The Second Chapter : Interview with Paper (English ver.)

   

Presented here as the fifth interview in Chapter Two, “The Artist’s Muse: What Inspires You,” this conversation introduces the practice of Paper.

For Paper, inspiration is not a static object to be found, but a fluid process of becoming. As the founder of the digital fashion brand [ze Luna], he explores the intricate intersection where art, fashion, and technology meet—not as separate entities, but as a singular, evolving language. What began as a personal sanctuary away from the demands of professional design has grown into an extensive body of work that mirrors the very nature of evolution: adaptive, transformative, and perpetually in motion.

Throughout this interview, Paper reflects on a practice that views fashion as a vital vessel for human expression—a way to manifest the intangible shifts of culture and identity through the physical beauty of form. In his world, the "muse" is an intrinsic impetus, a drive to find a singular voice amidst the noise of the everyday. He describes his creative journey as a "half-full cup," a state of intentional openness where he remains ready to absorb, experiment, and even be surprised by his own outcomes.

This sensibility finds a powerful anchor in his recent work, [A_23G]. The piece serves as a visual manifesto of his process—a negotiation between the artist’s vision and the unexpected discoveries that emerge through experimentation. For Paper, the act of creation is akin to exploring an unknown planet; it is a space where the thrill of the alien meets the beauty of newfound knowledge, resulting in "new-age sensibilities" that evoke, provoke, and resonate.

Edited with care, this conversation invites us to witness a practice where the artist and the artwork grow in tandem. It is an invitation to view evolution not as a distant concept, but as an ongoing journey of the soul, materialized through the lens of digital craft. We invite you to step into Paper’s vision, where the future of fashion unfolds as a vast and wondrous exploration.

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Q. Thank you for joining us today—it's wonderful to meet you. I'd love to begin by hearing about you and your practice. How would you introduce yourself as an artist, and what work are you currently engaged with?

A. I would like to, firstly, thank you for having me. It is a pleasure to be able to share more about my art, my journey, my practice and of course, myself.

I am Paper, and I am a digital artist. I am also the founder of [ze Luna], a digital Web3 fashion brand aimed at exploring the curious intersection of art, fashion and technology. It is an ongoing project, and an extensive body of work, that I started back in the days of COVID-19 in 2021.

It started off as a passion project to explore alternative ways to create, on top of my day job as a full-time designer. I love to create and eventually it took me time to understand, experiment and visualize my thoughts into one coherent body of work. Through the lens of fashion, it embodies, manifests and represents an evolving concept of evolution itself.

Fashion has always situated itself as a vessel for the individual to not just identify, but to also express oneself - culturally, physically and symbolically. It symbolizes the creative nature of the human mind and soul, manifested through the physical beauty of the human form. This entire process becomes an artform and I find that largely intriguing.

Fashion is thus synonymous with the inevitable process of evolution itself. It adapts, transforms and evolves - with technology and time. It is a visual manifestation of cultural shifts, ideals and aspirations.

The vision of [ze Luna] thus represents the pivotal intersection of these 3 synonymous themes representative of a society and culture itself - art x fashion x tech.

It is not just a style, nor just a brand, but really more of an attitude and mode of being, in this day and age.

[ze Luna] evolves with me, over time. It can be aggressive and violent at times, like a tsunami or at times as calm as a summer breeze. It is an experiment, a process, and an ongoing journey.

Q. What is the main source of inspiration for your current work? When did this particular muse first become meaningful to you, and can you describe that initial encounter?

A. I never really thought about this to be honest. It is for sure, definitely not a person.

If anything, it is more of an intrinsic desire or impetus to refocus my creative drive and energy elsewhere, away from my design job. I love to create but being able to create something different from what one does at work can be relieving and refreshing.

Take for example, an average salaryman who works in a large MNC - goes home and indulges himself in manga. Or a construction worker who plays for a band after work. I am not that different. I do design at work in the day but I immerse myself in [ze Luna] at night.

