Meet illustrator from Bangkok, MEimo.

 

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

Hi, I’m Meimo. This pen name comes from my belief that drawing can memorize a moment. My nickname is also “May” that’s why I use that name. Memo = MEimo.

I was born in Bangkok, Thailand. The land of smiles, food, and ancient traditions! 🙂 My aunt used to give me coloring books and teach me how to draw and color, and that was the beginning of my artistic life. Teachers at school usually assumed that I was a very good student because they thought that I was taking a lot of notes during classes, but actually… I was drawing all the time! And I love to design character illustration. Now I’m a visual development artist at the Monk Studio and open for freelance work.

 

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

I live in Bangkok since I was born. This is a charming city, there are a lot of tourists here. We have a full culture, smiles, food, and travel spots. One thing that might be difficult here is the traffic jam. You can go by BTS or MRT if you want to travel here 😊. I think Thailand has a low cost of living compared to other countries. We have great social inequality so, I wish it gets better. By the way, I love my city and it’s great to be here.

 

I love my city and it’s great to be here.

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

For me, the best is FOOD. It has so many varieties with not only Thai food but also Japanese or Chinese food is also nice here. It’s not too expensive and it’s so convenient to get it.

The worst for me is the lack of care on nature and environmental issues. Around these two years, Bangkok has PM 2.5 air pollution, so it makes people concerned about the eco-trend than ever before.

 

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

FUN: Thai people love funny stories. It’s so creative and you can see it in a lot of Thai advertising.

EMOTIONAL: We love drama. We can do it very good by adding some emotion. And it can persuade an audience.

LOCAL: Thailand has a great local charm and tradition. That might be something very simple but it’s new for the world.

 

How did you start your career in art?

I love drawing since I was very young. I was inspired by a lot of anime, games, and animation. That made me want to keep drawing and create the media that I like. I want to tell stories and design characters. It would be nice to see my own character come to life so I decided to study Computer Graphics. I now have a job in the art department of an animation studio.

 

I was inspired by a lot of anime, games, and animation.

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

Yes, they supported me since the very beginning. They love my art and my hobbies. However, when I grew up it was a bit challenging to convince them that I could earn a leaving as an artist. Thai people used to think that being an artist means only to be a fine artist (selling art in canvas, etc.). Graphic design or animation wasn’t as big as they are today. To reassure them, I decided to work as a freelancer while I was studying, I wanted to show them that an artist can survive, get money and be happy. They understood and supported me until this day.

 

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

I want to be a part of an animation movie and illustrate my own book.

I think illustration can tell a story so I’m thinking about creating a set of illustrations about social issues that might inspire people to think more about the problem or create an art community to tell their stories.

 

I want to be a part of an animation movie and illustrate my own book.

 

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

I really love to work with my friends. Another part of my dream is being able to work with Pixar, Dreamworks, and Cartoon Network.

 

How would you describe the women around you?

In Thai, women have a more important role than before. We’re attentive, warm and strong. We can work very well.

 

We’re attentive, warm and strong. We can work very well.

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

Actually I grew to be an artist because my aunt is my first teacher. She can do very well in art. And my cousin, Jirayu Koo, is a great female artist that I really appreciate. Her works also look cool and feminist.

 

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

In the animation industry, there are a lot of men and a lot of great and famous artists are also men. But at this time, I think being female is good, like a new trend. Women artists have some sort of charm and emotion in their work. Our colors are joyful and cute. So in recent years, there are more famous female artists in the industry.

 

It doesn’t have to be beautiful but be different and creative.

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

Keep doing art. Do what you like consistently and it will turn to be “your art” or your style.

Style is very important so let’s find it 😊. It doesn’t have to be beautiful but be different and creative.

 

 

Photos courtesy of MEimo.