In this episode of Creative Guts, co-hosts Laura Harper Lake and Becky Barsi chat with Jihye Han, a South Korean ceramic artist and educator, as well as the recipient of the 2025 Piscataqua Region Artist Advancement Grant by the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation.
In this episode of Creative Guts, co-hosts Laura Harper Lake and Becky Barsi chat with Jihye Han, a South Korean ceramic artist and educator, as well as the recipient of the 2025 Piscataqua Region Artist Advancement Grant by the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation.
Jihye’s work centers on cultural memory, identity, and human connection. Our conversation includes the inspiration behind her current moon jar series, the technical process of her ceramics, and how her multicultural background, teaching, and being a parent all inform her creative practice. We also cover what it was like applying to the Piscataqua Region Artist Advancement Grant, and her reaction to learning the news she was the recipient!
View Jihye’s art at https://www.jihyehanart.com/work. Follow her on Instagram at www.instagram.com/hjhalice.
Learn about the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation Artist Advancement Grant Exhibit featuring Jihye’s work at 3S Artspace at https://www.3sarts.org/aag-2026.
Explore the 2026 Piscataqua Region Artist Advancement Grant at https://www.nhcf.org/how-can-we-help-you/apply-for-a-grant/artist-advancement-grant-program/.
Listen to this episode wherever you listen to podcasts or on our website www.CreativeGutsPodcast.com. Connect with us on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Discord. Subscribe to our Substack newsletter at creativegutspod.substack.com.
If you love listening, consider making a donation to Creative Guts! Our budget is tiny, so donations of any size make a big difference. Learn more about us and make a tax-deductible donation at www.CreativeGutsPodcast.com.
Thank you to our friends at Art Up Front Street Studios and Gallery in Exeter, NH and the Rochester Museum of Fine Arts in Rochester, NH for their support of the show!
Any views or opinions expressed by our hosts or guests do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of Creative Guts.
[INTRODUCTION]
[0:00:00] LHL: I'm Laura Harper Lake.
[0:00:00] BB: I'm Becky Barsi.
[0:00:03] LHL & BB: And you're listening to Creative Guts.
[0:00:18] BB: Hey, everybody. And thanks for tuning in to Creative Guts.
[0:00:20] LHL: Today, we're chatting with Jihye Han, an artist and ceramicist who won the 2025 New Hampshire Charitable Foundation's, the Piscataqua Region Artist Advancement Grant. Congratulations. We are so excited to talk to her.
[0:00:34] BB: Let's jump right into this episode of Creative Guts with Jihye Han.
[INTERVIEW]
[0:00:42] LHL: Jihye.
[0:00:42] JH: Yes.
[0:00:43] LHL: Thank you for being on Creative Guts podcast.
[0:00:45] JH: Thank you so much for inviting me for this great opportunity. I'm so happy to be here. And I'm ready for sharing my idea and passion for art and journey with clay.
[0:00:58] BB: Oh, my gosh, I love it. I'm so excited to talk to you.
[0:01:00] LHL: Your work is beautiful, lovely, so interesting. And so we're going to dive right into you as a creative. For folks who may not be familiar with you as a creative, do you want to give just a brief outline of what you do?
[0:01:14] JH: First of all, I'm a teacher. I'm an educator. I'm teaching mainly ceramic and 3D design at Philips Exeter Academy. And my main medium is clay, especially porcelain, because porcelain is white clay body, and then Korean nationality color is white. I really want to use porcelain clay body to represent my identity, and my ancestor, and my identity as well.
And recently, I'm working with a moon jar, which is like really famous traditional shape. Actually, I got a lot of inspiration from moon jar and Korean folk art from Joseon dynasty. I'm thinking about moon jar itself, especially the curve line represent woman body, and then care, and then love of mom. Because currently I'm a mom.
Before, I really like the shape itself because it's kind of round. And then I really dynamic, kind of organic line and shape and form. But now I understand more about the shape because I'm a mom. I really, really like the imperfect kind of symmetric shape. Because when you make the moon jar, you have to make the half bowl and then the other. Two bowl, and then you're going to combine to make the one form. I really, really like this idea because – I don't know. As an artist and educator, I'm not a perfect. I try, but it's impossible.
[0:02:47] BB: Yeah. Who is?
[0:02:49] JH: No, no. There's no way. I'm not a robot. But now I really understand if maybe I'm perfect – I don't know. Now, I understand, you don't have to be perfect. My personality is I'm super OCD person. Every time I have to plan for my work, but now I understand I don't have to be perfect. This is my lesson from my current moon jar series.
[0:03:15] BB: I love that.
[0:03:15] LHL: Yes, it's excellent. And it's such a good reminder for all of us when society is in so many ways trying to make sure that we're striving for perfection. And then you can buy a product to make it better, right?
[0:03:25] JH: Yes.
[0:03:28] LHL: There's always something like that, you know? That's really healing and holistic to have that outlook.
[0:03:33] JH: Yes.
[0:03:33] LHL: Yeah.
[0:03:34] JH: I love how the moon jar is. First of all, I thought they were thrown. I'm so naive when it comes down to just the full understanding of how to develop such delicate forms, especially using porcelain. But when I first looked at your pieces, I was like, "Oh, these must be thrown." But to know that they're two separate pieces that are then joined together and they have such a narrow foot as well. There's this balance and this delicacy that is associated with the form. But yet they are so robust and stable at the same time, which is a really wonderful metaphor for women. Given the fact that is this moon jar that is representative of the mother and the thing that encompasses and holds and carries. It's beautiful.
[0:04:21] JH: Yes. Also, my daughter is 11 months. And then when I talked to my daughter, she really liked to see sky even though – I don't know what – do you have any idea? Do you know what is the moon? But she love to see the sky. And I talked to her, "Okay, if you want to see the moon, you have to – kind of gesture. You have to look up." But I'm making moon jar, I have to look down. I try to kind of telling her what is moon and moon jar. Of course, she cannot not understand what I'm doing. You know, "Mom, what are you doing?" I need to speak about –
I think, yes, I'm thinking about humble. Every time when I'm working with clay, I learn a lot of humble and then patience. Because I'm thinking myself, I'm really patient person. But we have deadline. And then if I rush, always clay give me huge crack, you know? Make me so sad. Still sometime – I don't know, I'm crying when I open the kiln. It doesn't matter age. It doesn't matter. It just make me so sad. But, okay, maybe I will make another one. And then I can make better one. Working with clay is not easy, of course. But I really enjoy it. Because every day, every time, I got some lesson. Just like life lesson.
