every once in a while, one of our friends treats us with a custom. check out the 5w/b&e and the pics below.

my name is julie ahn.  i am 25 years young.  i school at long beach state (my 3rd but final resting place) i feel fortunate because i feel that design comes natural to me.  many a people have tried to dissuade me and said that art will not take me anywhere and have tried to veer me in the direction they feel fit for me, but how do you give up something you absolutely love to do?  when i work i become engrossed with my projects to the point where i’ll forget to eat and my phone will have many a missed calls, but i love putting in all the time working on a piece, and the end result is just so worth it… most people live their lives working the typical 9-5 and hate their jobs, i’d rather not make as much money as a person working an office job, and continue to create work that makes me happy.

1. what’s your inspiration?

i know it’s sounds cliche, but honestly i find inspiration in all things around me.  may it be the motifs on the door of an iron gate, the logo on the cover of a pair of chopsticks, to the color of a person’s shirt i spot in the midst of people watching… i’m amused by the little things and i feel blessed to be inspired by the minutiae that this world has to offer.

2. anything in the works?

i’ve been overwhelmed by school so the majority of my projects are on standstill.  school is my first and foremost priority at the moment, and my second priority is my portfolio, so all i’ve been really doing is schoolwork and making revisions on previous projects and cleaning them up to submit next semester.

3. medium of choice?

i don’t have one favorite medium; i like to use paints, clay, sharpies, crayons, glitter, i love everything hands on… at the moment i’m digging metals because it’s so different from what i’m used to; it’s very demanding and i can file and sand a tiny portion of my piece for hours and it won’t look any different.. haha so it’s very tedious work, but i love it… i’m always down for a challenge.

4. where do you see yourself 5 years from now?

lol, i don’t know at this point, and i really don’t want to know.  i’m excited to think about all the different possibilities but at the same time i don’t want to give myself any restrictions and feel like i have to do certain things just to stay within those boundaries that i’ve set. if i’m lucky, i’ll be doing what i already do, but getting paid for it.

5. something yummy you last ate?

the last thing that i ate that was so bomb that it’s worth mentioning is my mom’s baked mussels… actually, anything my mom cooks is always worth mentioning so there you have it, hands down, my mom is the best cook in the world.

want b&e to feature your custom? hit us up at bne@blankandempty.com