In this episode I sit down with illustrator Youki Iimori for a frank conversation about the realities of building an artistic life—creative identity, comparison, intention, and the pressure to make work that "sells."  Youki was part of Art/Lab: Jewish Arts and Culture's third cohort.  Youki talks openly about early talent, hitting a wall of self-comparison, an ADHD diagnosis that arrived much later, and the long aftermath of trying to make art while fighting a loud inner critic.

We get into how animation, manga/anime, and gaming shaped Youki's visual instincts, and why intent—not medium, not market—determines whether something is art. That takes us through Duchamp's urinal, bananas duct-taped to gallery walls, the economics of contemporary art, and why a game like Undertale can carry more artistic coherence than many prestige museum pieces.

We also talk about Youki's Jewish upbringing,  the Jewish ideas that sit under the surface for Youki—not as symbols or motifs but as conceptual frameworks—and how those Jewish concepts might surface more clearly in long-form work like comics or animation. And throughout the conversation, we keep returning to a central question: what happens to an artist's work when they stop comparing themselves to everyone around them and start making the things they actually enjoy?

You'll hear about the challenge of finding one's voice, the pull between pure creativity and professional expectations, and the choice to relieve financial pressure so art can breathe again.

Show Notes: 

Art/Lab: artlabpdx.org

Youki Imori (Ee-mori): yiillus.com

 "Why Undertale is a Timeless Masterpiece" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o79TiRMgLmw (note: this is not a recomendation from Youki)

Museum of Modern Art page on Barnett Newman (painter) https://www.moma.org/artists/4285-barnett-newman

The podcast is a production of Rabbi Josh Rose with support of Art/Lab.  Theme music created by Rabbi Josh Rose