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Toof by Toof An interview with Inhae Lee, creator of My Milk Toof If you haven't been following the adventures of ickle and Lardee on My Milk Toof, you've been missing out on some adorable stories and photos. Created by artist Inhae Lee after hearing the tearm "milk tooth," ickle and Lardee can be seen sledding, swimming and fishing, as well as other interesting situations. Inhae took time from her site to answer our questions about her site, her new book and herself. Please tell us a little bit about yourself. 
My name is Inhae Lee and I was born in Korea, but moved to the United States at 16. I afterwards attended art school at CalArts and École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts, Paris. At the end of 2008, the company I was working for in San Francisco closed down its art department and I moved to Berkeley with my boyfriend. During that time, I took some time-off and created a blog called "My Milk Toof". Currently a book based on the blog is being published by Chronicle Books, releasing March 2011.
What was it like for you moving to the U.S. at 16? Difficult for sure since I spoke absolutely no English and had to take ESL classes. My first job I took was at Dunkin' Donuts, primarily to learn English better. I ended up having conversations with many regular customers on a daily basis, usually older retirees who were very patient. That, and MTV helped a lot too. You say on your site that you were interested in animation. Was that your area of study at both the California Institute of Art and École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts, Paris? Yes, at CalArts, my focus was experimental animation. In my last year at CalArts, I began feeling a bit stuck creatively, so I studied abroard in Beaux-Arts on a senior illustration project, something away from animation. You worked in the video game industry prior to starting My Milk Toof. How difficult was it to break in to the industry? I was fortunate enough to have a friend that worked at a company that made Gameboy Advance games and they freelanced me some pixel art work to do. It was meticulous work (pixel-pushing), but I got the hang of it, and eventually found work at a mobile phone game company in Santa Monica, and then San Francisco. Why did you decide not to continue in that field? As usual, working creatively for a company can be very unfulfilling. But additionally, the circumstances of me working were always terrible. When i was working in Santa Monica, my commute to work and back was about three hours every day in traffic. And when I moved to San Francisco to work, I ended up working over 70-80 hours a week. Those experiences, added to the kind of work I was doing, just burnt me out. 
Are ickle and Lardee based on anyone in real life?
They are based on my two lovely nieces, Jamie (11) and Chloe (4). Much of their personalities and dynamics come from their relationship. Jamie is the smart, responsible one. Chloe is the baby and needs to be looked after. Where do you get your inspiration for the posts? Inspiration comes from many places. My nieces, my childhood, comics like Peanuts and Calvin & Hobbes. My boyfriend also contributes many ideas. He's a story artist at Pixar. ickle and Lardee have quite a home, with a little toilet, sandbox and bunkbeds. Do you create all the props yourself? Some I do. Most fabric items like blankets, hats, and costumes I sew myself. I also make some props out of clay. Others props I have to scavenge online, at garage sales, thrift shops, or ebay. It makes it fun to go shopping though, I'm always on the lookout for new props for ickle and Lardee. What is a typical day like for you? I'm not super regimented with my days. Once I start working on a post, it basically consumes every minute of my life until it's done. I try to take breaks in-between posts, like watching a movie, reading, listening to records, taking a walk, eating correctly, etc. 
What has been the easiest/best thing about creating My Milk Toof?
Aside from it now being my job, which is amazing, the best part of having this blog is getting the immediate feedback from people who love what I do. It's so satisfying to read comments of what people like about a post, or what details they pick up on. The hardest/worst? The hardest part is that when you work for yourself, you have trouble enjoying life because your mind is always convincing yourself that you should be working. At a 9 to 5 job, at least for most people, you can go home with free time. And a weekend is a weekend. But for me, every moment I'm considering what needs to be done next. Don't get me wrong, I love my job and it's way better than before, but it has it's challenges. The musician Moby gave an interview once and said since he's been working for himself, he hasn't taken a vacation in 14 years. I kind of feel that way. There is now an ickle and Lardee book, as well as limited edition products. What is next for you and My Milk Toof? I'm not quite sure. I'd love to do another book, so hopefully my first book will merit that. Animation might be an interesting thing to branch out for the project. Meanwhile, i'm just busy trying to maintain posts on the blog. |
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