At this point, it is difficult for me to pinpoint this muse to a particular moment in time or event. It just came to me over time that I want to do something and that I should. Building up [ze Luna] took me years as well, and my source of inspiration constantly evolves, as is with the work itself. If I were to narrow down to a single source, I can only say I got inspired by the need to start something truly of my own. Perhaps it is about finding a voice and identity of my own. [ze Luna] was the result of that.

Over time, the meaning of this evolving body of work changes, like the river that flows from the mountaintops to the streams and eventually to the ocean. Its speed and intensity changes as it takes on new forms.

And I thoroughly enjoy this process.

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Q. How does your muse typically appear to you—as visual images, sounds, spatial feelings, or particular emotions? Could you describe its specific characteristics or qualities in detail?

A. As mentioned, there is never really a singular moment nor event in general. Instead, this constant process of experimentation in itself defines the body of work.

If I must use keywords to describe this, then it is best understood as an ongoing process of negotiation, mediation and reconciliation - oscillating between latent notions of intrigue and indulgence. In specificity - the process of inspiration occurs and manifests itself through an emotive process, made complete and clear by visual and aesthetic representations.

As with any artist and his/her artwork, the real power of the piece comes with the emotive undercurrents that defines and expresses itself through the strokes, the colors, the composition and so on and so forth. For me, it is not any different. Styles and mediums differ but the underlying result, or reward, is also an emotive one.

Through largely stylistic approaches, [ze Luna] embodies, manifests and materializes new-age sensibilities. Fashion here - serves as a powerful medium - to evoke and enhance the sensorial experiences through curated design and aesthetics.

What is made clear is the human form through the physical vessel, adorned with an aesthetic facade; what is perhaps expressed is the intent of the design, as it is with any fashion inspirations or motivations - but what lies in the undercurrents of the above layers is subjectivity. As with any art piece, one might like it, others might not. Design and fashion is never straightforward.

Each [ze Luna] release is meant to stand alone as an individual piece that has the ability to invoke, evoke and even to provoke.

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Q. Could you walk us through one specific work that you feel most powerfully embodies your muse? What was the journey from initial inspiration to finished piece, and what challenges or discoveries emerged along the way?

A. If I have to choose a piece, it will be one of my more recent creations. Titled [A_23G], this piece is a direct result of my ongoing experimental process.

As with any other art work - the process in itself is a discovery. The ‘muse’ itself is non-specific nor static; the process of negotiating various key elements central to the zeitgeist of [ze Luna] culminates into a visual manifesto, as an attempt to eventually represent new-age sensibilities, through the lens of fashion.

Every new piece is a new experiment and a new statement. I find that refreshing and oddly satisfying. Given the fact that there is no specific rule for a ‘muse’, nor any preconditions for it to exist - it does not mean there is no underlying order for inspiration across this entire body of work. Hence, it also does not mean there aren’t any challenges. Perhaps the only hurdle is my own expectations and what I envision the finished piece to look like; going back and forth is inevitable as with any artist in their creative process, but sometimes certain unexpected experimentations reveal new ways of interpretations that I otherwise would not have thought of. The design and creative process evolves with the development of the piece, alongside my own thoughts and visions.

[A_23G], like the many other pieces that come before, and the many that will come after - embodies a certain spirit of my art. It is a visual symbol and it embodies the essence of evolution - what [ze Luna] means and represents.

I grow (evolve) with my art.

From the otherworldly aesthetics - in terms of composition, materiality and styling, down to the details as seen in the intricate chestpiece, the asymmetrical sleeves, the skirt patterns and so forth - the design process and the eventual outcome embody and encompass my vision for an idealized (though arguably, subjective future).

I believe visions and ideals are often said through words but I would like to visualize and portray that through my art. Sometimes, even my own finished work surprises me and it fuels me inspiration for the next.

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Q. Has your relationship with your muse evolved over time? Are there aspects that have deepened or new dimensions you've discovered that you'd like to share?

A. There will always be new things to learn and experience. I firmly believe the process is, if not more, as important as the result and product itself.

