Look Studio, a creative site.

. saving that work gives me more energy and time to devote to the brand, right? But then again, sometimes it's a busy season as a print store, and the branding work calms down a bit. . so I let it come in waves and pick up other work as I see what settles down and when. We're lucky to work with a lot of people who are doing some pretty cool projects that are beyond anything we could have imagined for a print store. Even when we don't have waves, we've found a way to collaborate with others to do interesting and creative projects. . it's important to take advantage of opportunities like that in order to stay creative. If we falter as a business, we don't want to have to be so desperate that we have to say yes to everything. . we have to stay true to our vision and true to the level of what we want to do.

Recently, I've been working with Devon (Devon Turnbull. We did a print on a large speaker brand called "Ojas," which is a brand of speakers that can be found in the Supreme (Supreme®︎) store and other places. It was a really great project, and it was very much related to my own interests, as I love music and audio equipment myself. Devon came to me and said, "Can you do this? Devon came to me and said, "Can you do this? . It's great to work with him, and it's very exciting. It's different from the T-shirts I usually do, and the speaker only gets one chance to print. It's very exciting.

Yes. . they are usually custom-made to be placed in a specific location. This time it was for a museum. I made a huge silk screen, and it took two of us to pull the squeegee. I had to do it at a site with speakers, not in my studio, so there was a lot of pressure, but it's something I've done my whole life, I'm prepared for the moment, and most of all, it's something I love to do. But you only get one chance. . you can't just fail and go back and repaint it. It has happened in the past. I've messed up and had to repaint it (laughs).

That's right (laughs). Many of our designs are based on the DJ lifestyle and records, in other words, music. That's one of the main pillars for me, because I have always bought a lot of records. So unless you've been exposed to a lot of records, I don't think you'd understand many of the details of the visuals in Look Studio. Everything is digitalized now, so people probably don't know the original design of the music they listen to. . That's why I think vinyl records are one way to connect the actual music with the physical product.

. I also do a lot of design work with other people. For example, this fruit T is one such example. Originally, I wanted to make a series of three logos in a row, and in the past I have done sets of three with animal patterns and other street-style themes. . and when I thought about what to do next, I thought that fruit would make a good print because it has a really cool and beautiful pattern. Then I found out about Sarah, who does airbrush designs and has done designs for Supreme and others. I said to her, "I want to do a logo of a fruit, can you do it? I just told her the concept and gave her a cross section of a fruit. . This is the original email. . and here is the set of the logo.

. yes. When we wanted to grow in Japan and increase the creative process in Japan, we needed someone who understood the market well. That was Goro. Minnano has been carrying Look Studio for a long time now. We have similar tastes and interests, and we have learned a lot together. When I come up with an idea, I tell him about it, and he usually has the same idea. I think we understand each other. He knows what a brand is. What is important for me is to have someone like that helping me. Now that Miyoshi (Ryo Miyoshi) is helping us with technical management, our vision can go higher.

We love to throw parties and have DJs, and that's very important. We want to expand opportunities for people to have that kind of experience, not just to buy a T-shirt. We want to grow both in Japan. We want to continue to grow our culture.

. It's a shame, isn't it? It's important for young people and people who have the desire to create to have a place where they can output their work and have the opportunity to do it on their own. . As I said before, I have refused to do anything I don't want to do, and I don't mind doing it. I think it makes sense for other people to have a mindset like ours. Like, "Let's find a way to keep creating and producing, even if we have to work other jobs. . not just to create, but if we have a good idea, each of us should continue to do it. . It's sad to see friends' brands start up and then disappear. There are times when people say, "I've been working on it, but it's not profitable, so I'm going to stop," but it's okay to stop and take a break. But it's okay to stop and take a break, because eventually you will find a way to make it again. . But for many people, it is very difficult to continue making things under such circumstances because of the financial hardship.

. the key is to keep going if you have an idea. I have a lot of friends who continue to work on projects that make little or no money, and it's really exciting. People often think of "Look Studio" as a big brand, and it may look like money is flowing in, but in reality, it's hard work. . and some of the other things we do, we hardly ever make a profit. But you have to stay positive and learn from your mistakes. I think a lot of small brands are easily defeated and frustrated, but that's not the end point of anything, and if you're willing to do it, you can start another project in another five years. If you can get inspired after that and come up with a new design or something, that's fine. After all, I want everyone to continue to shape their passion as well. . that's why it's hard to see so many people's projects come to an end.

. yes, I think that's true. But I think the longer I've been with "Look Studio" and the more it's grown, the more people are giving me feedback and telling me what they think. But then I realized that, yes, other people's opinions are important, but at the end of the day, you have to follow your heart. . I realized that while other people's opinions are important, at the end of the day, I should follow my heart. It's good to absorb the opinions of people you respect, but you have to make the final decision yourself. The best things, the best results, will come from that.

That's right. . nothing is easy, and I think that's the point. . but I'm stubborn and I don't give up. It doesn't matter if the situation is good or bad. I just keep going. I don't want to "work," as the world calls it. This is my long term challenge , something I want to do. So, I will continue to do Look Studio through the ups and downs.