[0:05:47] LHL: Yeah. That happens when you open it and it's broken or shattered. Are you able to reuse at all, or is it dunzo?
[0:05:56] JH: I think it depends on your design and concept. But I really – I don't know. Maybe you can fix. You can fix with like epoxy, or you can use like kintsugi, which is like one of the Japanese kind of – it's like the gold. You can fix it. But myself, I don't know. Broken piece is just broken, you know. Also, this is one of the Korean culture. If you have broken piece in your apartment or your place, it represent not good fortune.
[0:06:31] LHL: Yes.
[0:06:32] JH: Yes. So, this is really Asian, especially Korean culture. So, if I look at the broken piece, I usually throw away.
[0:06:40] LHL: Yeah.
[0:06:41] JH: And then I just remake it. But I love to make only one of kind. I cannot make exact same design, same shape. It's really frustrating, of course. Because I'm not casting right now, so I cannot make same size, same shapes, same form. It can. I can. I can do this, you know. I know it's really painful to make another one, but I'm sure, I believe myself I can make better one. And then I try to gather more inspiration. And every time, I make better piece.
[0:07:19] LHL: That's perfect. Yeah, you're not saving the remnants, but you're retaining something in your mind, in your heart. And I was thinking in a sense, it's almost like you're working with like a sculpture, like marble, or stone, or something like that. Because in college, I used to carve stone. And I would work on small pieces for 20 hours, 30 hours, and then it would crack in half. There's nothing to do but make smaller and smaller things from those pieces. And even then, sometimes it's nothing. There's heartbreak in it.
[0:07:52] JH: Yes, I totally understand. And then, I don't know, my friend told me, "Oh, if you throw away, give it to me." But no. No. I try to explain. I want to make better one. I don't know. For me as artist, my work is like my baby. I don't want to give my broken baby, you know? I treat my work as just like my baby. And because I spend a lot of time. I don't know. Making shape is less hour than painting. Painting on the 3D surfaces take forever.
[0:08:30] LHL: Yeah. I was going to say, how do you do that?
[0:08:32] BB: That's very intricate.
[0:08:34] JH: Yes. A lot of people ask me, "Are you using sticker or decal?" Actually, it's not. Everything is from scratch.
[0:08:42] LHL: What type of paint or glaze? Sorry. Sorry.
[0:08:47] BB: Glaze, Laura. Come on.
[0:08:49] LHL: Ceramics is not one of my mediums that I do. In my head, I know what glaze is, but I always think it's like kind of the wash that's on the whole piece. When this, it looks – it's such an opaque glaze, I guess. How do you do it?
[0:09:06] JH: Yes. I love it. I love it. Yes. I'm using underglaze. Underglaze is not runny, and you can paint on the surface. Yeah, there is a lot of different brand, which is Amaco, Speedball, Mayco. But I mainly using Amaco. But every company has like kind of strong product. Especially red color, I really like Amaco brand. And then if you like blue and green, I think Speedball is good.
And working with underglaze, it's really fun. But at the same time, you have to apply three, four times coat. Especially lemon color, chartreuse, or baby blue. Kind of lighter color. Sometime you have to apply five times.
[0:09:50] LHL: Right. Because otherwise you'll still see paint strokes or –
[0:09:52] JH: Yes. And then I don't like to see paint brush stroke. And I really like solid color palette. I don't know. Sometime I spend one hour to paint one spot.
[0:10:07] BB: Well, you have some areas in some of your pieces that also have these beautiful gradients to it, but it looks so well composed and layered in that way to create that transition. So, it is an amazing craft that you have.
[0:10:22] JH: Also, I'm thinking paint – painting. I think when you're working with clay, you have to make the balance between 2D and 3D at the same time because you have to make the shape. It's like 3D form, right? And then you have to think about color palette, and then color scheme, and then composition.
[0:10:41] LHL: And when you turn the piece, it's going to have a different perspective. How is it viewed 3D around the piece?
[0:10:48] JH: Yes. First of all, I have to sketch first. Sometime I just sketch on the 3D form. But I want to see 2D perspective first. And then I try to think about perspective as well. Because, for example, if you want to paint or draw like kind of square, the round form will be kind of awkward. It's not going to be straight, you know? I have to think about proportion as well.
And after sketching, I'm thinking about color after that. It's super stressful. Because for me, it's really fun. But when other people think about my process, I think I can't do it. Because it's too much. Too much. Too stressful. Why don't you just paint and drawing? But I'm really organized person. I'm really planning person, you know. So I cannot just go with the flow, you know.
Every single spot, I just mark, "Okay, here is yellow. Next to yellow, I'm going to paint this." And then I plan on my sketchbook. And after this, I transfer to the 3D form with a pencil, because pencil will burn away after fire. I sketch with pencil. And then using underglaze. Sometime, some underglaze is so matte because there's no silica in it. It's just like matte. And I like to make kind of layering. Because when you just using underglaze, it looks so flat, you know. Sometime I fire four time to make the layer.
[0:12:24] LHL: Oh wow.
[0:12:24] JH: Yes. First layer is underglaze. The second layer with underglaze mixed with different glaze. It looks like a little bit glossy. And then third is like I'm using the clear. I like to make the layer.
[0:12:36] LHL: And that's like four times where something could happen.
[0:12:38] JH: Yes. Yeah. Sometime I fire five times if I don't like the color. I know, it's so stressful. But I don't know. Making art is really fun. It's not stressful. Because every time, when you see, "Oh, my work is –" there is room for making better art. For me, it's more exciting, you know. But, of course, time consuming.
[0:13:01] LHL: Yeah, for sure.
[0:13:03] BB: Yeah. Well, we've gotten into some of the nitty-gritty of your actual process, but where did this all begin? How did you find your creative passion and decide that you wanted to become an artist?
