1- Human Chuo

I'm so exited to star this project with a great friend of mine: Human Chuo; an artist & painter based in Paris, France. I hope you enjoy this interview with her for Gifted Creativity Interviews.

Thank you so much for your time and for trying to figure out this call, which was very complicated at the beginning. I'm thrilled that we can make this happen. I have a few questions prepared. There is one first question I want to ask everybody the same. 

What is creativity for you? What's your definition of creativity in your artistic process?

What is creativity for me? I think it's just to make something new for myself. Something that I can express in my art. I think it's more like my taste, my art, and my emotions at the moment. It's kind of like an innovation. 

And in that sense, where do you find a source of inspiration for your art? 

I’ve always found deep inspiration in fetish. What draws me in is not only the erotic tension but also the visual poetry within it. I'm particularly influenced by vintage Japanese fetish aesthetics—especially from the 60s, 70s, and 80s. Artists like Nobuyoshi Araki, Suehiro Maruo, Shuji Terayama, and Takato Yamamoto have profoundly shaped my sensibility. Their works, whether through photography, manga, or theatre, merge sensuality with melancholy, and fantasy with decay.

I was born in the late 80s and came of age in the 90s, so much of the imagery and atmosphere that formed me came from that era. When I create today—whether it's a performance, a scene, or a visual piece—the first thing that comes to mind is always the aesthetic. And for me, that aesthetic is inseparable from the nostalgic, dreamlike world of vintage Japanese fetish art.

So, your inspiration comes from ideas that already exist? Is recreating part of it? 

I wouldn’t say I’m recreating—it's more about entering a certain atmosphere. I immerse myself in a vibe, then let it guide my own expression. I’m deeply drawn to the fetish world, but also to surrealism. Artists like René Magritte, Marc Chagall, and Salvador Dalí inspire me because their work transcends reality. Surrealism opens the mind—it invites us into a world where logic dissolves and desire, mystery, and symbolism take over.

Cool. You mentioned that the period in which you grew up did bring a lot of inspiration for you. Would you say that your upbringing and the culture that you grew up in, somehow shaped the way you view creativity or I’m tripping? 

I think we form our values and we shape our taste and aesthetic mostly in our childhood or in teenagehood. So, the aesthetic I formed at that moment is because I watched a lot of this kind of art then. After I became an adult, it's already shaped. It's done. 

What I'm trying to do as an adult is explore a little bit, but stay in the same aesthetic. 

You would say that in the other facets as an artist, like fashion - I know that you dedicated your artistry to fashion too - it's also applied to this thought process? Or do you apply differently depending on which type of art you practice? 

What I see is the whole thing. I try to keep my main aesthetic always in the same way, but as I'm an artist and try to do different things, also there's the marketing, you know. Perhaps for my tattoo, I will orient a little bit to the marketing, which makes it easier to be accepted by the clients. But for fashion, I studied fashion for many years, so fashion is also something that you cannot fully express yourself either. You always need to think about whether it is wearable or doable if there's some technical problem to be solved.

Ah, because I'm using social media like Instagram or other apps, there are many restrictions, right? 

So it kind of gives me the feeling of being in a cage. Doing something is OK, to show to everyone or if I want to fully express myself, maybe I will not be able to show it in public, either. 

Ok. And how do those restrictions affect your art?

You know, some artists when they find moments or positions of restriction for their art, there is a tendency to reinvent themselves and be even more creative. But some other artists feel blocked by that. On which side do you think you are more inclined with your art in regards to restrictions?

I think we should not see it as a block but even though it is a block with that shadowban, I will always try to find a way to do it and also I can do something more underground, just for my own pleasure and also on the other hand, I do something more acceptable for the other people. 

So, I would never stop my creation because of this or what. It's just a kind of adjustment. 

Do you feel tempted sometimes to do something totally different that you could not recognize as your branding? Or you're very conformed and content about doing that same style and keep doing the same aesthetics and playing around with it a little bit? 

For me, I think I have tried with other artists, even for shooting and other forms of art to try different styles. But it's an experience for me.

But it's not something to really express myself, either, because I think at the end of the day, what's most recognizable for artists is you have your own style. If you go to many different styles, then you lose your identity as an artist. 

So I think it's important to have something signature as an artist, then when people see an artwork, they know like, “Okay, it's Human Chuo’s choice, it's her”.

And then maybe you can just use other tools, techniques, or maybe nowadays I'm testing to do 3D. It's kind of new for me because I used to just work with my own hands painting in a more traditional way. But for example, if I do 3D it's like a new form but my style and my aesthetic will still keep it in the same way. 