It is through the process that we learn, grow, experiment, fail, retry and get inspired. It is so much more. Just like fashion itself, we have to always keep an open mind.

Q. Do you have any intentional activities or routines for connecting with inspiration? Conversely, when inspiration doesn't come easily, how do you handle those periods?

A. I find this question hard to answer since inspiration takes on different forms, at least for me. I don’t have a scripted method of connecting with my inspiration, perse, rather - inspiration is a free spirit. Just like me, it comes and goes, in ways unexpected and unimagined. I find that is the beauty of it.

There are definitely times when we run ‘dry’. In those periods, we just have to learn to be patient and continue to experiment and create. Often, the results are surprising and unexpected. In this sense, though not directly ‘inspired’- instead, through discovery and the whole design process itself, I create or learn to create something unexpected, but also something satisfying,refreshing and novel.

I believe this process in itself is what’s important, instead of deliberately or intentionally finding ways to connect or reconnect with inspiration itself.

It doesn't work this way.

Q. Can you tell us about a moment when your muse led you somewhere unexpected or challenging? What did you discover about yourself or your practice through that experience?

A. Always! I believe that is the beauty of the design process isn’t it?

I believe one of key benefits of inspiration of the act of getting inspired is to allow the artist to discover something new and unknown, akin to being lost on a new planet!

Imagine that. It in itself is the thrill; one can feel the danger of being somewhere unknown and alien, but also to be able to admire the beauty and to receive this newfound knowledge that it provides just gives this whole experience, in what I will describe as - otherworldly.

Getting inspired is truly a magical process and always it leads me somewhere else. It is hard to pinpoint what exactly I discover about myself in each experience, rather, I believe it is more about how I experience and grow as an artist after creating each piece, inspired by various moments and concepts that define each finished piece.

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Q.  How do you balance staying true to your core inspiration while also allowing room for growth and change? Have there been times when you've had to choose between following your muse and meeting external expectations?

A. I believe there is always room to grow and change.

A full cup like a person will not be able to grow as it is full; over time it will overflow just like ego and desire. The individual will not be able to absorb new comments nor criticisms and that person will not grow, and sometimes, drown in his/her own self.

I would like to think of myself as always a half cup; never too full to grow and change, yet never empty, given the experiences I’ve had.

Given that [ze Luna] is about the essence and materializing the process of evolution itself - I do not find it difficult to achieve the balance. Instead, it is never about being comfortable and finding a balance but more about embracing and experimenting with change itself. It is about materializing new-age sensibilities. That’s how we keep up to pace and be better. That’s how we evolve. 

      

Furthermore, I would love to think that there never really is such a clearly defined separation between following my muse and meeting my external expectations. Instead, they should be the same, and if not, aligned. If my art is all about meeting external expectations - I am pretty sure the audience is able to discern that. People are smart. 

  

I choose to follow my heart (or muse) instead of simply creating to meet expectations. I set my own expectations and I discover my muse as I create. Art is subjective; we don't create to satisfy everyone.

  

Ask yourself - do you create to simply feed your pockets or feed your soul?

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Q. Thank you so much for sharing such thoughtful insights with us today. As we conclude our conversation, Looking ahead, in what direction do you think your muse will develop or expand? Are there new territories of inspiration you're eager to explore, and what draws you to them?

A. Firstly, thank you for having me! It is wonderful to be able to share and pour my thoughts out like this and I truly appreciate it.

There are definitely lots to look forward to, especially in this new age of AI-driven technology. I am excited to continue to create by pushing the boundaries and to utilize the rapidly advancing technologies out there in my works, directly and symbolically.

Given that [ze Luna] embodies evolution and we are in an age of rapid evolution, it gives me more reason to incorporate future technology in my creative processes and I find that exciting. I see the future of fashion akin to the exploration of space itself, vast and wondrous, exciting yet mysterious, and I am eager to see where it leads me.

As much as I love to get inspired, I would love for my works to inspire others as well. Stay hungry folks.

Contact

Artist : Paper

Instagram : @_paperspace

Website : www.zeluna.xyz