Published by Leonardo Calcagno
Who are you :
My name is Min Jung Kang. I’m also known as my artist name KangGoon.
Your current job :
I do character designs and illustrations.
In which city are you located?
I live in Seoul, and I communicate with artist from other countries through the internet.
A word to define what kind of worker you are :
Creator.
What tools are essential to your life (app, software, etc..)
Pen and watercolor paints
What does your office space look like?
In my office, I work in the fields of design and sculpture. I do figure design and illustrations through manual and digital processes. As a figure sculptor TJ, I manual sculpt, make a replica and do the paint job based on my designs. A lot of the space in my office is filled with TJ equipments and legos, and one desk is my personal space.
What kind of music do you listen when you are working ?
I listen to 90’s rock music like Metallica, Weezer, Nirvana, and Radiohead and Korean Indie Rock music as well.
Do you have a way to organize your day to maximize your work ?
To keep activities smooth, I try to do a simple workout every morning. Although I don’t do it all the time.
What tips would you give to improve productivity ?
Before the start of a project, I do a sufficient amount of research for days. I personally think it’s inefficient to finish the project in a short term without any inputs. Even in short schedules, I try to have a lot of research time.
You’re better than your colleagues to :
I don’t have any colleagues. I work alone. I try to find something only I can do rather than finding what I am better than others at.
What is the best advice anyone has given you ?
Draw something that clearly shows who the artist is. It is a quote I heard from a famous Korean illustrator Hyung Tae Kim. In the past, I imitated a picture or drew characters from a movie, after hearing that quote I tried my best to create something completely of my own. Thankfully, a lot of people showed interest in my works so I’m have a lot of fun on my works.
What is your best tip for saving time ?
When I get greedy to get a result far higher than the amount of work I can do, I feel like I’m wasting time while I get the least amount of work done. I always try to image the finished material and finish it out how I imaged of it in the start. I focus on practicing in between projects to enhance my skills.
What is your routine start and end of the day ?
I start off the day by reading the web-comics on my phone in the morning. When I go home from work, I read a book I like or listen to music.
Aside from your computer and your phone, what gadget can you not you go without?
I listen to music through my computer of phone, and if those don’t exist I will probably need any other device that can listen music from. I draw imagining a scene from a movie or a comic, if I’m listening to a BGM that fits to the imagination I tend to draw more focused and easier.