[0:13:14] JH: Yes. I think a lot of people, and even my student, asked me, "Your major was art?" Actually, it's not. When I was young, I was really crafty kid person. I loved cutting paper. I love to collage. And definitely I love the doodling a lot. And then I have a lot of confidence. And I talked to my dad, "I really want to go to art school." He said, "No. Period." I know. I was so shocked. He said, "I don't want to discuss about this." Because he's really traditional, old-fashioned Asian daddy. He think working with art is really hard. And then, first question was like, "How you're going to make money? How you're going to support yourself?"
[0:14:03] LHL: That's what I heard, too. Yes.
[0:14:05] JH: But at that time, I was so little in. And then I cannot think about support myself. What does that mean? I have no idea. But he think, "Okay, why don't you study now and then go to good college? And then why don't you get a job, when you have big money –"
[0:14:23] BB: And then be an artist.
[0:14:24] JH: Yeah. You can be artist, and then it can be hobby. Okay. I thought this route is being artist because I have no idea. In my family, both of my mom's and my dad's family, we don't have any artist. Yes. I'm the only one person. Yes. Okay. When I was high school, I just study. Study. I didn't make any artwork. Maybe doodling some maybe book, corner of the book.
[0:14:53] LHL: Yeah, in the margins.
[0:14:55] JH: Yeah. But I just study from 6am to 12am.
[0:15:00] LHL: Oh my gosh.
[0:15:00] JH: Yeah. Because in Korea, we only have one chance to take SAT. Yes. If you ruin that exam, kind of you feel like, "Oh, my life ruined." I study a lot. And I go to college. I went to college. Still, my major was not art, because my dad said, "Okay." Now I have to get a good job, and then I can be artist. But still, I never give up my passion about art.
[0:15:28] BB: It was always there.
[0:15:29] JH: Yeah, always there. And I don't know. Always making art make me so happy. And I don't know. Right now, I talk to my student, say, "You don't have to make a decision to be –" I don't know. You don't have to think about what you want to do right now. Because when I was like middle school, high school, I didn't have any dream. That make me so sad. I know. So sad.
But actually, yeah, that's for real – being honest, I didn't have any dream. Even I don't – I don't know. What should I study? How can I know? And when I talk to my family or when I talk to my friend, how do you know you want to be a doctor? How do you want to know you want to your lawyer? Because we never have any experience. Then how can you know?
Because passion about art is like I know the feeling. I know. Because I want to draw. I want to make something, you know. But how about other job, how can I know? But my dad said, "Oh, you're going to know." How? Even school never taught me how – yes, make me a little bit sad. But I didn't have any dream until even after graduate my university. Still, I didn't have – I have no idea what I'm going to do. You know. I know.
After graduate my university in China, I was so stressed. I study all the time. My life – I don't know. Almost like seven, eight year, I just study straightforward every time. That made me so sad. And then I talk to my dad, "I want to see another world. Different – not east side. I want to go to west side." And then I really want to go to New York.
And I came here for maybe 10 days. I was blow my mind. I was shocked. Because at that time, I feel like I was not enjoying my life. But like in New York, everybody kind of love their life. And then – I don't know. I think one of – now she's my best friend, but she – I think at that time, she was working at kind of coffee shop. But she was so happy. And then she just love her life. And then, "Oh, wow." I think she told me, "Oh, I want to be an artist." How? Because I want to be artist.
But we're just talking about art. And then we just become best friend. And just like I think I need this kind of culture. I need this perspective because I don't have to obey my parents anymore. I think at this moment, when I travel in New York, I think it's the best – I can say best moment in my life because I changed my perspective 100%. And then I talked to my dad, I want to go to the state and then study again. I study art.
[0:18:32] BB: You went back to school.
[0:18:33] JH: Yes. But a lot of Chinese credit is not transferred to here. I just start from freshman. But I didn't care. I really love, love to learn different perspective.
[0:18:48] BB: You had a direction at this point because you knew this is what I want to do. You found it. You figured it out.
[0:18:52] LHL: Found the passion.
[0:18:54] JH: Yes. But I didn't have any – I don't know. Earlier, I mentioned I'm really OCD person. And I had any expectation I'm going to touch clay. When I see dust, every time I just clean it, clean it, you know. But I start from drawing and painting. That's why you guys can – more inspiration why I love to using color and painting because I start from drawing painting class. And then after this, I took the older sculpture class.
Okay. The last thing, I never take any clay, ceramic class. But a lot of my professor said, "Why don't you try? Why don't you take ceramic class?" And then, "No, I hate dust. I don't I think I can."
[0:19:38] BB: That's how I felt. It's drying out my skin.
[0:19:43] JH: I know. And there's so many dust. I might go crazy. If I see the dust, I cannot make any artwork. I just cleaning and cleaning and done, you know. But everybody just keep forcing to take that class. And then, "Okay." And it was not kind of fun to take that class. But first day, when I touch clay, "Oh, this is my medium."
[0:20:05] LHL & BB: Wow.
[0:20:06] JH: Yes. It just like sparked to me.
[0:20:08] BB: That's great.
[0:20:09] JH: Yeah. Because I try wood, metal, and acrylic, paper. I try so many different type of medium. But when I touch clay, it's just so soft. And then I think clay touched my heart. It's just like so soft.
[0:20:23] LHL: If you had this like long period of rigidity in your life, like focus and almost a militant schedule of study, to have something that's like so natural and so forgiving and organic, it must have felt like a window opened to a new world.
[0:20:38] JH: Yeah. Also, my life was so planned all the time. Because every time, I planned short-term goal and the long-term goal. And then I try to kind of achieve my goal all the time. But I think when I touched clay, just medium itself is just so forgiving. Even I had no idea what I'm doing, you know. But my professor told me, "Okay, we're going to do slab building." What is slab? I have no idea. She's just talking about slab and coil. And then I have no idea. But I just kind of pinch-pinch. Even though I had no idea what is pinch. I just kind of keep squeezing the clay.
And at that time, I just kind of learn myself. And then, "Oh, if I make mistake, I can rejoin it. If I don't like this shape, I can cut." And I'm just like, "Wow. What like what kind of medium in the world? You can make mistake but you can fix. That's the best thing." I love it. This day, a lot of my student want to be perfect like me. Okay. You are me. I know that feeling, you know. But sometime, they tried to make the line. It took 30-minute. Sometime 40-minute whole class time period. Oh, wow. Okay. No. Okay. If this is not straight, it's fine. It's fine.
