KCrush Interview Mareykrap

We always make it our mission to bring you interesting interviews from people who have unique stories to tell. We interviewed the talented Park Yeram, who goes by the name Mareykrap. Here, you can find about how she attained the unique pseudonym, how and why she became an artist and so much more.

We’d like to wish Ms. Park a very big thank you for the great interview, and hope our readers will love reading and getting to know more about the amazing artist. 

Thank you for taking the time out for a KCrush interview. Please introduce yourself to our readers.

Hello, nice to meet you all. I am Park Yeram, and I use the pseudonym “Mareykrap” for my work. I am an artist who produces moving illustrations and animation.

How did you come to call yourself by the name Mareykrap?

“Mareykrap” actually derived from my name, Park Yeram. I did not really wish to use my legal name for work but I didn’t want to select a word that had nothing to do with my real name either. Since high school, I’ve been using an id which is the spelling of my name, backwards. It’s still my name but has an unfamiliar feel and uniqueness to it, so that’s how I began using it.

Tell us about your work? Was it your dream to become an artist from an early age?

I wanted to become a fashion designer since I was in high school, so I enrolled into fashion design department at university. However, in time, I felt that I was doing something that wasn’t really suited to me. So, after struggling for some time, I came up with the conclusion that I wanted to tell my story, instead of being swayed by trend or what other people think.

That’s how I began drawing, which was something that I loved to do since I was very young. When I began doing things my way, I eventually came to be doing what I am presently doing.

How were you inspired to create My Name is Red-Haired Anne – I’M JUST ME music video?

For the exhibition currently held at Galleria Foret, I was given the task of working on Chapter 1. A Poor Orphan Girl and Chapter 8. Independent Women. And, Chapter 8 was the area where “I’m Just Me” music video was displayed.

The producer-in-charge suggested that the “Independent Anne” should be of a music video that I interpreted, so I imagined what Ann in the novel would be like if she was living in the year 2019. I was inspired by Anne’s behavior and what she said in the book, and in the story, Marilla scolds her for being too concerned about her looks. But the Anne living in 2019, overcomes her complex and becomes an actress who gets to walk on a red carpet.

In the novel, Anne was living in a society where girls didn’t have to be educate, they only had to be married off well, or women cannot become ministers or lecture in public. But actually, Anne studied hard, with Gilbert as her rival, and had her own dreams. Since she always voiced her opinions, so even if she was living in the present, I imagined that she could’ve even become a president or a politician. I wanted to express Anne as someone who overcame her inferior complex, and fulfilled her dreams in whatever circumstances she was put through, in a defiant and independent way. Because Anne’s personality was like that originally in the book, it was a great feeling to imagine what she would have been like in our modern society.

Did you normally feel a special connection to Anne Shirley?

I think I had a lot of connection to Anne since I was in elementary school. Not just from the TV animation, but I recall my parents gifting me the whole Anne of Green Gables sequels collection by Lucy Maud Montgomery. I had so many other books that I had thrown away whenever we moved to another house or if I grew out of them – but strangely, I always kept the Anne books. I would read the books secretly during class because they were so entertaining, so I think I was influenced by the character “Anne” as a result.

I was lucky to have grown up with a character like Anne, who would always express herself defiantly and able to grow up holding onto her emotions fully. She wouldn’t run away from her troubles but faced them passionately and endured through it all. So, when I was offered to participate in the My name is Red-haired Anne exhibition, I had zero reason not to take part in it.

When do you feel the most rewarded? Tell us about some of your most memorable work.

I guess, I feel the happiest and rewarded when I come up with a piece of work that I am satisfied with, although this doesn’t happen often. If something that I had been working on gets revealed to the world, and even if one single person gets a positive vibe or gets stimulated by it, I think I feel rewarded. And the same goes when I find more people that I want to work with. Because I haven’t been working for long, all my past works are memorable but my most recent Billboard animation work at Hong Kong’s Sogo department store, My name is Red-haired Anne exhibition, and Punchnello – Blue Howaii music video stay in my memory the most.

Who do you have the most respect or admiration for?

I respect Vincent Van Gogh and his younger brother Theo Gogh the most.

I admire the fact that Vincent Van Gogh fought so hard with loneliness when no one realized his potential, while Theo believed in his older brother until the end. Not everyone gets to win the battle over oneself – I often read the letters the Van Gogh brothers wrote to each other when I am so tired during work, and get condolence out of it, it helps to overcome things that I’m going through.

Do you have a preference to a certain color or shade for your work?

Before I began working as an artist, I had definite colors that I liked and disliked. But strangely, there’s no longer colors that I dislike anymore and I felt that all colors hold their own advantages. The important thing is that I don’t regard a color, just one color but something that consists of many other colors.

An example would be that a certain color might look frightful when it’s next to color A but it could be the best when it’s next to color B. Since every color has its pros and cons.

What do you like to do for leisure or hobby?

I love films. I binge on films that I’ve wanted to watch on my days off. I can learn a lot through watching films, I think. I want to write a script/story, and make it into an animation or a film. I also have an interest in clothes and beauty as well, so I love glamming up my friends. I am always happy when I am creating things with my hands.

Where do you think is the best place for tourism in Korea?

I love Seoul the best and also places like Busan, Jeju Island, Geojae Island and Gangwondo stays in my mind too. I think foreigners would love Seoul the most, because the most Korean-like things all exist intensively here, in my opinion.

Could you lend a word of advice for people who wish to become artists?

I think, the most important thing is to trust and back yourself up. Because in truth, this is the loneliest kind of job in a way.

At certain times like this, you need to talk to yourself the most and trust in your instincts. All the answers to your issues usually lie within yourself. I hope that you don’t neglect yourself because you’re worried about what other people think. 

Please let us know about your future hopes and plans.

What I really want to do in the future, is to tell my story in my own way, whether it be through pictures, animation, videos or films. It’s a great thing to collaborate with other people too but it’s my ultimate dream to create something of my own as a whole. But there’s so much to learn through doing collaborations too, so I want to get involved to experience diverse works with others in the near future, as well as doing stuff on my own.

–J. Chung.