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In anticipation of Canada’s sesquicentennial celebrations, the Citizen’s Bruce Deachman has been out in search of Ottawans — 150 of them — to learn their stories of life and death, hope and love, obsession and fear. We’ll share one person’s story every day until Canada Day.
“Let’s talk about serendipity. I’m Eepmon, a digital artist; I’ve been doing this for over 10 years. You have to persevere, keep going out there meeting people, live and breathe your artistry. See the world.
“So one thing led to another and I ended up in Hollywood. I was meeting this guy in Beverly Hills. It was my first time in L.A. in this capacity, and as soon as I landed I’m like, ‘I have to go to (the restaurant) Bouchon in Beverly Hills.’ So I go and meet this guy – he’s now my mentor – his name is Curtis Wong. He’s always under the scenes. He’s best friends with Jackie Chan, Chris Tucker and other celebrities, but he doesn’t want the celebrity status. He’s very down-to-earth.
“So through his connections I eventually got in contact with (director and producer) Brett Ratner. We developed a friend relationship through email and all that, and we always wanted to meet each other, but every time I go to L.A. he’s not there, and when he’s, like, in New York, I’m not there.
“So the craziest thing happened last year, in April. I was in Hong Kong, and I saw on Instagram that Brett Ratner was in Beijing with Leo DiCaprio, doing the premiere for The Revenant, at the Beijing International Film Festival.
“Anyway, afterwards I was in Tokyo, and the day I landed there, the whole airport was in lockdown and I’m thinking, ‘What‘s going on? I’m tired, it’s 11:30 p.m. What is going on?’ And my Japanese friend tells me, ‘Oh, it’s because Leonardo DiCaprio’s in town.’ And I thought, ‘OK, if DiCaprio is in town, then Ratner must be, too.’
“So literally the next day, I’m having a meeting at the Canadian embassy in Tokyo. I’m on the Hanzomon line train, going to the embassy, and I emailed Brett to say, ‘I’m in Tokyo, and if Leo’s here, then you must be here. Let’s synch up.’ He emailed me four minutes later to say, ‘Meet me at the Ritz-Carlton at 3 p.m.’
“So at 3 p.m. I go there, to the 25th floor. And he’s there with his assistant and we had this great conversation. Now the whole 25th floor was packed, so we went up to the Ritz-Carlton Club Level, a more private space on the 53rd floor, and we’re sitting down having high tea, and he’s like, ‘Show me what you got.’ So I took out my laptop and showed him my work, and he was blown away. He bought the Darth Vader limited-edition print from me, and he’s all excited and out there, and I’m a little jet-lagged and thinking, ‘What’s going on? This is a whole new league and I’m getting just a taste of it. I just wanted to meet. I didn’t expect him to buy something from me.’
“So 20 minutes into our conversation, who walks through the door but Leo DiCaprio? And I was like, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me.’ I’m not the type of guy who gets starstruck easily, but the chances of that happening? And then Brett gets up and says, ‘Leo. Leo, this is Eric. Eric, this is Leo. Leo, Eric’s a talented artist. Eric, show Leo the piece I just bought.’ And I’m thinking, ‘I’m showing my portfolio to Leo DiCaprio.’ Just picture that scene: Brett, Leo and me drinking tea on the 53rd floor in Tokyo.
“That was the first time I had a dose of what that world was like. And so now I was curious about that world. The way they moved, the way they think. I thought, ‘These guys are moving non-stop, always thinking 100 steps ahead. That’s the type of energy I’ve been looking for.’
“Art for the sake of making art is great. That’s why I started, and I love it; it’s my passion. But I also like that it’s a game of strategy, almost like chess. You can make all the art you want, but at the end of the day, if it doesn’t get anywhere, then what’s the point besides feeling good for yourself, pats on the back and some ‘likes’? Ask yourself: Are you really making progress? Part of the art is getting it out there. I always look at the long-term, never short-term. It’s never about the quick money and instant gratification. I’m going to manoeuvre my way to get in the right direction, with the right affiliations, the right partnerships. Win-win. At the end of the day it’s all about artist reputation, a.k.a. brand equity. As an artist, you are your own brand. You create your own work and have to represent yourself. And especially in this digital age, we have more means to be able to do things our own way.
“There are people out there who don’t think digital art is art. I’m saying, ‘It is. Just watch me. I’m going to break down those barriers whether you like it or not.’
“So a lot of projects and art I’ve done has been a grassroots effort. My collaboration with Canada Goose to create the Synthesis Parka is one of them — I designed the parka and also created the artwork for the inside lining. The artwork is a nod to my Canadian and Chinese background. They produced a limited number of 150 pieces sold worldwide. It was double the price of a Canada Goose jacket and sold out in about a month.
“And I designed Bridgehead’s coffee cup, and that was a good story, too. They’re in Ottawa; I’m from Ottawa. The design on the cups tells a story about their background and my background. They’re sort of holistic conversations.
“Everything I do has a reason. I know that my art could be applied to every single product I could think of, but as a digital artist it’s very, very important to think about how I use it. I don’t provide a service. I provide my artistry. I’m my own brand and I have to make sure that to the best of my ability I represent Eepmon. I want to build relationships. If you’re an artist and you have that ability to have your art seen by people who like it, that’s a luxury. Use your art to see the world. It’s almost entrepreneurial. That’s what I’m thinking about, all the time.”