[0:21:57] LHL: What's the saying? Make it first and then make it perfect. You got to at least practice, and make it, and you'll get there.
[0:22:04] JH: Yes. Also, a lot of student kind of checking with me, "Is this good?" Of course, because you made it. It's good. And then you don't have to be perfect. And then if you make mistake, okay. You don't like this color, we can remix it. We can remake it. We can reapply. And then if you don't like this shape and form, let's cut it. And then we can add more clay. And then I think now they're kind of start to understand my style. They try to avoid. Not to be perfect. But I understand. Yes.
[0:22:38] LHL: You touched a bit on your work as far as your style and what it represents. But I'm wondering, how did it evolve to become this? You mentioned a little bit of inspiration, but I see there's just such a mix of cultures here, and a lot of your identity is in this. And with a multicultural background, I'd love to learn more about that process.
[0:23:00] JH: Yeah. I'm talking about a lot of medium, like clay, because I love just clay. Yes. When I think about clay, it has a lot of duality. Sometime – not sometime. All the time. When clay, before fire, is so soft. It's kind of so wet. It's really flexible. After fire, it can be hard. It can be strong. I'm thinking about like soft, hard, and strong, but kind of fragile. Clay itself has a lot of like duality. It's just like me. Of course, I'm Korean. But I came here 2010. I'm living here more than like 15 years already. When I think about my identity, I'm always in between. That's why I really love to working with clay because clay is always in between, too.
And one of my installation work, I used a zip tie because I make the kind of porcelain panel, and then to connect each panner by using zip tie. I thinking about zip tie also has duality, because a lot of people think about zip tie is just like temporary material. But when you're using it, it's actually so strong. Looks like not temporary.
[0:24:20] LHL: Have you ever tried to get one apart?
[0:24:20] JH: Yeah, it's impossible. I'm thinking about temporary and permanent. Using zip tie, maybe representing where is my home. Because my home, sometime it can be temporary, but it can be permanent. I tried to bring my identity, of course. But I thinking about my home, homeland.
Of course, now I live in Exeter. Of course, here is my home, my hometown. But how about Korea, you know. But if I visit to Korea, there's no my apartment. My parents already you know removed my room because –
[0:24:59] BB: Oh no.
[0:25:01] LHL: I don't have any room in Korea. Okay. I came to my place. But oh no, it's not my place. Okay, this is my parents' place. And okay, then where is my home? Okay. But I love to be in Korea. Okay. Korea cannot be my home at the same time. But this is kind of more maybe physical meaning of home.
But recently, I'm thinking about my home as well. But I think I'm not thinking about physical place anymore, you know. Yes. Now maybe home can be your friend and your family, or sometimes your time. If you just enjoy this moment, it can be your home, you know.
[0:25:46] BB: I love that. I think we all need to live that a little bit more.
[0:25:50] JH: Yes. Because home can be anywhere. If you like this place, this gallery, it can be your home.
[0:25:56] LHL: It is my second home for sure. I love it.
[0:25:59] JH: I love it. Or where is your favorite cafe? It can be your home too, you know. I think people, community can be my home too.
[0:26:09] BB: That's beautiful.
[0:26:09] JH: Yeah. That's why I'm working a lot of people and even animal. And I really want to put my daily life and daily thoughts behind my identity and my home.
[0:26:20] BB: Yeah.
[0:26:21] LHL: Thank you for sharing that. That's so beautiful.
[0:26:23] JH: Thank you.
[0:26:24] LHL: It's lovely. Just like your work.
[0:26:26] JH: Yeah. Thank you.
[0:26:27] BB: Yeah. Can you tell us a little bit more about some of the imagery that you include on your work? Because it is so playful. And it seems like there's – I'm looking at one right now, and there's like Woody from Toy Story. There's so many other pop culture references. And the colors are so vibrant, and energetic, and youthful. Where does that imagery come for and the symbolism associated with that?
[0:26:51] JH: Oh my god, I love this question because actually my family, we move a lot because of my dad company. Because he's working with a financial company, but he already relocate. Even in Korea, I move so many city in Korea. Even we have to go to another country and then come back. Sometime I have to move two times or three times per year. That's a lot. When I was young, I was so confused. If I make friend and then my dad said, "Okay, can you say goodbye to your friend?" And then, "Why? I just make friend." I was so confused. What like why always I should leave my friend? But at the same time, my dad told me, "That's good thing, because your friend will be everywhere." "I know. But –"
[0:27:43] LHL: I want to see my friend.
[0:27:44] JH: I want to see my friend. I don't want to leave them. But we have to go. And every time my dad kind of, "Okay, I'm Sorry honey. But this is gift." And then he give me a lot of Disney book. And then he – okay, this Disney movie, especially Toy Story, can be your new friend. And then I read, and I watched so many time. Maybe more than 200 times. Seriously. No joke. I think Toy Story is one of my, of course, favorite. Yes. Also, I'm doodling a lot. When I read and watch the movie, I always think about my childhood, you know.
[0:28:23] BB: Yeah. I'm looking at the piece. And we'll have to put this in the show notes. But specifically, it's called Back to Work. And there's this little girl, and it looks like she's doodling, and she's imagining. And is that supposed to be you?
[0:28:38] JH: Yes.
[0:28:39] BB: It's so touching that these characters became your friends, they became your family. And there's so much comfort in that. And I think that's so relatable. I also moved a lot as a kid and had the same struggles with picking up and having to make new friends, and that push and pull. And you never know what's going to happen, and it's scary. And so there's that comfort in the familiar of those characters. Yeah, can you talk a little bit more about just all of this? I'm just so intrigued.
[0:29:10] LHL: It is. It's amazing.
[0:29:11] JH: Yes. Because every time, I have anxiety. if I settle down and if I make 10 friend, maybe tomorrow should I say goodbye again? Just like little bit anxiety. But every time, when I feel anxiety, I just open the book, like cartoon. And I really like the color. And I don't know, the emotion from the character make me really happy. It's kind of – I don't know. For me, it's more comfort zone.
