Interview with Lau King

Being an artist is always my dream. Before being an established artist, I worked as a commercial photographer. The turning point of my life is after hitting the rock bottom in 2018 which I got betrayed and disrespected from the people I worked with, then I realized my value and decided to answer the calling of my path as an artist after I got my first sale around my birthday time in 2019. I am a self-taught artist in taking this path.

My approach in creating my artworks is 1) Observation , 2) Inspiration, 3) Sensation.
World is my canvas which I do not restrict myself to any specific theme. I shoot when I feel inspired or excited about the things I saw. My phone or digital camera are my best companion in creating those artworks. As inspiration come in a flash of mind. Fast, compact and on hands camera would be my best tools in creation.

Inspiration comes anytime. Mostly when I am in alone moment in which I could connect to my soul without much disturbance. I used to wander around the street to discover anything I found fresh and interesting to shoot. Sometimes there is an inner voice calling me to stop and shoot, I think this is what we call intuition.

Before being a full time artist, I worked as commercial photographer after graduated from university. I love photography since I was young and I self-taught myself photography skills and later on become a professional photographer. After several years of work, I found that whatever genres of photography I shoot I could not find contentment on it. And I discover the most valuable and important to me is my own photography which represents my soul and my journey.

Things won’t happen over night. You must be patience and persistency on your dream. There will be a lot of obstacles and discourage moment along the path, treats every trials and errors as a kind of boost for strengthening your spiritual muscles. Your will be grateful that you have not given up in this marathon after reaching the light of the tunnel.

I wake up and do a little meditation, make myself a good breakfast and tea. Then I either start working at home office, connecting with client or going out for a relax walk on mountain. If days are sunny, I would love to go to have a sunbath on beach. Connecting with nature is very essential and vital to me and our body.

I love to explore the world and there are still cities I want to visit. Paris, Kyoto, Milan, Shanghai and Bali, these are some of my favourite cities which there are a lot of beauty and interesting thing to discover. Other than Photography, Music is sort of my second life. I can live without music as well. I listen to different genres of music everyday which I connect to its vibes. The vibes could boost your mood of your days and how you see the world.
I am currently at Hong Kong now. Working on some online exhibition now. Due to pandemic, some offline exhibition and a commission project incurred significant delay.
Thanks to photography, I love my life every single day. I could discover something exciting in our everyday life. Life is full of beauty and miracles.

I hope my works and my approach in creation can change and raise the consciousness of the world. I wish people could stay focus in the present, aware of the beauty around us, especially nature. And I wish young people are dare to follow their heart and chase their dream. When I have more resources, I think I would establish a fund for people who have difficulties in achieving their path as an artist.

Really thank you A’ Design Award helping and guiding a lot of knowledge from its PR and promotion programme such as interviews and features, which help a lot in understanding ourself as a designer/artist to share the good works to the world.
Besides, the exhibition opportunities from A’ Design Award are also very valuable. Not only we can exhibit at Como, Milan, we could also exhibit our works at extra more place like China, gaining more exposure to different audience in the world.
Last, in a career wise, it definitely helps us gaining a lot more recognition and prestige in the field of our works. In this way, it helps us advance our career to a higher level of attainment.
Therefore, joining design competitions are inevitably a good idea to raise our standard and advancing in our career to the next level, sharing our good works in a larger stage.
Being the Designer of the Day is truly a honour to me and hope my insights can contribute and ignite some sparks to the audience.

My photography is like a self-discovery journey. It is my personal expression towards the world. The beauty and the God creation of the world motivate my passion in photography. Wherever I go, I am sensitive to the surrounding and atmosphere of a place. I capture what attracts my soul attention.

I follow my inner guidance to become a photographer and artist.

Get out of your comfort zone. Dare to explore the world. Be courage to chase your dream. Follow your heart and excitement. Do not limit yourself in creation. Think big and do big. Never underestimate your potential and power. What you think what you become.

A good photographer could shoot good photos in any circumstance by his/her skills and profession.
A great photographer could transcend the photos into a more spiritual and in depth meaning, delivering wisdom, emotions and message to audience.

Other than the aesthetics and composition, the emotions, message and story behind the photos also mark the evaluation and admiration of a good work.

The value of a good artwork is how the creator would like to communicate with audience and how the audience receive the message and the connected emotions affection from the work.
People invest in a good artwork can elevate the overall taste and beauty of the interior environment, or it is solely based on their personal preference and connection between the artist's work.

The dream project is exhibiting across different countries and cooperating with art consultancy, hotels and interior companies over the world. The dream is gradually realising. Just need to take time.

Let curiosity leads to discover the beauty in universal law and our beautiful earth. Stay true to yourself and your style.