— Digital artist and designer Eric Chan, a.k.a. Eepmon. Impact Hub, Bank Street, Feb. 6, 2017.
bdeachman@postmedia.com
查看原文...
“Let’s talk about serendipity. I’m Eepmon, a digital artist; I’ve been doing this for over 10 years. You have to persevere, keep going out there meeting people, live and breathe your artistry. See the world.
“So one thing led to another and I ended up in Hollywood. I was meeting this guy in Beverly Hills. It was my first time in L.A. in this capacity, and as soon as I landed I’m like, ‘I have to go to (the restaurant) Bouchon in Beverly Hills.’ So I go and meet this guy – he’s now my mentor – his name is Curtis Wong. He’s always under the scenes. He’s best friends with Jackie Chan, Chris Tucker and other celebrities, but he doesn’t want the celebrity status. He’s very down-to-earth.
“So through his connections I eventually got in contact with (director and producer) Brett Ratner. We developed a friend relationship through email and all that, and we always wanted to meet each other, but every time I go to L.A. he’s not there, and when he’s, like, in New York, I’m not there.
“So the craziest thing happened last year, in April. I was in Hong Kong, and I saw on Instagram that Brett Ratner was in Beijing with Leo DiCaprio, doing the premiere for The Revenant, at the Beijing International Film Festival.
“Anyway, afterwards I was in Tokyo, and the day I landed there, the whole airport was in lockdown and I’m thinking, ‘What‘s going on? I’m tired, it’s 11:30 p.m. What is going on?’ And my Japanese friend tells me, ‘Oh, it’s because Leonardo DiCaprio’s in town.’ And I thought, ‘OK, if DiCaprio is in town, then Ratner must be, too.’
“So literally the next day, I’m having a meeting at the Canadian embassy in Tokyo. I’m on the Hanzomon line train, going to the embassy, and I emailed Brett to say, ‘I’m in Tokyo, and if Leo’s here, then you must be here. Let’s synch up.’ He emailed me four minutes later to say, ‘Meet me at the Ritz-Carlton at 3 p.m.’
“So at 3 p.m. I go there, to the 25th floor. And he’s there with his assistant and we had this great conversation. Now the whole 25th floor was packed, so we went up to the Ritz-Carlton Club Level, a more private space on the 53rd floor, and we’re sitting down having high tea, and he’s like, ‘Show me what you got.’ So I took out my laptop and showed him my work, and he was blown away. He bought the Darth Vader limited-edition print from me, and he’s all excited and out there, and I’m a little jet-lagged and thinking, ‘What’s going on? This is a whole new league and I’m getting just a taste of it. I just wanted to meet. I didn’t expect him to buy something from me.’
“So 20 minutes into our conversation, who walks through the door but Leo DiCaprio? And I was like, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me.’ I’m not the type of guy who gets starstruck easily, but the chances of that happening? And then Brett gets up and says, ‘Leo. Leo, this is Eric. Eric, this is Leo. Leo, Eric’s a talented artist. Eric, show Leo the piece I just bought.’ And I’m thinking, ‘I’m showing my portfolio to Leo DiCaprio.’ Just picture that scene: Brett, Leo and me drinking tea on the 53rd floor in Tokyo.
“That was the first time I had a dose of what that world was like. And so now I was curious about that world. The way they moved, the way they think. I thought, ‘These guys are moving non-stop, always thinking 100 steps ahead. That’s the type of energy I’ve been looking for.’
“Art for the sake of making art is great. That’s why I started, and I love it; it’s my passion. But I also like that it’s a game of strategy, almost like chess. You can make all the art you want, but at the end of the day, if it doesn’t get anywhere, then what’s the point besides feeling good for yourself, pats on the back and some ‘likes’? Ask yourself: Are you really making progress? Part of the art is getting it out there. I always look at the long-term, never short-term. It’s never about the quick money and instant gratification. I’m going to manoeuvre my way to get in the right direction, with the right affiliations, the right partnerships. Win-win. At the end of the day it’s all about artist reputation, a.k.a. brand equity. As an artist, you are your own brand. You create your own work and have to represent yourself. And especially in this digital age, we have more means to be able to do things our own way.
“There are people out there who don’t think digital art is art. I’m saying, ‘It is. Just watch me. I’m going to break down those barriers whether you like it or not.’
“So a lot of projects and art I’ve done has been a grassroots effort. My collaboration with Canada Goose to create the Synthesis Parka is one of them — I designed the parka and also created the artwork for the inside lining. The artwork is a nod to my Canadian and Chinese background. They produced a limited number of 150 pieces sold worldwide. It was double the price of a Canada Goose jacket and sold out in about a month.
“And I designed Bridgehead’s coffee cup, and that was a good story, too. They’re in Ottawa; I’m from Ottawa. The design on the cups tells a story about their background and my background. They’re sort of holistic conversations.
“Everything I do has a reason. I know that my art could be applied to every single product I could think of, but as a digital artist it’s very, very important to think about how I use it. I don’t provide a service. I provide my artistry. I’m my own brand and I have to make sure that to the best of my ability I represent Eepmon. I want to build relationships. If you’re an artist and you have that ability to have your art seen by people who like it, that’s a luxury. Use your art to see the world. It’s almost entrepreneurial. That’s what I’m thinking about, all the time.”
— Digital artist and designer Eric Chan, a.k.a. Eepmon. Impact Hub, Bank Street, Feb. 6, 2017.
bdeachman@postmedia.com
查看原文...