I still love, love Toy Story. Not only for Toy Story. Just like all the Disney or any kind of cartoon make me really happy. And I feel like, still, I'm a kid. As an artist, this kind of feeling is really important. Because sometime, when you're working same thing over and over, it's really hard to get motivation and refresh your mind. But I think when you act or when you feel as just a kid, everything is so exciting.
[0:30:14] BB: Yeah, there's possibilities, right?
[0:30:15] LHL: And there's no pressure, perfection, or anything.
[0:30:19] JH: Yes.
[0:30:19] BB: And it seems like you didn't necessarily have that growing up. And so here's this opportunity for you to really embrace that, an art form and a career that you have passion for. I'm so glad that you finally found that.
[0:30:33] JH: Yes. Sometimes, when you think about like, "Okay, what is successful life?" And then what is your goal? And then there's a lot of deadline. There's so many opportunity in the world for artists, but it's too stressful. Especially these days, there's so many information through online, social media. And it's just like too much, you know.
[0:30:55] LHL & BB: Yes.
[0:30:57] JH: But kids' minds, like, "Who care? If I like it, I would do it." And then no pressure, but a lot of passion, motivation. And everything is just – even little thing is so exciting. I can be giggling. I really want to bring this kind of sense of humor, and then childhood memory. And I think this is really important for my work. Especially my character is kind of looks like kid. That's why I really want to bring this sense to my work.
[0:31:29] LHL: Well, it's pure joy. I feel like anyone who looks at it, it resonates with them, whether or not they recognize the characters. Though most, they will. Some, they won't. It doesn't really matter. It's the beautiful art direction of it that just brings that joy. And as a child, animated movies, typically, are the first art you experience.
[0:31:47] BB: Yeah, that's true.
[0:31:48] LHL: And so to hold on to that throughout your life. I'll never forget, I used to watch Labyrinth, which is an animated. But I watched it so much, I broke the VHS tape. It still sticks with me, and it can inform my art in ways I'm not even recognizing. It's kind of amazing.
[0:32:05] JH: I know. Yes. It's just so shocked. Because every time you just play with toy, but this kind of, "Wow. This character can move? Wow." Still, I remember, I was so shocked. would screaming, like, "How this girl can move?" Because it's different than toy, you know. Yes.
[0:32:24] BB: And it's wonderful that you bring that energy and that spirit to your teaching as well, and you're encouraging your students to, "No. Your line doesn't have to be perfect." Just play, enjoy it, and embrace it. And you're taking the things that I think maybe you were yearning for as a kid and passing that along to these kids now, and hopefully giving them the courage and inspiration to not be afraid to go into a career in the arts. Because it is so meaningful and so important to our world.
[0:32:54] JH: Yeah. Also, I'm teaching not only technique part but also maybe their behavior. For example, sketch. Sketch can be your long-life behavior. You can take a note. It's really important. Also, I want them to speak their voice. You don't have to follow other people. So maybe why don't you – I don't know. A lot of student, "I don't know what should I do. Seriously, I have no idea what I'm doing."
[0:33:21] BB: Or they just look on Pinterest for ideas. I'm like, "That's not your work."
[0:33:24] JH: Yeah, that's not your work. Also, if you keep looking other stuff, it's really hard to bring your own. I asked them, what is your favorite food? Why you ask me? What is your favorite movie, or music, or sports? And then, okay, one of my students say, "Oh, I love spaghetti." Okay, we can make a spaghetti container. They say, "Oh, can we?" Maybe think about like yourself first. You should know yourself first, and then we can make something. And it's more fun. I don't want them to make just something.
[0:34:05] BB: Be proud of it.
[0:34:05] JH: Yes. Yes.
[0:34:07] LHL: Yeah. It's expression. It's who you are. Showing it out to the world. And especially in school, it's more than just a grade. It's a chance for you to have that balance if you are focusing on your studies as well, and developing your creative mind.
[0:34:20] JH: Yes. Also, art should be fun, you know. And then relax and building community, you know. You don't have to suffer yourself during the class time period. That's not working creating art. I hope my student enjoy to create their work. But they're trying. They're really working so hard. Because creating art is not easy.
[0:34:44] BB: Yeah. Seriously,
[0:34:45] LHL: I know. A lot of folks who don't think it is because they associate it with art class at a very young age, it feels very play-driven. And people assume that that's fun and you just get to play, which is so not the case.
[0:35:00] JH: I know.
[0:35:02] LHL: It's so much work, and practice, and failure, and problem solving, and figuring it out.
[0:35:06] JH: Yes.
[0:35:07] BB: But that process can be a lot of fun too. And that's the thing. You have to be open to that. Because if you keep on – and I've struggled with this. I think we all struggle with this. It's like if you keep holding yourself to some higher standard, it's important because you want to grow, and you want to expand, and develop, and refine those skills. But it can also keep you from enjoying the process sometimes. And sometimes you just got to let it go. Just let it go.
[0:35:33] LHL: In the last, I'd say, four, five-ish years, every time I create a new body of work, in the past it was always like what is this going to mean and what is it going to represent? And now every time I approach a new body of work, I do think that, but I also think, "How am I going to change the practice so it reflects more of how I want to be while making it?" I want more fluidity in my work. I want less structure, and I want to be able to have a natural cadence that comes without that frustration. That's not always the case, but that's what I'm – Every time I feel like I'm getting a step closer with different bodies of work of like, "Oh, I'm not as precious. I can just let it be." It forms.
[0:36:16] JH: Oh my god. Thank you. Oh my god, that's awesome. Seriously. Wow.
[0:36:20] LHL: And it just keeps going and going and going.
[0:36:23] JH: Yes.
[0:36:25] LHL: I want to be mindful of time, and we would be remiss not to congratulate you and discuss your award from the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation. You were the recipient of the 2025 Piscataqua Region Artist Advancement Grant. Congratulations. We're so excited for you. And what was it like applying in the process of writing the grant? And then what was it like to get the news?
[0:36:49] JH: Thank you so much. Still, I'm thinking, "Is this real?" It's like unreal. Okay. But at that time, my baby was like, I don't know, three, four months baby. And, oh my god, it was too much. I'm thinking having baby is like the best thing in the world. But at the same time,it's the hardest thing in my life.
