I am as a person, my soul, the possibilities within life, that there are no boundaries within art in itself.” – Monalisa
FINDINGFLOW.
“The more I’ve grown, I’ve come to realize balance exists differently in everyone’s lives; the ebb and flow of rest and work or play is different for everyone. As for me, my creativity is very seasonal and intuitive, it comes in waves, often in unpredictable times. I’ve learned that once the vitals of rest, energy, and relationships are in a flow, that I’m inspired and able to create freely. I think it’s important for everyone, especially creatives, to rest and just experience life. I feel like too often the “hustle culture” can be ingrained negatively in one’s psyche and it’s hard to separate your worth as a person from the pressure of constant work and production everyday. Finding the flow takes time and dedication, but it’s possible with practice.” – Lumi
Loving ourselves, discovering ourselves, and adhering to a life based on growth and evolving is a never ending process. Getting to learn more about Lumi’s perspective as an artist brings forth a wave of these thoughts. Who am I? What is my Purpose” How can I provide Value to the world?
These are things we can all agree on. We all at the core desire a life rooted in being in the moment, flowing through our experiences, discipline, and connecting with our truest selves, our inner child.
“There are many aspects that I relate to self-acceptance, not all are as effortless as others, but I recognize their essential value they each contribute to my life source. There’s a slight difference between acceptance and accountability. I think acceptance is being at peace with oneself no matter where you are in your spiritual journey or who you’re around, but there’s also a sense of accountability to hold oneself to in order to grow and heal in the process. Acceptance is a seemingly wavering love that takes practice. To maintain one’s spiritual center and exude that confidence reinforces one’s desire to love their spirit, holding onto it is necessary for the evolution of the soul.” – Lumi
