“Draw something you feel shame is better than nothing!” – Kim, a baker from Seoul

Hello, Design Sketchers!

Too many beginners are afraid of sketching, being afraid of what other people may think.
They feel so ashamed of showing their ‘ugly drawings’ they don’t even want to draw at all!

It’s like: I feel I love singing! But I can’t sing, so I don’t sing.”
But then how are you gonna learn how to sing?

This is why I have today an inspiring story to share with you that does not come from a designer, but from a baker from Seoul who sketch. 

His name is Kim Wooyoung, a Korean baker who Sketches his bakeries before making them. (Yes, yes! Design is everywhere, and it’s also about food!) Kim has no skills in drawing, but he still sketches and gets super creative!

He’s also a great example of perseverance in pursuing his dream to become a baker, in a country where success is equal to “being a doctor or a lawyer”.

Some of you, aspiring designers may relate to his story.

“Courage is not the lack of fear. It’s feeling fear but still acting.” – Tony Robbins.

Kim doesn’t try to draw “realistic sketches” or neither good ones.

He would draw a ‘Pain aux raisins’ (Bread with grapes) with a simple spiral with a few little shapes in 2 seconds and it’s done!

All he needs is to have a quick memo of his idea so he won’t lose it the day he needs it.

TIP: When you got a new idea, draw it fast, and do it now.
Then later on, you can take your time to devleopp it further.

Kim sketches to innovate, test, and propose new products to his clients.
His drawings are pretty naive. But do not underestimate them.
These “clumsy sketches” make his business grow.

Why?

Because what matters most for him is the idea.

He could have considered himself not talented in drawing and decided not to sketch anything.
Instead, he created a simple system that works well for him – where he’s the creator but also the decision-maker.
He does not have to show them to convince anyone else.

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TO SUCCEED, KIM INVESTED IN HIMSELF

Kim learned baking in France for 3 years. (So we spoke in French, my native tongue).

When most Korean students going abroad are sponsored by their parents, Kim pays for all.
He invested his savings to learn baking and become a professional.
He flew to Paris without speaking a word in French, and bet all his savings to come back as a professional baker.

• He started to study French for 6 months
• Then 6 more to study bakery
• And 2 years working as a professional.

He’s now back in Seoul, and opened his bakery just 1 month ago with his friend!
His 3 years investment finally pays out. He runs his bakery and designs his creations.

Too many beginners refuse to sketch because they can’t sketch.
But then, when are you gonna start ?

A french expression says: “The snake is bitting its tail”.
Are you biting your tail ?

If yes,  stop feeling shame.
People won’t care you today level, but they will care your progression.
To do so, you gotta make your first steps at sketching.
Do not worry about other people thinking. It does not matter.

Draw and feel how much you enjoy creating new ideas in your mind and dropping them on paper. Kim may not be the greatest sketcher, but he did that first step and I think he realised his creative dream as a baker.

Kim is a calm, humble, and smiley person.
However, what he accomplished impressed me.
You know, it’s the kind of people who are quiet but have amazing stories to hear and learn about. 
I wanted to know more and asked him some questions:

Chou-Tac: How do you get your ideas to create?

Kim: I spend a lot of time thinking.

Chou-Tac: Do you sketch your ideas?

Kim: Yes

Chou-Tac: Would you be ok to show me your sketches? You might inspire the readers of my blog about product design sketching. I wanna show that creativity comes from anywhere. Not only from a design studio.

Kim: Yes, but I feel ashamed to show my drawings.

Chou-Tac: Don’t worry. What matters most is not the quality of your sketches, it’s how they help you.

Kim: The sketches are in my house. Can I bring tomorrow ?

Chou-Tac: Yes, I’ll be back to meet you again! 🙂

A day later, I am flipping the pages of Kim’s sketchbooks.
The sketchbooks are cheap notebooks.
Nothing fancy, nor “arty feel”.

There are even some French and English misspellings on the cover.
Once again, what matters are the ideas, not the “packaging”.

