MY CREATIVE PROCESS
Inspiration
As a Korean-American I have grown up learning mostly about events that do not have much relation to my own cultural background. I only ever learned about events from Korea through watching Korean related shows or movies and by searching things up on my own. Therefore, I wanted to be able to spread information about a critical part of Korean History and conveying my support for those who suffered through that event by spreading information and advocating for support through the creation and design of a traditional Korean clothing garment known as the Hanbok and more specifically the Chima Jeogori.
TECHNIQUES
INTERVIEW
I talked with my mother and family members from Korea to see how much they learned about Comfort women in school and how much they learned just from general knowledge spread around through TV or talking with others.
RESEARCH
I looked up articles online and films that I watched and read to gather background knowledge on the events that Comfort women went through and how those events lead to long-term mental health and physical health damage. I also looked up symbolism in Korea around the national flower of Korea, flowers in general, meanings of colors, butterflies and any symbols related to Comfort Women.
SKETCHING
After gathering research I began to sketch my design of the Hanbok I was going to make using butterflies and the Korean National Flower. Butterflies based around the Butterfly Fund which is an organization supporting Comfort Women and due to their symbolism of representing pleasure, life of prosperity and joy along with butterflies and flowers together signifying a state of contentment and prosperity.
SEWING AND EMBROIDERING
After sketching the design, I began to make the jacket part fo the garment using a sewing machine and muslin which you can learn more about in the Process gallery.
MY RESEARCH PROCESS
LITERATURE REVIEW
I began my research by looking for articles and documentaries that would inform my view on the events that occurred to comfort women and their personal experiences. I also looked for articles that discussed how those events impacted their mental and physical health with them overall being immensely negatively impacted.