My favorite is Photography Master Ho Fan, who has a strong sense of reality and sensitivity to light. He can form the most beautiful composition of the light and the position of the character, and then capture the decisive and cinematic moment of life.

Also Gabriele Croppi from Italy, who has used black and white in photography with high contrast in light and shadow to the extreme, with adding architecture, social and cultural elements in the work, which is visually elegant and giving audience so little fun.

My favourite artwork is one called "Fish on Clouds", it is portraying a carp swimming in the water but at the same time flying above the clouds. It likes a signature of myself, swimming the inner world and flying in the outer world at the same time, enjoying the ultimate freedom in this 3D world.

Learn from other but do not compare with others. That is what I learn along the way. I used to compare with others subconsciously, by doing so it will only hurting yourself by lowering your self-esteem and the drive to keep creating and move forwards . Everyone starts from a different point, no need to compare or jealous with other people success, stay focus on your path and doing what you love and what make you special and unique in this industry.

If I haven't become a photographer and artist, I think I would have entered to an international advertising agency to pursuit creative career. Yet, being an artist grants me greater freedom in creating what I love and want.

Art acts as a spiritual healing to the world and solace to design. Sometimes it is also design to beautify your house, making an interior place full of taste and character. Sometimes, it is a spirit affects other spirits in the world.

My parent, my friends and I contribute the success of reaching these heights. Honestly, I was born from a humble family with little support on my hobbies, education and career from them. At first they don't know what I am doing, with their trust and high level of freedom, I am able to pursuit the thing I love on my own. It is a hard road honestly. It is very mentally and physically lonely in this path as people around are difficult to understand what you are doing until you walk the way out. Friends might could have verbally supported you but ultimately you have to walk the path yourself even the path is unknown and misty sometimes. I faced a lot obstacles and challenge during the path. Many dark times to reach the end of the tunnel. I would thank for myself for my persevere and resiliency on my goal. It is a self-discovery journey questioning your own self , your surrounding society and the system around the world.

The drive to influence people and change the world to be a better place helped me overcome all the obstacles and hardship.

I need to overcome a lot of fear, self-doubt and material limitation.
Fear of walking to the unknown, fear of failure, fear of success, fear of trusting inner guidance.
Self-doubt for own ability, own knowledge, self-esteem, self-identity and acceptance of others.
Limitation of money, man-power, cognition, self-power and other's help.

A good photographer and artist should know their style hence the market of their works. Other than exhibition and private collection, cooperating with various art consultancy and interior companies are interesting and exciting to work with. Presentation should be with their unique style giving client memorable and distinctive towards your work.

I am still discussing for a commission project for a new build hotel, the project is about the cultural and heritage of a place with my new commissioned work. I am definitely excited about it.

My ultimate goal is to spread my work over the world, influence the consciousness of people with my personal philosophy towards the world embedded in my works.

They would probably like to look forward to more of my freshness perspective on the reality and cooperation with various international brands. To create positive influence to the world.

A great photography could help conveying the message to public and create beauty and harmony to the world.

Every love, affection, comment and purchase of my work gave me the most satisfaction.

I am still discussing for a commission project for a new build hotel, but the project is probably delayed by the pandemic. The starting date is still unsure now.

Love life, enjoy life.
Everything is about vibration and frequency.
What you believe, what you become.

I mainly use Canon DSLR, iPhone Digital Camera
For software VSCO and Photoshop are my favourite.

My style of work has my unique use of colors from my intuition, creating an emotional ambient.

The use of the colors, materials and the message behind.

Self-discovery and self-learning since from the youth. Those subjects in school isn't interested for me, and then I start to follow my intuition and self-taught through books and internet.

I would want to meet and talk with Vincent Van Gogh to ask him what he really feel and see during his painting. And tell how much love and praise he got for his paintings. I hope he would feel much more appreciated as he deserved.

I think the hardest part is the persevere of your dream and goal while everybody is so into their comfort zone and follow the route set by the society system. Along the journey I do get many discourage and disagreement by the people around me. As long as you hold an iron will to the truth you process, nothing can stop you achieving what you set your mind to. I would say I deserve all the awards and recognition. Without this, it is hard to gain trust and recognition from people. When people start listen to you, you could exert your influence to the audience.

My favourite color is blue. Place is nature with mountain and sea.
Fond of many food and cuisine e.g. Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Italian, French and Cambodian.
Favourite thing is things with fragrance like perfume, candle, incense sticks, also glasses and crystal. I like things with unique, shiny and transparent.
I like Tom Dixon and BoConcept.