TIP: DO NOT BUY EXPENSIVE SKETCHBOOK

Beginners tend to start looking for legitimity to build self-confidence.
So they buy an expensive Sketchbook.

“I invest in expensive and quality material, I am training hard to be a designer.”
Wrong. The inverse effect may apply.

Buy an expensive sketchbook with a thick and nice cover, and you may end leaving it empty – being to worried to spoil it with your beginner sketches.

As a beginner, you wanna spend most of your time exploring techniques, learn, failing, iterate…

Get a cheap sketchbook or draw on spare paper (you can gather with a plier), so you won’t be afraid of failing.
By definition, a sketch book is not a gallery of beautiful sketches like what you see on internet.
A sketchbook is a place where you gather your ideas and improve.
Remember that a sketch = unfinished drawing.

Kim’s sketchbooks are his “Research idea center”, not a portfolio of beautiful drawings.

 

Kim: I need to put my ideas for recipes on paper to release them. I can refer back to them anytime. But my sketches are not good I am not sure you understand.

Chou-Tac: I do understand. But these sketches are made for yourself only. They are not aimed to be shown to others, right? So what matters is that the sketches talk to you.

Kim: Yes exactly. The sketches “talk to me”.

Chou-Tac: When you see your sketches, it reactivates your memory and associates it with texture, the crips, the colors, the volume… and so on. Your sketches are connected to your visual memory.

Kim: Yes, and it’s also about perfume.

When do you like sketching?

Kim: I especially like to sketch at home before sleeping. When I am alone. It’s quiet.

Did you learn sketching at your bakery school in France?

Kim: No, no. There is no course for that. Sketching is not compulsory. In fact, in a bakery, we do not sketch. I was inspired by my friends in France who study arts.

How long does it take you to make a sketch?

Kim: Very fast. It can be 1 minute. When I have an idea, I can experiment with it fast and propose it to my clients the day after.

“The question is not what you look at, but what you see.”
― Henry David Thoreau

What is the difference between French and Korean bread?

In Korea I can propose a lot more creative products, we look for variety and novelties.
In France we look for tradition, we pursue excellence and quality.
There is no right or wrong. It’s for me two different pleasures as a Baker to accomplish.

In Korea, bread is considered like a dessert. This is why many breads are sweet and soft. The Korean word for “Bread” is the same as for “Cake”.

TIP: As a product designer, look for cultural difference ans specificities, so you can better create for local people. Your vision and interpreation may not be right. Do not only feed your memory of forms. Travel and meet people to enrich your “Culture memory” !
Bonus TIP: If you are student, I recommend you to study a foreign country for your graduaction project. That’s where you will find a lot of treasures and impress your jury with a meaningful project.

How does it affect your process of creation?

Korea loves fashion, change, novelties. French bread has a lot of regulations to respect: Gramms, measurement, aspects… But in Korea, there is no such rule! We can do anything we want. I like to reinvent the basics into new creations. The components that matter are the combination of Aspect, perfume, colour… We mainly look for the harmony.

However, the taste is not the top priority here. The aesthetic yes. It’s the experience of trying something new that matters most. If a Korean try something and it’s not good, it’s fine. He will try something else. Here in Korea, I worked for “Tous les jours” (A Korean-French bakery brand) where I was part of the research and development team.

I miss the research of quality though like we do in France. But Korea offers me more freedom in my creation. I personnaly enjoy Patisserie. So I try to input that fun inside my bakeries. One day I wish to go back to France to study Patisserie because it’s very creative!

Does it happen that you sketch something, and the day after, we can find your product on the shelves?

Yes. I can experiment fast. My clients enjoy coming back and discovering new things!

Do you always sketch your ideas?

Sometimes, I realize it on the spot. But most of the time I sketch my ideas first.

Why did you choose COPAIN as you brand name?

“COPAIN” has 2 definitions: The first one means friendship. I want a place where my clients feel good and friendly. The second meaning is Shaing bread (Co-Pain). People who share bread or food are basically friends. Plus I look for a warm friendship, like bread.