So when people see a sculpture or whatever, they will still think, “Oh, it's her work”. 

Okay, that's nice. I see that a lot, I think this is exactly the point where it's very clear on the artist's identity when it's formed and they have a style, or when they're crumbling everywhere. There is this sense of belonging in the style itself, you feel that you can lean in, and you feel comfortable in what you're doing, even though you can explore other things. There is this sense of identity that's very rooted in that. I like it. This is something I see a lot. 

I wanted to ask about your presence on social media. You sell pictures, you sell drawings and paintings, and you have done so many different things like books, expositions, tattoos, etc.

So all of those things, in a way, are like the final product, the piece of art that you create, you end up like advertising and then being out there, marketing your work, but I wanted to know that if even being so present on social media, marketing your presence, do you create regardless of selling?

Do you sit down and just draw for drawing and paint for painting? 

First of all, I don’t really create products, because when I paint, it’s not for sale. My art is personal—it's for myself, for my own pleasure. I’m not looking to sell it. People sometimes reach out wanting to buy, but I rarely respond.

With painting or certain photo shoots, I see it as something sacred—meant to be admired, maybe even worshipped, not commercialized.

Tattooing, however, is different. It’s a direct form of art that I want people to wear, to carry with them. It connects more with the market, so I treat it separately. When I do tattoos, I think about pricing and structure. But when I create for myself, I don’t think about money. I just follow my aesthetic.

Interesting. I'm very happy to hear that. You first make art for yourself.

When you are in the process of making art and you feel like there is a sense of completion in the work you did, how important is it to expose your work, like putting it out there? 

I don’t often show my work in physical galleries or group exhibitions. One reason is that in group shows, your work might be placed next to pieces that don’t align with your aesthetic, which can disrupt the overall perception.

Instead, I prefer sharing my creations on my own social media. For me, it’s deeply satisfying to see my body of work grow over time—it feels a bit like collecting stamps.

I don’t really create for validation. Whether people like it or not isn’t my main concern. But of course, when I receive positive feedback—likes, comments, thoughtful messages—it adds to the satisfaction. Still, I would say that the act of creating itself already brings me a deep sense of fulfillment.

Even if you are very conscious about not putting validation from social media at a high position when it comes to creating and showing your creations, do you think sometimes this permeates your artistic process because it’s a constant force?

I think when I create an artwork, I already have my dose of satisfaction there. So, after, if I have some good feedback, it's just like a bonus, but I already have enough, if it's just dropped. I just don't care, like people might not understand or I will say it's more because of the shadowband and people didn’t see it. I think I'm more disappointed with rules like Instagram restrictions. 

The system itself, but not at the people. 

Okay, I see. Is there a specialness or a specific energy that you feel while creating and being creative? 

For me, I think I'm very used to it. Like all my life, I'm just doing this. So I don't feel that special, but sometimes if I'm not creating, I will feel more depressed. I always admire people who create things, or when people ask me to hang out or something, if they just say, "Oh, let's hang out, let's have a drink," or something like that, I don't like it. But if people just tell me, “Okay, let's create something” and if I like the aesthetic of this person, I will be super happy, like I feel boosted. 

Yes, so nice. For you, to be creative is to be in a normal state, the regular for you is to be creative? 

Yes, I think also there's never a lack of creativity for me. It's just a lack of motivation. Creativity is always there, but you need to have the motivation to do things. This is very difficult. We are all nowadays very attached to our phones, Instagram, we can spend hours on it and then you lose your motivation to create because it's so easy to watch videos and just hang like this. This can make me feel more down. 

Motivation is much more difficult than creating. 

Because you talk about motivation and the action to be creative. Do you have a specific ritual, or structure for your life to maintain that creative machinery, or do you just let it flow and let things happen by themselves? 

I don't have routines or habits. So it's really when I have motivation, I do it. 

Oh, it’s more spontaneous for you. Okay, okay. And how do you feel about this relationship between acting on your creativity and depending on the spontaneity of the motivation kicking in? 

This was the way for me in the past 30 years, and I am not someone who really likes to work very diligently. I am really lazy and I don't have rules, I like my whole life just to be free. But nowadays that I’m growing older, I am trying to see where my potential can go, so I know in the past years I have this potential to do things, but because I'm lazy, because I'm shy, because I don't want to talk with people, I just miss a lot of opportunities. Nowadays, I would like to be more active myself.

