Interview with Yarn Bomb Zine for Issue Seven

Hello, everyone!

It's Egg! 🙂

Recently I got the wonderful opportunity to do an interview with Yarn Bomb Zine and share my thoughts about Profound Unknown, finding creativity from the world, "flirting with misanthropy", and how to let your creative projects become a reality.

You can read the exclusive full interview below!

Tell me about yourself as a creator! What got you interested in starting a
business/making your products?

Hi, I go by Egg! I'm another creative soul in this world expressing whimsical and mystical energy through art and tangible creations.

I started Profound Unknown at a time where I wanted to push myself to be vulnerable and share my thoughts to the world. Since I have an inclination towards the arts, I wanted to transmute visual ideas and creative imagery into something people could physically hold onto.

What do you sell/make?

Right now, Profound Unknown makes T-Shirts, Stickers, and Art Canvas Prints!

What are some of the inspirations behind your designs? Is there any specific design that holds a lot of significance?

All of my designs come from attempting to translate liminal, profound, confusing, and whimsical energy into a canvas. Most artists say this (and I'm sure we sound out of reality when we say this, we are), but I really am transferring my own soul, my entire being into my artwork. Every grain of trauma, joy, or intense, sometimes unfathomable emotion I experience, I'm expressing through my artwork. In Profound Unknown, I like to reinforce the idea of exploring your deeper emotions, or following the mysterious feeling you get when you feel a deep connection to the universe. Most people can feel this emotion looking at a sunset, or through liminal moments like being in an empty place, but you can feel it at any time! There's a Japanese word called "Yuu-gen" (幽玄) I feel captures this emotion well; it means something along the lines of experiencing a deep, tranquil, profound sense of unity with the universe.

What intrigued you to create clothing/prints on shirts? Tell me about the process behind it! How did it go from idea to reality?

Being younger at the time, I wanted to find a way I could share my artwork and have it be memorable to others in the process. I thought I could make some interesting designs others would enjoy, so I decided to start with T-shirts. After maturing a bit, I think this is just one way I can share my ideas to the world. I'm excited to see how my mind is going to develop new ideas for different products everyone can enjoy.

Right now, I'm using a print-on-demand service to help bring my ideas into reality, where I can transfer my art onto products people can purchase and use. I'm very grateful for services that provide a venue for me to do this, and I'd like to work on sustainability and reducing product waste in the world. Honestly, I feel very nihilistic about these things, but this foreboding energy makes it that much important to continue to do what I can for the human experience, and help other souls around me while I'm here.

What keeps you motivated to continue creating?

My human experience motivates me to continue creating. Every ounce of emotion I feel while I'm alive can be alchemized, transmuted into creation. I feel even at times where I feel a profound sadness, I can create and draw. There's a Japanese phrase, "Kidoairaku" (喜怒哀楽), which means a person's "human emotions", "joy, anger, grief, and pleasure". I feel this is one of the main concepts that connects humans to their humanity. Every piece of art, every passion you feel, every hatred you feel, every obsession, everything you feel, it's all meant to be experienced and shared with others living in this world.

However! As a friendly, helpful tip from one creative to another, if you find yourself at a deep art block, it might be time for you to take a deep rest (I recommend researching different types of rest: physical, spiritual, emotional; social, etc.). Sometimes you can push yourself so hard to the point of perfection, you forget why you create in the first place! Art should always first be for the self, not for the outer expectations of others, or the secondary recognition of others. I find that when I feel "art block" happening, I'm not allowing myself the freedom to create. I'm worried about the expectations of others, and how I'll be perceived, when really it's about my "own" expression, and how I want to channel my own energy into my own creative endeavors. Of course, it's okay to want those things, it's just important to remember where the creative energy comes from in the first place: "YOU". 

What do you hope to accomplish with your business overall?

Profound Unknown can help people remember their humanity, and show the deep, profound connection we have to each other. I hope people can look at Profound Unknown as a place where everyone can find solace from the challenging parts of being a human. I want to make my thoughts accessible to everyone, so they can know everything they’re undergoing is all a part of the human experience.

Practically, I want to be able to become more accessible, and more sustainable. I feel a deep grief from the exploitation of everything, deeply digesting where everything comes from, how we use it, where we get it, who suffers because of it, and I want to create something where I can do what I can with what I have. This perception causes a deep sense of existential dread, where I find myself flirting with misanthropy, but for every profound feeling of pain and grief, mirrors a profound feeling of love and compassion. Do what you can, and be in the present when everything feels overwhelming, too much and not enough.

Do you have any pieces of advice for people just starting out in either graphic design or selling their work?

Depending on what kind of person you are, you can start practical by researching basic art elements, composition, and color theory, or idealistically, you can just ignore all that and just START CREATING! You can follow trends strategically if you want to be "profitable", but wouldn't it feel better if you could incorporate your own energy into your work too? What kind of things do you think are cool? What looks nice to you? Would you like the work you're sharing? That's what's important, that's your mark on this world. 

After you figure out your creative path, practically, you can research different manufacturers, materials, creative methods, marketing, and other elements for sharing your work. It can help to see what works for other people, but don't be afraid to experiment on your own and break through the molds. What may work for others, may not work for you.

Spiritually, I feel what's meant for you will come to you, but I also feel there is a necessary step to discipline and set plans for yourself through goals you would like to achieve in life. How would you like your reality to come to life in your experience?

But don't worry, I'm learning with you! I still have a lot to learn, and I hope I can learn more every day. I hope you can learn something from me too.

You can order a copy of the Yarn Bomb magazine and view a plethora of other wonderful creative souls in the seventh issue of Yarn Bomb Zine on their website: HERE!

As always, thank you for reading my thoughts.

"To the profound unknown...and that which connects us."

- Egg

_{P.S. -  If you'd like me to talk about about a certain topic in the future, please contact me using the contact form on Profound Unknown!}