And at that time, I feel like I lost myself as artist and woman. And one of my friend, she kind of encouraged me to apply this. And then, "How? How can I apply?" Because I thought I was not ready. But my friend say, "What is meaning of ready?" Okay. Oh wow. Okay. Thank you.
Still, I have so much stuff to do with my baby, but I try to make the time to apply. And still, writing application made me a little bit nervous, because talking about my work, my god, my brain was not working. I had no idea what I was to do, because pregnant, and then having baby, and then –
[0:38:03] BB: Emotions and hormones.
[0:38:05] JH: Yes. Nursing a baby. And then my memory was so bad. I forgot everything. It's just like everything was like – I don't know. It was not me. Everything was like not normal, unusual. I tried to kind of write down what I want through this award. And every night, when I fix the application, I really want to have this opportunity so I can find myself as artist, you know. I don't want to give up my artist career even though I have baby. I think there's a lot of like artists. But reality, when you have baby, or when you have job, it's really, really hard to find the time to create your own work.
My first kind of main goal was I really want to create art, and I try to find myself. And I want to have my time to touch clay. That's the reason to apply, actually. I didn't expect I received this over, of course. Because how? But I want to try. But after I submit my application, "Okay."
[0:39:13] LHL: And then you forget about it for a while because it's a few months before you hear, right? Yeah.
[0:39:17] JH: Yeah. Also, maybe this is my kind of first step. Maybe I can narrow down my idea when I have time. I can make my own work. I forgot about this application because my day was so busy, every day. You cannot sleep because every – baby is just crying all the time. What do you need? I did my best. What do you need? She was like super cranky. One day, she was super cranky, crying without any reason. You're okay.
[0:39:50] BB: You're being fed. You've been changed. Why?
[0:39:52] JH: Yeah, everything. But why? And then my husband was out of town for two weeks. I was only solo parenting.
[0:40:00] BB: And working?
[0:40:01] JH: At the time, I was not working. Yes. Maybe I was working because I was working for summer school. Yes.
[0:40:12] BB: Still a lot though.
[0:40:13] JH: I think so. Maybe my memory was not there. But anyway. Yes. But I got from one of the call and then she said, "Oh, congratulations. You got award." And then, "Oh, maybe scam." Yeah, because the baby was crying. And then I couldn't focus on the calling. And the, "Okay. Who are you? I'm sorry." My baby was crying on the side. And then I almost going crazy. Seriously, almost dying. And then, "No." Okay. I thought I'm the finalist even, because my baby was keep crying and crying. I couldn't hear clearly. No. You're not finalist. You are – I was scream.
[0:40:57] BB: Oh my gosh.
[0:40:57] JH: I know. I was scream. I was crying on the phone.
[0:41:00] LHL: And this was when Yeonsoo was away?
[0:41:01] JH: Yes.
[0:41:02] LHL: Oh my gosh.
[0:41:04] BB: Oh, that's so precious though. I mean, that's probably just like the uplifting, the joy, the little encouragement, like, "You can still do this."
[0:41:15] JH: I know. And then my baby suddenly stopped crying. Okay. And then at that moment, I still remember. Yes. It was kind of wow.
[0:41:24] LHL: Yeah. It's like a movie moment.
[0:41:25] JH: Yes. It's like slow motion. And then I think my baby's kind of looking at me, and then, "Mom, you did a good job." I feel that way.
[0:41:35] LHL: I know. I know.
[0:41:37] BB: I love that.
[0:41:38] JH: This award is really, really important to me. But I know it's really hard to find the time still, you know. But I'm really excited to show my work and my story to this beautiful community. This is kind of my first show in New England area. I hope everybody can make it. And if you guys have any question, please ask me anytime. I love to share my journey and story.
Yeah, I don't want to talk – because I'm not person to keep secret my technique or anything. I love to share. Because, especially as artists or educators, sharing is really important. Engage with the people, community, and then kind of sharing your idea. That means you're getting inspiration or you're going to learn something from other people. That's really important. Thank you.
[0:42:37] LHL: Congratulations.
[0:42:39] BB: It's fantastic.
[0:42:40] LHL: And so is this all coming to a head with a final show in the spring?
[0:42:44] JH: Yes.
[0:42:45] LHL: And can you tell us about that a little bit?
[0:42:49] JH: For the show, I'm still working on it, some piece, because I never try kind of a lot of war piece. But working with war piece is not easy, because I'm usually making an installation or working 3D form. But this time, I want to try kind of work piece. Because when I look at a lot of baby toy on the floor, maybe it can be on the war. Actually, having baby is really fortune as artist because I got a lot of inspiration from shape of my baby's toy, because it's so interesting. Because, "Oh wow. Okay, there's so many different kind of shape." And I was so shocked. And then baby book, and even baby clothing, and everything. I was so inspired. I never thought about it because I spend a lot of time with her. And then I observe what she's doing and what she play with it. And I want to bring this new perspective to the show and community can maybe feel maybe same way or maybe different way. I'm not sure. This is kind of my first time to try.
Also, I want to try to make bigger moon jar. Because earlier I mentioned that moon jar is kind of represent mom and woman. But every time, when I hug my baby, it's kind of – like, if people can hug my moon jar, maybe they can feel same way, you know.
[0:44:22] LHL: Would you have people hug?
[0:44:24] JH: Yes.
[0:44:25] BB: Wow. That's very, very brave.
[0:44:28] LHL: It's gutsy.
[0:44:30] JH: know. Yeah. Because people say, "Can I touch your work?" Yes, of course. I think you need to feel, you need to touch, so you can have idea about this medium and my work. I love making kind of more engaging work. Every time, when I hug my moon jar, I know – of course it's not same feeling, but maybe people can hug. So, what they think. We'll see. I don't know. I'm trying.
[0:44:58] BB: Well, that's going to be at 3S Artspace. Excellent. And sometime in the spring.
[0:45:03] LHL: Is that in April or May?
[0:45:04] JH: No. I think it's June.
[0:45:07] LHL: June? was totally wrong.
[0:45:08] BB: Well, we'll certainly be reposting about it. And we'll share this out on our social media and everything.
