Hello Kazu,

 First thank you for accepting to answer our questions!

Broken Laces:  We read in an interview that you wanted to be a poet and branch out to illustration, do you still write or do you channel all your creativity in your illustrations?

Kazu: Yes, I wrote novels before, now I'm more into illustration. I'd love to continue both, and even combine them.
When I draw, I forget where I am. What I create becomes more important than this world. But, when I wrote in the past, I forgot who I was. So many characters, I thought I was one of them! Their words were mine, their laughs came from my mind… When I draw now, I contemplate lines coming together, to play a scene, or some kind of spectacle. I try to always improvise a picture, like that I'm the spectator. Soon enough, I hope to draw a bridge between the two: illustration and words (poetry or novels).


Broken Laces: Your work is never bland or meaningless, there are a lot of political, cultural, social references, something as a manifesto, what are the roots for this direction in your art?

Kazu: I watch TV. Sometime I dream about my TV. I still have one of those old models. There's a love/hate relationship between me and that flat world of beautiful people, peculiar emotions, and the news-cycle that we see on TV. Some people say TV's useless. But it can be a tool to learn about other cultures' states of mind. Distances between countries are virtually no-more. I believe dreams are an important part of existence. Artists are those who are the bridge between the world of dreams, and this world. My goal is to catch a dream, and, stretch it on a canvas. I'm not a TV, I don't want to tell people what to think! I'm an artist, I want to show my viewers some magic tricks…


Broken Laces: You live in Malaysia, do you believe that part of your art is inspired by your environment, or local imagery or do you traces your influences elsewhere?

Kazu: I'm a fan of the word culture in its wider term. I don't really care about borders, nor frames of mind. Malaysia is a beautiful country with so many different colors that come together, like an abstract painting . I love all cultures. I mean one culture is like a color palette to me, like a plate of food. We wear different clothes, but we have many things in common. I focus on the things we have in common. I wish to be inspired by everything.


Broken Laces: is there a local scene? Do you know local artists that you hang out with and collaborate?

Kazu: I don't go out often enough to mix with them, but I know few artists here. Hello you guys! I'm super happy, people are really kind. There's something about the Asian way that I love. It's mysterious, it's beautiful. I'd like to collaborate with every one. A collaboration is about making worlds connect, and have a lot of fun while at it. Let's party !

Broken Laces: A lot of your creations are very three dimensional, are you going to work on new mediums like art toys or sculpture versions of your designs?

Kazu: I'd love to. But let's make them for kids, not adults… Kids are those who are really playing with them…

Broken Laces: It seems that you have a very positive attitude, toward life as an artist, and life in general, what is your secret? where does all this wisdom comes from? do you meditate?

Kazu: To my understanding, to meditate is used to stop the flow of thinking, for some amount of time. My technique is not to think at all, so I never have to meditate? Seriously, when I have to do something, I just do it. I don't spend time thinking about it so much. No doubts, no procrastinating.

Broken Laces: Your passion for cartoons seem to be driving your art, you cartoonize public figures so to speak, do you have new art directions in mind, what are your projects for the coming year?

Kazu: Que sera, sera. My plan is to be a better artist. Everyday, be better. I'd love to be famous enough for someone to cartoon me ! Haha…
I'd love to focus on unknown heroes, though. I love people who should be famous, for their talent, their inner flame, but that for some reason find it difficult to spread their fire. Those people are extraordinary to my eyes.
I'd love to be a better artist, to be a better at explaining what's inside my mind… The good pictures always come by surprise, even to me, because there's some kind of happy ending to it. Usually, no one expects the positive note I would make on a guy everybody hates. Even me.
The good side in everything, is my theme for the coming year. I hope so.


Broken Laces: We heard you were going to listen to more music? So what's your playlist for the summer? What are you listening to right now?

Kazu: When I was an adolescent, my first love was to collect music. I made multitudes of tapes with my favorites songs.
But now I'm pretty much focused on my sense of sight. I love to contemplate things, even static things. I can hear a lot of different layers of silence. Nothingness is like an ocean I surf. I love this life without too much artifices. But I draw most of the time, and not so much time to change the tracks, nor to collect the music…
However, I believe the love of music in me, needs to re-burst very soon. Some vector animation projects could be coming down the track…

Broken Laces: This is your expression space, if there is something you wish to say , just add it here.

Kazu: I would like to say, just draw, guys, never stop. Be who you want to be, this whole storyboard is a beautiful spectacle. Think only thankful things, be thankful for the gift of the existence, the rest forget it. Keep trouble far from your heart. This world is a piece of art. Don't let negativity bite into it.

http://kazulivingstone.daportfolio.com/