Deep-Sea Drawing – Yugyeong Kim

Drawing and whale watching: what could these two hobbies possibly have in common? The former is a skill developed by amateurs and professionals alike over many years of practice, often as a way to de-stress, while the latter takes adventurous individuals passionate about marine life hundreds of miles away from their homes to catch a glimpse of one of nature’s most astonishing mammals. But for Yugyeong Kim, of the Samsung Smart City Wireless Manufacturing team, the two go hand-in-hand, as she possesses a unique passion – drawing whales.

One of Kim’s dynamic whale drawings

Given the tireless attitude and commitment necessary for her hobby, it is no small feat that Kim manages to balance this fintastic hobby with her working life, along with studying at Samsung’s Corporate University. Having come a long way since she first started doodling as a teenager, Kim’s story is a testament to the fact that with the right attitude, the possibilities are as wide as the ocean.

Crazy for Cetaceans

As a young girl, Kim was always doodling, and often found herself drawn to marine subjects, embracing the undulating curves of the seas’ waves. While exploring this subject matter further, she realized a key staple of the photos and videos she was taking inspiration from was the iconic ocean-dweller, the whale. No matter the region, continent or ocean, whales are always a constant, she noticed. Therefore, when she came to take her first typography design class in high school, it was these migratory mammals that took center stage in her pictures.

Kim’s first whale drawing

“I was so happy as I was drawing whales,” reminisces Kim. “I wanted to be someone who is like the whale, able to conquer any ocean ahead!” So, she made the decision to keep up her drawing with whales as her focus in order to develop her skills and to share this realization with others.

Kim’s friends and colleagues at Samsung describe her as an all-round entertainer with true ‘whale mania’, for even though she is kept very busy with work, drawing and study, she is always happy to share her drawings with others. Her instructing professor even characterizes her as “avaricious and active all the time, just like a whale”. Keen to involve those around her in her passion Kim creates drawings not just for herself; many are in black and white so that others might add their own colors to them and create something uniquely theirs.

Some of Kim’s black and white drawings

Drawing with Poirpose

Once she started working full-time, Kim found herself with a lot less time on her hands to dedicate to drawing whales. Working in the Smart City Wireless Manufacturing unit, Kim’s main role is to manage the jig, a piece of equipment for automated facilities that guides the manufacturing parts of mobile devices. Responsible for managing and checking them for repair, Kim has her hands full, as every automated line has a considerable number of jigs.

Kim hard at work managing a jig

However, all of this changed when she began studying whilst working at Samsung’s Corporate University, where she was able to take up drawing classes and have her “time with the whales” once again. This development transformed Kim; “as I started to study drawing regularly, I was able to gain lots of energy for company life.” Despite a busy schedule of working, studying and drawing, she is content. “The very fact that I have no time to waste means that I am living my life to the fullest,” says Kim.

The more Kim has been drawing, the more positive feedback she has received; her talent and passion spread by word of mouth, to the extent that she was been granted an exhibition for her drawings upon her graduation from Corporate University. The exhibition is a testament to her four years of hard work and is centered around the concept of meeting whales with practical life. She married her drawings with practical everyday items, such as postcards, stickers, smartphones and eco-bags.

Kim’s exhibition presentation, with whales featured as prints, on eco-bags and even mugs

Making It All Work

Kim’s graduation exhibition won her the Grand Prize, a testament to her ingenuity and hard work. After working hard every minute of every day, even sometimes forgoing sleep, for the past four years, Kim values this honor. “Each of us only have 24 hours in a day. I was always busy, and careful not to let my study interfere with my work, so I learnt how to save and manage time. I will continue to balance my time like this when tackling things moving forward!”

Her colleague Jae-hak Sul appreciates the great “whale energy” that Kim brings to the office; “I thought studying and working at the same time was impossible. But it is incredible she is doing it although she is still young,” he notes. Now that she has finished her time at Corporate University, Kim is looking forward to the next endeavors, these being achieving a certificate for industrial engineers and increasing her English proficiency.

Kim mid-drawing

Her main takeaway from the past few years of working hard to incorporate her passion into her daily working life? Go for it! “If you are invested in something, just do it! It’s hundreds, even thousands of times better to have a go at fitting it into your life than to have not done anything about it.” Furthermore, notes Kim, you are sure to learn something along the way.

The little girl who features in several of her drawings is Kim herself

Finding balance in one’s work and one’s life is tricky for everyone – if only we could be unimpeded as the whales in Kim’s drawings, swimming happily in the sky, among the clouds, and in the sea. Like them, Kim finds happiness in doing what she loves. “All of you must have various ‘whales’ of your own”, she smiles. Perhaps we could all benefit from realizing them.