Whether it’s composing electronic music or pulling together a CGI fashion show, multi-disciplinary artist and Injury designer Eugene Leung loves to explore different ways to flex his creativity. Here, we chat with him about his business heroes, where he finds inspiration and who he’s following on social media right now. Inside Retail: Describe your ideal workday. Eugene Leung: My workday usually comprises creative work in different mediums, a research session and some manageme
nagement tasks. I usually try to get out of the studio as much as I can and work on my mobile. Being able to work in different spaces with my laptop is important for me; it keeps me productive.
I try my best to escape from routine, however, I tend to start the day early with a long brainstorming session that involves lots of sketching in my notebook, writing down ideas and coming up with plans when my mind is fresh.
IR: Who are some of your business heroes and why?
EL: I don’t really have any particular business heroes, however, any artist, designer or entrepreneur who can work on things they love, contribute to the industry, humanity, bring happiness to people and maintain a good business are my heroes. One example is comedian Jerry Seinfeld.
A shot from Injury’s CGI fashion show during this year’s Afterpay Australian Fashion Week.
IR: When you’re stuck for motivation or inspiration, what’s your process for getting out of that?
EL: I usually switch mediums, like going from clothing design to composing music or graphic design to photography. It is the best way to keep myself excited, motivated and be able to see things from a totally different perspective.
Or I will go for a jog and listen to music. Music can take me to a different dimension. That’s where my imagination starts to fly. For me, miracles mostly happen in a stress-free environment.
IR: You’re really passionate about photography and music. How have they influenced the way that you design and your aesthetic?
I gain most of my inspiration from characters, sound and spaces I came across in sci-fi and fantasy films, like Blade Runner, 1982, The Matrix, The Fifth Element, Dune and soundtracks by Vangelis and David Lynch.
These little universes always have electrified dark fantasy visual elements. It helps me define my colour palettes, the texture of the fabric and the mood of our campaigns.
IR: What are three skills that you’d like to master one day?
Public speaking, creative writing and coding.
IR: What podcasts/magazines/books are you consuming right now?
These days, I tend to spend more time random surfing YouTube and Instagram.
On Instagram, I follow creative platforms like Foundation (@withfoundation), Image Plaza (@imageplaza) and Arts x Design (@axd) and art magazine Plastik (@plastik).
These accounts provide some daily inspiration and perspectives in art and creation. The visuals are a good way to keep up with what people are creating and what people are into currently.