[0:45:13] JH: Yes. I think artist's talk will be June 8th.
[0:45:17] LHL: Okay. We will put that in the episode description if it's out.
[0:45:21] JH: Yes. Yes. Yes. If you make time, please come to say hi to me.
[0:45:28] LHL: I would love to come see it. Yes.
[0:45:30] JH: Yeah. Even though you're not educator, you're not mom, doesn't matter who you are. I want you to just feel happy moment and joyful from color, and then my character and shape I think that's all I want for everybody.
[0:45:46] LHL: I adore them. I adore them. Do you sell your work?
[0:45:50] JH: Yes. But my working style is so slow. This is kind of funny story. All the time, my husband working so fast. If he's done for whole structure, I'm still working on the bottom. My hand is so slow because I'm – I don't know. Of course, he has more experience. And then we have different working style. And I'm kind of enjoy the touch. And then I'm thinking. We have different working style. When I look at him, "Are you done?" "Yes. I'm going to make another one."
[0:46:28] LHL: Remind me. He does onggi.
[0:46:30] JH: Yes. Onggi. Yes. Also, that technique makes him to make bigger work kind of so fast. but I'm working so slow. But I think it's fine. First time, I feel so shame, "What should I do?" Feel kind of pressure, because he's already done.
[0:46:48] LHL: Like it's a race.
[0:46:49] JH: Yeah, it's kind of race, you know. But he told me everybody has different pace. And then, "Oh, that make me feel better."
[0:46:56] LHL: Yeah. Oh, absolutely.
[0:46:56] JH: Yeah. Sometime we collaborate each other. But my husband and I working kind of one of kind, you know. I think my collector – they have to wait for a long time. But I think one of kind make them little bit special also. I don't know. I spend a lot of time to make only one piece. Of course, it's not good, you know. But that means I treat my work special, you know.
Every time, okay, it's really hard to make balance between teaching, making my work, and having baby. But still, even five minute, when I touch clay or painting, that make me really happy. As teacher, artist, and mom, it's not easy. But every time, I try to do my best.
[0:47:50] BB: Yeah, that's all we can do.
[0:47:50] LHL: It sounds like they're all informing each other. It's all kind of intertwined, and that's a very beautiful thing.
[0:47:55] JH: Yes.
[0:47:58] LHL: We have to wind down this interview.
[0:47:59] BB: I know. We could keep on talking for a very long time.
[0:48:01] LHL: I have a thousand questions, and I can't ask them all.
[0:48:05] BB: I want to just hang out with you and your baby, too.
[0:48:06] LHL: I know. Yeah.
[0:48:08] JH: That's a great idea.
[0:48:09] LHL: But we're going to ask you some rapid-fire questions now. So, what's your favorite color?
[0:48:14] JH: Purple.
[0:48:15] BB: Your favorite scent?
[0:48:17] JH: Scent. Oh my god. Wood.
[0:48:19] BB: Oh.
[0:48:19] JH: Yes.
[0:48:20] LHL: Favorite sound?
[0:48:22] JH: Favorite sound? Oh my god. That's a hard question. Okay. Sound. I know, this is short answer. But I cannot work without any music. Any kind of music, I really like it. But I don't like silence. I don't like baby crying.
[0:48:44] BB: What is your favorite texture or touch?
[0:48:46] JH: I love kind of glossy, like shiny texture.
[0:48:50] LHL: Back to music. What is your favorite musician, band, or artist, or –
[0:48:55] JH: Oh my god, that's a really hard question too. Because, seriously, I love all kinds of music, because I just play any music while I'm working. But these day, okay, I think every time when I pick the musician, of course, like Rolling Stone.
[0:49:14] BB: Nice.
[0:49:15] JH: Yes. And then and then if I need some energy, I love A-ha.
[0:49:21] LHL: Yeah.
[0:49:21] JH: Yes. I love that. And then Dancing Queen. Yes, I listen a lot of trendy music. But at the same time, I love classic music. I love jazz, hip-hop. But you know –
[0:49:34] LHL: That's awesome.
[0:49:36] BB: What other artist has influenced you the most?
[0:49:39] JH: I look at a lot of ceramic artists. But at the same time, I love painting, painter and sculptor. I can combine those perspective to my work. I'm not only look at ceramic work. It's important. Yeah.
[0:49:56] LHL: Most inspiring location you've traveled to?
[0:49:59] JH: Oh my god. In New England or –
[0:50:01] LHL: In general. In the world.
[0:50:03] JH: In the world?
[0:50:03] LHL: Yeah.
[0:50:03] JH: Oh my god, it's really hard to pick because I love to travel. But I love – okay, I'm gonna pick one. Okay. I'm sorry. Okay, one. But still, I want to say New York.
[0:50:18] LHL: Yeah. I had a feeling it might be that.
[0:50:20] JH: Yeah. Because, of course, I love German. I love Germany. I love Paris. I want to pick New York. It's my one pick.
[0:50:29] BB: It was a life-changing place for you.
[0:50:31] JH: Yeah. So, I cannot get rid of this place in my life. Yes.
[0:50:35] BB: What is the last new thing that you've learned?
[0:50:38] JH: Oh my god. Okay. So, this is really funny thing because I just tried needle felting.
[0:50:43] BB: Oh. Isn't it fun?
[0:50:47] LHL: It looks like magic to me. I don't understand how it – it just is amazing.
[0:50:52] JH: I know. I thought it was so cute, but it's so time-consuming.
[0:51:00] BB: But it's very good to get that aggression out –
[0:51:01] JH: Yeah. Yes. Also, you don't have to think about next step. This is why I really like it. You just focus on only few minute doodling. But I just try needle felting and I kind of like it.
[0:51:17] BB: I want to try one more time and then we'll tell you guys –
[0:51:19] LHL: Give it a chance.
[0:51:20] JH: Give it a chance. Yes.
[0:51:22] LHL: And this is our clincher question. If you could go back in time, what advice would you give your younger self?
[0:51:28] JH: I really like this question a lot because I think about this question a lot. My answer will be love yourself. Because I don't know, I'm torturing myself. I didn't love myself a lot. Maybe love yourself and then trust yourself. I think that's it.
[0:51:45] BB: Beautiful. Beautiful ending.
