I get a lot of questions from my readers in regards to breaking into their desired industry and how to jumpstart their career at an early age. As flattering as it is to be looked up to as someone who holds answers to these questions, I myself am still trying to find those answers too. With this being said, I'd like to note that the Q&A you are about to read is the kick-off of my new explorative project, "Fashion Folk." It is my hope that with this series, any of you who are interested in breaking into the fashion, creativity and digital industries will find insight and inspiration from these industry experts, coupled with anecdotes of young people creating and inspiring throughout the world.
They say, "There is no typical day when working in a creative industry," and so far, I'd have to agree. And there are truly no typical individuals either. In fact, typical and fashion are two words that should never be used in the same sentence. Yes, fashion is fun and frivolous but furthermore it is innovative, and what better way to showcase this idea than to introduce dynamic duo Bryant Eslava and Hajin Bae and their collaborative project entitled Bryjins?
As the two young creators put it, "Bryjin is a mix of Bryant and Hajin (our first names) and basically the baby of our work together. When you come across a Bryjin you will see [Bryant's] fashion photograph combined with some of [Hajin's] illustrations." Having stumbled upon each other's work earlier this year on the popular blogging platform Tumblr, the pair's unusual meeting sparked a friendship like no other. Bryant shares, "I came across Hajin Bae's work through Tumblr Radar. I remember one day I saw one of her illustrations and immediately followed her blog. After a while of seeing more of her newest work I contacted her to tell her I enjoyed what she was doing. That same day she made one of my photos as an illustration, I shared it on Instagram and on my blog and people immediately responded with great feedback. So that's where we started the project Bryjin's."
What is a Bryjin?
BE + HB: Inspiration, fashion, art and beauty!
What inspires each of your photographic and illustrative styles?
BE: I'm a big fan of colors, tone and light. I always try to put all of these together in my photographs so they last forever. I'm a big Helmut Newton fan. In fact, I have his film "Helmut by June" and it's Newton working in the 1990's. The way he captured the light and posed his models is very inspiring.
HB: Bryant's photos are nice. Not only the pictures of models, the pictures of his own life also give me huge inspiration. I just put my own life in his pictures.
What inspires each of your photographic and illustrative styles?
BE: I'm a big fan of colors, tones, and light. I always try to put all of these together in my photographs so they last forever.
HB: Bryant's pictures are nice. Not only the pictures of models, the pictures of his own life also give me a huge inspiration. I just put my own life in his pictures.
Describe the process that goes into making a Bryjin.
BE: Shooting close-ups of models, mainly portraits and adding some illustration. We also make GIFS just to show some of the process of making a Bryjin.
HB: I require Bryant's pictures. His pictures are generally good, but portrait photographs are even more better. I see many pictures he took, and choose some pictures which give me inspirations and start drawing. After those illustrations are done, we exchange our opinions. When we agree with each other, we complete those illustrations.
What are your future hopes for this project?
BE: We're not sure what to expect right now. We've already received emails from people asking if they can buy prints. At this time we don't plan on selling any merchandise, perhaps in the future. We just want to keep making art.
HB: I hope many people to get their own inspiration through Bryjins project. When they see our collaboration, I hope them to immediately notice: "Ah, these are Bryjins!" After all, I want to make goods with this project!
What advice do you have for young creative people looking to turn their projects and dreams into realities?
BE: Never stop making art. It's always good to try something new. You never know what people will think of it...but make sure that's not always what you're concerned about. If it makes you happy, do it and share it with everyone.
HB: You need a person who will make your projects shine, and can stimulate you. My 'art' is a tedious fight with myself. It is the loneliness itself. If you have a person who can bring cheer to you when you want to stop dreaming, your life itself will be "art."
The two have seamlessly been able to co-exist, working to build a virtual empire, despite being across the world from each other. Putting their social media savvy to good use, Bryjin's Instagram platform now has an astounding 2,939 followers. Additionally, their talents have brought them individual successes which continually hold heavy influence over this current project. Nineteen-year-old Eslava has been shooting since he was 16 and since then has shot for brands and publications including SPIN, NYLON, and PUMA. Hajin Bae's presence in Korea's art world spans from being an illustrator, graphic designer and art director -- a jack (or Jill!) of all trades -- and her body of commercial work includes album cover designs and poster/flyer works.
Highlighting the talents of these two young people further shows that utilizing one's resources, experimenting artistically and being able to compromise can help a little idea go a long way.
To see more of Bryjins visit their website.