Youjee

Thoughts about Japan: Sakura Season is known for its overwhelming beauty but, unless you have lived through its entire process a few times it’s hard to grasp its true meaning. The flowers only last two weeks at the most in full bloom, likely even less. The rest of the year the tree is either covered with leafs or it’s completely bare. Sakura flowers are a reminder to appreciate things while they last, and how transient life is. As a foreigner in Japan learning about how Japanese culture understands life has changed my own perspective. Thank you Japan.

富士山

Thoughts about Japan: Many people ask me why most of my art is about Japan. I got caught in Tokyo for 9 months during the pandemic. At some point, I ran out of money, food, and a place to stay. Japanese people started to donate me food, face masks, medicine, and even let me stay in a hostel for whatever I could pay. They didn't know me or my past; they were just kind. They taught me Japanese and how to get around. They became my family, which helped me not feel alone. Later on, I met a girl whom I ended up marrying, and because of who I moved to Japan. I never imagined living here, but as a way to give back to the country that gave me this new, amazing life, I swore to dedicate my art to capture its endless beauty and share it with the world. Thank you Japan.

@IDerech Gm! It’s sakura season 🌸

gm japan 💐

gm art world

70's Tokyo, Japan

@IDerech Gm! Cant wait for summer 💙

gm art world

gm Monet lovers, "Heart of Water" from Anon's vault

my wife takes the best photos of me

Echoes of Silence Collected by Racing Ralph and Stefanie Schmid

@IDerech I work with the best subject💁‍♂️💙

my wife takes the best photos of me

gm artists

Artist thoughts: When I was in school, I told my art teacher I wanted to become an artist. She said I was a terrible artist and that I should think of other alternatives. That shook me because I thought teachers knew it all and that her opinion was the ultimate truth. I loved art, but I stopped creating because “I wasn’t good.” A year passed. My heart craved creating art, but my brain would tell me, “You’re not good at it.” I was afraid of grabbing a pencil. I was terrified of a sketchbook. Months passed, and the craving to create became bigger than my fears and traumas. I couldn’t resist and grabbed a pencil and drew in notebooks, on newspapers, everywhere I could. I was unleashed… Did it matter if I was good or not? Not anymore. I couldn’t care less. It was a fire burning in me that needed to create, not a rational decision but my heart asking for it. Then I realized that everyone is allowed to have their own opinions, but it is my choice to do what I want. I want to be an artist. I want to create. And if what I create connects with someone, great. If not, it wasn’t meant to be. What always remains is that choice to be myself and do what I feel I was born to do in this life: art.

Taxi Driver, Tokyo edition

Tokyo and neon rain

gm artists!