So what I'm doing right now, we are opening a studio in Paris. It will be like the Atelier studio with other artists, my partner is one of them. So, we just got this space, we haven't settled down yet, but once we settle down everything, I will try to go there every day during the daytime to force myself to be completely focused to create and I would have other artists around me because we are five. So, you will see that if someone is working you will not go to watch your phone, you are forcing yourself to create. You want to build an environment for creation and action. 

I always liked to work alone, I don't like collaborations or working with other people or teamwork. It's something I really dislike. I prefer to do everything myself individually. But if in the same space, you feel the others' energy, people are also working, maybe you will feel ashamed if you don't work enough. So it's something that I'm trying to explore at the moment or soon. 

Oh, that's interesting!

I want to change my habits. It's about ambitions because when I was in China in school, I had more ambitions because I'm not really competitive with other people, I just feel like I don't want other people to be better than me. So when I was in school, I tried to be the best.

And then, after 10-14 years in France now, I think I changed a lot, I became much more chill, I don't want to compare myself. It's like I slow down a lot. 

So, why do you think moving to France slowed you down? 

Because of this new life in a new country in a different environment and culture, it's kind of natural to slow down. And then you lower your comparison to others, as like the culture is not so competitive here, and I don't feel this competitive energy in France, then I do less, and I miss the ambitiousness like before. Like I used to have more ambitions, so I pushed myself to go forward.

I lost ambition in my studies, in my arts, and in many things, and nowadays I feel that a person is more attractive when they are ambitious. I want to push myself to see if I have more potential to do more things and to create more things. 

And what does success look like for you? Do you seek to be successful? And if yes, what does that mean for you? What is the substance about it? 

That’s a good question. I always try to push myself to move forward, but I find it hard to define a clear goal. People often say you need to set a goal and then work toward it—but for me, it’s more about walking forward, even if I don’t know exactly what lies ahead.

It feels mysterious, undefined. I don’t really know how to describe "success" in a concrete way. Of course, I have desires—like having a big loft where I can live and create, or an entire space I could design and fill with my own aesthetics and artworks. That kind of dream could be seen as a goal.

But I don’t think in terms of specific numbers, like one million or two million. That’s not how I measure things. I just know I want to keep moving, evolving, and discovering.

What is the thing that you're walking/working towards when you create if you don’t have a clear goal? 

I'm going up a mountain. I don't know what's there in the end, but I know that I'm going up. 

Do you have an intuition? Like something that drives you to go in a direction that you don't know where right now? 

No, it's not something leading me, but it's more like a need to push myself up. So, every project I do, every person I meet or something. It's destiny, I do this, and it makes me go one more step like that. Basically, I do this thing, I go to explore. I don't know where I'm going, but I want to see where it takes me, curiosity. But I'm not lost either. I know there's a way to go to a place, but I don't know exactly where it is. But I'm still walking toward it, I know where I'm going, but I don't know what is waiting for me. 

Okay, interesting. I think I understand more what you mean about working towards now. One more question, if you're okay with that. To conclude those interviews with the same question in common. 

Is there anything that you could share from your perspective that can be helpful for somebody who might be reading this interview, as you being somebody who has a lot of experience in your niche and doing art, you have gone through a lot of things too. Any advice for somebody who is feeling a creative block? 

Yes, I have two thoughts. First, and it might sound a bit harsh, but I believe creativity is a gift—something you're born with. Not everyone has it, and that can be a difficult truth for some to accept. In my opinion, only a few people are truly gifted in this way.

Second, for those who are not naturally gifted but still want to pursue creativity, it requires an incredible amount of work and dedication. If you feel blocked or uninspired, maybe take a moment to reflect: are you truly gifted in this path? If not, and if you don’t want to live a life that’s only about paying the bills, then you must either work extremely hard in something else—or use your gift, if you have one.

It’s sad to see talented people who never use their gifts because life weighs them down. At the same time, there are people with strong will but less creative instinct—they want to create, but can’t quite reach what they envision. It’s tricky.

So I would say: don’t see art or creativity as your “career” unless it truly gives you joy. Do it if it brings you satisfaction. If the process of creating makes you feel alive, that’s already enough. But don’t suffer. If creating makes you feel frustrated, uninspired, or empty—maybe take a break. Try 

something else. Make your life better first. Creativity should come from joy, not pain.

Okay, that wonderful advice. Thank you so much for your time and for sharing our thoughts with me. It's funny you say that creativity it's a gift because this project I'm doing with the interviews it's called "Gifted Creativity". Such synchronicity! I'm so happy to see you and hear about you and your future. Congratulations about the art space too, this is amazing. I hope it goes super well and that you have an abundance of work and energy flowing there that you can fill in your life.

Please, follow Human Chuo's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/humanchuo/