[0:51:48] LHL: Jihye, it's been a pleasure.
[0:51:49] JH: Oh, thank you.
[0:51:50] LHL: Yeah.
[0:51:50] BB: Really, really it has. Your whole evolution and your story is so inspiring. And the courage that you had to go back to school and to say, "Nope, sorry, Dad. This is where I need to be," and how you're living that. And even though it's a struggle because you have a full-time job. You're also not only caring for a little baby, but you're also a dorm parent for needy high school students. But you're still finding a way to embrace this passion that is so important to you, and you're really an inspiration.
[0:52:23] JH: Still, I'm thinking right now. Of course, I don't have time. Of course, I don't have time. But I really love myself. I deserve to go outside to walk, or I can get a coffee myself. I think this is how I love myself and then treat myself. Just make your time. I know. Seriously, no joke, I know we don't have time. We're so busy. We don't have time for even one minute. But just be brave. And then I'm really thankful to my friend and my husband. What is the meaning of ready? Yes. True. Just do it. I love it.
[0:53:03] BB: Thank you. Thank you so much, Jihye. This has been beautiful.
[0:53:06] JH: Yes.
[0:53:07] LHL: Thank you again, Jihye, for being on the show. And with that –
[0:53:10] LHL, BB & JH: Show us your creative guts
[0:53:17] LHL: Another huge thank you to Jihye for joining us on Creative Guts. Wow.
[0:53:23] BB: Wow.
[0:53:24] LHL: That was pure magic of a conversation.
[0:53:26] BB: I definitely had goosebumps. And I'm so in awe of her courage, and her passion, and her spirit, and her energy. This was really, really an impactful talk today.
[0:53:40] LHL: Yeah. I mean, I think we definitely made a new friend tonight.
[0:53:43] BB: I hope so. Jihye, be friends with us.
[0:53:45] LHL: Yes. But I think there's also this level of this intimate look into someone's mind of the challenges and struggles that they went through and how they –
[0:53:58] BB: Persevered.
[0:53:59] LHL: Yes. And she understands her identity and appreciates the different parts of herself.
[0:54:05] BB: Yeah. Yeah. The courage that it took for her to – she did a whole degree. She went to college and completed a whole program, and something that she just didn't want to do in the first place. And had the courage to be able to say, "Sorry, Dad. I need to do this. I need to explore art. I need to create." And she's doing it. And her work is so thoughtful and poignant, and it connects across cultures in so many ways. And the connection to her identity, but also to motherhood, and the form. It's so beautiful. And at the same time just silly and playful. And I can't wait for audience – we are an audio medium, but we will have links to all of Jihye's work on the show notes. But please, please, please take a look at the work because I think you will fall in love with it just as much as we are.
[0:54:56] LHL: There's like such a vitality to the work, but then it's also incredibly delicate and peaceful while being robust and energetic. It's just such a cool dichotomy. And I feel like I just have learned so much from her. Even on the technical side, I feel like I was kind of maybe going down the rabbit hole of asking too many questions. I didn't know that pencil lines burned off.
[0:55:19] BB: You didn't?
[0:55:20] LHL: I didn't really study ceramics as much. I mean, I do a lot of other stuff. I don't that.
[0:55:25] BB: We didn't even get into the work that she does with – I think that she even works with laser cutters and other kinds of advanced design tools in her work. But the episode, we need a part two.
[0:55:36] LHL: We need a part two. We really do. No, I think it'll be really great to circle back and interview her again in maybe a couple years to see how her work advances after this, the period of this grant, but then also raising a child to be a toddler. Just what that experience is going to be like and how it'll impact her work will be really fascinating.
[0:55:56] BB: Yeah. Well, I think her closing message, if you could go back and give yourself that word of advice, is to love yourself. And that's something we all need to do more frequently. And especially artists and creatives, we often fall – we don't fall into creating, but we often create because there's something that we're missing, or we want to express some pain or heal in some way. And if we started creating more after we learned to love ourselves more, how would that change our work, right?
[0:56:29] LHL: If more people do that, how would it change the world?
[0:56:32] BB: Gosh.
[0:56:33] LHL: You know, there'd be a lot more healthy people out there, maybe. I don't know.
[0:56:37] BB: Yeah, I hope so.
[0:56:37] LHL: Well, this is a bigger conversation, I guess. But we're kind of –
[0:56:39] BB: Tune in to our host chat for commentary on –
[0:56:43] LHL: I mean, I feel like it's just bringing – our conversation with her is bringing up a lot of things. But yes, we can't have this episode be too, too long. So, Jihye, thank you again. It was truly lovely to talk to you. And we can't wait to see what happens next with your work.
[0:56:59] BB: Thanks for being one of our new friends.
[0:57:01] LHL: Yeah.
[0:57:03] BB: Well, as always, you can find all sorts of different information about Jihye, about their artist practice, as well as about the NHCF grant and the show that she will be having at 3S Artspace in Portsmouth. You can find those links and more in the episode description and on our website, creativegutspodcast.com.
[0:57:22] LHL: You can also find us, Creative Guts Podcast, on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Discord.
[0:57:27] BB: Discord.
[0:57:28] LHL: You also should join our newsletter to stay in the know, especially if you're not on social media. You can find a link to sign up on our website.
[0:57:36] BB: This episode is sponsored in part by the Rochester Museum of Fine Arts. Thank you to our friends in Rochester for their support of the show.
[0:57:43] LHL: And a big tremendous thank you to –
[0:57:45] BB: Tremendous.
[0:57:47] LHL: Huge.
[0:57:48] BB: Gigantic.
[0:57:49] LHL: Enormous.
[0:57:50] BB: Magnanimous.
[0:57:52] LHL: Outlandishly. Thank you, Art up Front Street. Seriously, a big thank you to Art Up Front Street Studios and Gallery in Exeter, New Hampshire for providing a space where Creative Guts can record.
[0:58:06] BB: If you love listening and want to support Creative Guts, you can make a donation, leave us a review, interact with our content on the socials, purchase some merch. Whatever you are able to do, we truly appreciate it.
[0:58:18] LHL: Thank you for tuning in. We'll be back next Wednesday with another episode of Creative Guts.
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