hilitehead

Back in 2012, I had the pleasure of interviewing super-ninja-other-wordly-Amazeball artist Akira Horikawa and about his grandiosely ambitious – 1000 Drawing Project. Maybe it was the fact that I found his evocative concepts and pocket-size project incentive especially clever, or that he’s an amazing illustrator, or perhaps the blend of blatant satirical honesty within the characteristic drawings of outrageously endowed porn stars and strangers in dive bars, or all of the above which spurred my love affair for his finely rendered documents of life. Akira is one heck of a talented prolific patient creator who has made perception and micro pens go around in 30 minute-a-day intervals for over five years+counting.

As overdue as this post is, thank you Akira for taking the time out of your busy schedule to bring us a bit closer to you creations. Head on over to his tumblr to follow the final stages of the 1000 Drawing Project (he’s currently on #981). From all of us at Hi.Lite.Head, we wish you the best of luck>

Read the full interview detailing Akira’s background, studio practice, sources of inspiration and curious brainstorming process after the jump.

1. Please give us a brief bio, where you are from and how you started in this field?

I am originally from Japan. I finished MA in Savannah Collage of Art and Design in 2008. I have been living and working in New York after that. I liked to draw since l was little so I naturally entered this field I think.  I started to focus more on this field after finishing high school. I have been struggling to how to survive with what I do since 2008. Currently, I am assisting artists and make my stuff when I am not assisting other artists.

2. What major themes do you pursue in your drawings? and would you tell us about your creative process – how do you balance technical skills with aesthetic content, and intellect with intuition?

I am not really good at explain in words but I feel I have been trying to capture motion of something inside of me with the images.  I want to know what I am thinking. The material that I use (small sketchbooks and micro pens) limits exploring technical skills and I think that helps me to focus on subject matters.   

I do not think too much about concepts or ideas each time when I start drawing. I am trying not worry about happening to be cheesy, imitating something, shameful thoughts or being not good.

3. What inspires your drawings?

I think human behavior inspires my drawings.  I like to observe how people act and how the world consists with humans.

4. I was deeply inspired by your “1000 Drawing Project”, can you tell us a little about the project and how you came about the idea?

I was so excited when I finished the first 100 and I felt I stroke a vein of something important for me. And I thought I should keep digging it deeper.

I still don’t really understand what is the something.

I have noticed that the images do not say what exactly about. They don’t convince me what is right, wrong, beauty, ugly, black and white.  Yet there are some things that faintly shake and tickle my heart, and I like that sense. Numbering just helps me to keep going and know how far I have come. Since the beginning of this project, I have had to stop doing this for being busy for other things. But I have been able to come back and continue doing this because I have been numbering.

5. In completing your 1000 Drawing Project series, how did you carry out your daily sketching process? 

Each image requires different time to make me feel that is done. I spend 30 minutes to 3 days to finish a drawing. In beginning of the project, I did not think what to draw until I actually start drawing. For recent drawings (900’s), I think of what to draw and make sketches before I actually draw on the paper. Technical matters such as composition, color, are not main concern for this project. So, I almost only use micro pens. But I sometime have desire to explore technical possibility with medium.

I use similar sense of how I start to draw when I decide the title for each image such as words just come up when I look the drawing images, from titles, lyrics, parts of words from movies, songs, or conversations of people on subway, radio, novels and so on.  I put titles for each images when I up load images on blogs.  I have not put titles for 80% of the drawings yet but I enjoy thinking about titles and I like the combination of images and titles.

6. What kind of influence(s), if at all, does your culture have on your art?

I am sure I have been influenced by my culture deeply but I cannot explain exactly what.  I don’t have deep knowledge for Japanese art and culture.  I am not a big fun of Anime, Manga, J-pop….I am always embarrassed been asked about Japanese culture and cannot really answer…I am not intentionally thinking about my cultural background when I am making the drawings at this point.

I have also been deeply influenced by Haruki Murakami since 2000’s. I don’t have strong knowledge of literature in general but I have read almost all of his books and most of them at least twice. I got into him since I started to live in U.S.    

7. What inspires you to keep going and how do you keep yourself motivated?

Numbering simply helps me keep going and I try not to get too worried about time (it is very difficult not to).

8. What future plans do you have? any dream projects…

I want to complete 1000 drawing project.
+
I want to have shows in different places, publishing books and learn computer.

9. Professionally, (career-wise) what’s your goal? How do you bridge the gap between creativity and business?

I wish I could sustain myself completely with what I like to do as other people wish. But I believe that foundation skill and knowledge of (art) History are important for dealing with both creativity and business for long-term career.  Both of them I think I should keep leaning.

10. If you were to describe yourself in one word, what would it be?

Amazeballs.

11. Lastly, any words of advice for aspiring artists?

Everyone has own battlefield and I feel I have not much things that I can advice someone else at this moment.  I am on a way to figure out how to survive as an artist.  I feel I should not get panic and take deep breath and look toward long distance.

(All images copyright Akira Horikawa)