Meet artist and illustrator from Bangkok, Jirayu Koo

 

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

Heyho, I’m Jira a Bangkok based artist/ illustrator who works under the name Jirayu Koo. I enjoy making positive visuals inspired by all things around myself with loads of happy colours. I also take great pleasure in a cup of coffee a day/ having music constantly playing while I work (mainly BBC Radio 6 Music) and proudly being an any bright, bold tint and pastel colours lover/ a night owl and a dry martini with a lemon twist enthusiast.

 

Describe the city you’re living in and what it’s like to live there.

Bangkok is a melting pot of disparate rhythms and cultures like no other. It’s absolutely chaotic here and some times I feel like I almost can’t stand it, but at the same time, it’s so challenging and fun to try to hackle things in everyday life and make the most out of it here. At the end of the day, Bangkok is my true home and I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else. (only if there are more great museums and galleries to go to would be perfect!)

 

At the end of the day, Bangkok is my true home and I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else.

 

What is the best and worst thing about living in your city?

The best thing Bangkok has to offer is food! And I mean all kinds of food and culinaries! From street food to fine dining and they are plenty of choices to try on and that made me a happy person as I love eating,  trying and learning about the stories behind all dishes. My love of eating goes on and I even have another Instagram account ‘WeAreKinKin’ with my partner that dedicates to food, places and everything in between.

The worst thing I would say traffic and pollution that seems to get worse each year. Luckily that I work from home and don’t have to travel or commute at peak times most days. I think by working at home I also help a little bit not to cause more pollution by driving or taking a cab.

Another thing would be the weather, we are always joking that there are only 2 seasons in Thailand which are Hot season and Hotter season and it’s kinda true. I wish to have about 10c degree lower for our average temperature which is about 35c so that it’ll encourage people to do more outdoor activities and less using air-condition. But well I know this’s impossible to be anyway!

 

Give us 3 words that describe what it’s like to be a creative in your city.

Inspiring, Challenging, Absurd.

 

How did you start your career in art?

I have a degree in Communication Arts & Design and was working as a graphic designer in an advertising agency for a couple of years before I went to study in London. During the same time, I got a chance to create illustrations for some Thai fashion magazines that opened my world! I really enjoyed creating illustrations so much that at some point I even enjoyed doing it more than my main graphic design job. I guess it’s because of the freedom of storytelling and how I can tell my idea without having to be concerned about the size of the logo -like when I worked as a graphic designer. That made me start to have a special feeling towards making illustrations.

But that wasn’t as much as when I was studying and living in London where illustrations can be found everywhere. That really made me think that being an illustrator can actually be my career. I tried many techniques to see which one was most comfortable and fun to work with and I started to build my portfolio as well as made some submissions available at that time. After getting involved in some free submissions and having my name mentioned in prints and music festivals, finally, I got some commissions and paid jobs! Then later on, within the first year of being a full-time illustrator in London, I got a representative and voila! Here I am today 🙂

(I’m no longer with any agency at the moment but probably will be in the future, we’ll see)

 

My number one fan who I cannot thank enough is my then fiancé (when I decided I was going to be a full-time illustrator) now my husband who has been supporting me ever since.

 

Were the people around you supportive of your decision on working as a creative?

I am fortunate to have an open-minded family and they let me do whatever I wanted to do as long as I can take care of myself so I would say they are supportive in a way.

But my number one fan who I cannot thank enough is my then fiancé (when I decided I was going to be a full-time illustrator) now my husband who has been supporting me ever since. He is not only my partner but also my mentor who is not shy to criticize my works straightforwardly which sometimes can be brutal but only because he wanted to push me to do the best I can, and I really appreciate that. He is also the one who helps take pictures of my artworks and in building my new website which I am giving a shout out here for the first time! It’s already launched but is still an ongoing process tho.

 

What are some goals and ambitions you have for your future work?

I would like to broaden my scope of work to other areas like sculpture, art toys, video art, and many more. I would also like to do more collaborations with other artists, the music industry, and well-known brands that are kinda different from what I have already done. Something unexpected would be fun.

Another side project that my husband and I are planning to do together is to create our own brand of lifestyle products that will involve collaboration with other artists as well.

But for now, I would really love to do wine labels as I’m a vino lover! I’m more than ready, let’s get in touch!

 

I would like to broaden my scope of work to other areas like sculpture, art toys, video art, and many more.

 

If you could collaborate with any person in the world who would it be?

Ettore Sottsass, David Hockney, Damon Albarn, Pharell Williams, Simon Porte Jacquemus, Alexa Chung

 

How would you describe the women around you?

They are all different, some are extroverts but I think I’m surrounded more by introverts, including myself. I love this diversity, it’s kind of having a push and pull relationship which creates a great dynamic between us.

 

I love this diversity, it’s kind of having a push and pull relationship which creates a great dynamic between us.

 

Were there any local female creatives that you looked up to when you were growing up?

Back then when I was starting to do illustration, I didn’t really see any local female creatives who worked mainly as an illustrator since it was still a mysterious field and no one really believed it could be a real career. But looking back further, I guess I was looking up to my aunt when I was growing up. Although she was not exactly working as an illustrator, she worked in an advertising agency and part of her job included drawing some graphic novels, making layouts, creating packaging. I remember that I was always fascinated by her works and loved to spend my free time helping her do design stuff. I guess that sparked joy in me at some point and made me head toward the design territory later on.

 

Are there any challenging aspects of being a female in your industry?

I’m an easy-going person to begin with and so far I’ve never experienced any work-related unfair treatments towards my gender and I’m happy!

 

Things take time so work hard, be true to yourself, manage your time wisely, socialize sometimes and be nice to people and to yourself too.

 

Do you have any advice to young women who are aspiring to work in your field?

Things take time so work hard, be true to yourself, manage your time wisely, socialize sometimes and be nice to people and to yourself too.

 

 

Photos courtesy of Jirayu Koo