I have been to a lot of places, and the most impressive thing is that when I was hiking the Himalayas in Nepal, I accidentally deviated from the designated trekking route. Luckily, we met a kind Nepalese woman who was going to pick tea.
She would like to guide us back on track with making a hoarse voice. We could not hear any clear words from her even she tried hard to communicate with us. Soon we realized she was dumb.
Then she indicated us to follow her and take us back to the correct hiking route. Fortunately, we met this kind-hearted woman, otherwise we might not find a place to stay that day.

I used to be shy, silence with low self-esteem when I was a little child and youth. And I always feel emotional and easily absorb other's emotions. Ii makes me feel like I was different from other in a sense I could not tell why. I just can not fit in in any groups. What I like and do is differ from my friends. I used to have a lot of time in solitude, to think and retreat.

I definitely hold a positive view towards our future. Now the pandemic is a great reflection time for human on the social and environmental issue. The earth is recovering. We still have time create a better world for our future generation. In thousand years from now, earth will become gradually evolve to a place suitable for human to live in a love, peace, compassion and harmony.

I used to do photography for the commercial work of distinctive and luxurious brands, and then I start further pursuit my career goal and dream in art photography which grants me high level of creative freedom.
Previously I have joined both online and offline art exhibitions in both Hong Kong and China. Other then collecting by private collectors, I also work with various parties like art consultancy, online luxury platform, hotel and interior designers e.g. Visto Images, the Artling, Rosewood Guangzhou, Beijing Ancient Architecture Design Institute and Beijing T.K. Chu Design. My focus now is working with my clients for their aesthetics needs in art and photography.

Photography is part of my soul. It is also served as an observation of the world. What I shoot is my soul communicating with the world. I shoot when my frequency connect with the world at that moment. It is the soul language of me I could say.

I like shooting abstract, still life, geometric and landscape. Anything I find interesting and aesthetics.

I feel most creative when I am relaxed ,wondering around the street and also while traveling around the world. The freshness gives me new perspective on the reality and discovery.

The harmonious composition of a photo and the message I want to deliver.

I used to feel very deep connection with the world, sensitive to the beauty and atmosphere of our living environment. I feel connected to the thing I shoot with my soul.

The connection of the work with audience.

Being a photographer and artist could arouse the public awareness on the social and environment issue by their works and statement, to create more love, care and compassion towards our planet and human being in an influential point of view.

My latest exhibition is currently on-going with the 2020 Art Xiamen (contemporary) Expo online till 30 June. I would like to have more cooperation with more art expo or exhibition with no limit to location, online or offline.

My sources of inspirations come from my intuition. There is an inner voice ask me to stop to capture the moment when it needs to. It's an inner drive for my life. Just work with your heart and intuition, it will guide you to where you supposed to be.

My artwork style is painterly with emotions, swims between the dark and light frequency and also playing with colors, geometry and abstraction. They are my own unique style coming from my own perspective of the world.

Hong Kong. Hong Kong is blessed with surrounding ocean, a lot of country park and being the busy international flight hub. Despite the cultural heritage and the signature skyscrapers in Hong Kong, I could also access to nature easily and travel around the world with lots of destination spots. The cons to be mentioned is that the living density and expense is relatively high compared to other metropolis, you need to work extra to maintain daily expense and work cost.

Now I am cooperating with worldwide art consultancy, hotel and interior designers e.g. Visto Images, the Artling, Only Abstract, Rosewood Guangzhou , Beijing Ancient Architecture Design Institute and Beijing T.K. Chu Design. They approach me with their decoration needs in their projects. I would either supply my current artwork or commissioned any new pieces if needed.

I wake up and do a little meditation, make myself a good breakfast and tea. Then I either start working at home office, connecting with client or going out for a relax walk on mountain. If days are sunny, I would love to go to have a sunbath on beach. Connecting with nature is very essential and vital to me and our body.

Be courage and think of the box. Be brave and resilient to chase your dream. Never give up even the world is against you, no one is supporting you. Listen to your inner guidance to go through the process. You will finally reach the light at the end of tunnel.

You own intuition is you life-best guidance.

Curiosity and observation towards the world.

Canon DSLR and apple iPhone is my best companion. Photoshop and Vsco are my mostly used software for my post-process production.

Visto Images, Rosewood Guangzhou, Artcm Nanjing, Singapore the Artling, Shanghai Wondulful Department, Nanjing Keyne Centre, Beijing Ancient Architecture Design Institute, Beijing T.K. Chu Design.

I enjoy the photography time during travel alone the most. It is the time you truly relax yourself with any limitation and distraction from other. The work you created could solely based on your true feeling and perspective towards the place. The level of creativity is the max.

I would like to have more commissioned project with various entities in the coming future and also artwork integration and collaboration with any existing brands is welcome. Cooperation with galleries is also welcome.

I develop my style through a long process of self-discovery journey in both inner and outer world.

Visit my website www.lauking.com or contact me through my e-mail : laukingphotography@gmail.com