Episode 25: Tae Won Yu (Kicking Giant, artist, NYC/Olympia)

Episode 25 is a conversation with artist, musician, photographer and host Jason’s dear friend Tae Won Yu. The two met in the fertile scene that was Olympia, WA in the early 90’s and immediately bonded over their shared devotion to music, art and the creative process, though their paths to that meeting couldn’t have been more different. Jason’s move to Olympia was a return to his home in the Pacific Northwest after his years in California, Tae was a transplant from NYC whose childhood had been split between his native country of Korea and Tokyo, Japan prior to immigrating to the east coast of the U.S.A. as a youngster. Tae’s story begins with an account of the unique challenges he faced as a newly arrived Korean immigrant to Queens, New York whose only spoken language was Japanese. From there we learn about how his immersion in punk and rock n roll helped him forge an identity and sense of self as an artist that has sustained him throughout his life. The conversation ends with a discussion of the creative struggle as a lifelong opportunity for the artist to work toward individuation and connection to a community based on shared values. Thank you for listening! Tae's Instagram Tae's photo memories. Kicking Giant/Tae's work today. Music: Kicking Giant 'Alien I.D.' and 'Wire' TM theme by Jason --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/jason-traeger/support