I have learned a lot from you. Especially what matters the most is the good look of the sketch, but the idea on paper.

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The lesson I extract from your experience is that: If you are afraid of sketching and making ugly ones, you stagnate at level 0. However, if you do clumsy sketches and keep going, it’s enough for you to create beautiful products.

Sketching something clumsy will bring THOUSAND MILES further than sketching nothing. Don’t be afraid, and start!

Education in Korea puts a lot of pressure on students.

I met Kim again a few days later to take a picture with him.
We chit-chat about the difference between the education culture in Korea and in France.

Chou-Tac: Hey Kim, Korean students have a lot of pressure about their degrees and path to universities right?

Kim: Yes, in Korea we need to show to our family and the society that we succeed.
To do so, becoming wealthy is the best sign of a life’s success.

Chou-Tac: Do you mean you need a big house, a big car so your family can be proud?

Kim: Definitely. We are under a lot of pressure to become a doctor, a lawyer, and so on and join a big company like Samsung for example.

Chou-Tac: I see. In France there are a lot of people also like that though.

Kim: Oh yeah?

Chou-Tac: Yes, but of course not as predominant as in Korea.

Kim: I felt in France people could do whatever they like.

Chou-Tac: That’s true. We have more freedom to follow our path. In France, if you wanna become a baker, a chef, or anything is welcome. At 16 years old, you can follow a lot of professional training.

Kim: Yes, it’s called the ‘CAP Boulanger’ degree.

Chou-Tac: When I was young, a lot of young students who didn’t like school took this path. A good number of them succeed, while some highly graduated students will struggle to look for a job. Why? Because we’ll always need their skills.

Chou-Tac: How did you manage to convince your parents to let you go study bakery in France?

Kim: Usually in Korea, parents pay all the fees for their kids abroad.
In my case, I decided to pay for everything: the flight ticket, the studies and so on… I saved money and I could work in France while I studied too.

Chou-Tac: Wow! You are a great example of motivation! I admire you follow doing what you love and pursuing your dream.

I also agree to succeed, there is no need to become rich for the sake of showing off your big house or car. Success is about being happy working in something we love.

Kim: There is no point accumulating things.
When you are rich, you are tempted to buy many things. And to me, when I own many things, I am confused.

Chou-Tac: Haha! Yes, it’s like Obama (when he was president) who does not have to decide about his clothing or meal of the day. So he has fewer things to think about.

Kim: Mark Zuckerberg as well! I saw a documentary showing this is the reason why he wears a jean and a T-shirt every day.

Chou-Tac: Congrats Kim, for opening your bakery and being so creative!
And thank you for sharing with us your amazing experience :).

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I appreciate Kim’s wisdom. He’s young, and humble and demonstrates his motivation not by words but the acts. I believe his parents are proud of his entrepreneurial spirit.

“We have only one life. Make it meaningful.”

Don’t get me wrong, above we are not saying getting wealthy is wrong. But that should not be the priority: The passion is. We have only one life. Make it meaningful.

Another point is that there is no right or wrong about culture and society. We all have different stories. I went to the National Museum in Korea. It showed how the country evolved from a farmer’s land to a superpower in less than 50 years despite the wars. For the country to stand up, education has to be at the center of everything. A few decades ago, kids used to study in the woods as their school was demolished. Now in 2017, education is still at the center of everything.

“Safety may not always be the best answer to happiness.”

Wherever you come from. If you have difficulties convincing your parents, try to understand their point of view, and where they come from. All parents want their kids safe and healthy. Even though safety may not always be the best answer to happiness. In a civilization where hunger was the priority, we could realize the gap in the generation mindset. So never get mad at them. It’s your role to tell them what you want and look for ways to get your independence to follow your own choices. Remember that there is no single way to become a designer.

Besides that, let me share with you more pictures of the yummy food made by Kim and his team !:9