FGOTW

Who? Lichiban

Where? Descended from the cosmic womb in a border town in Hungary; been living the life of the spiritual nomad crossing borders-real and imaginary-ever since. For now, I live and work in Brooklyn, NY the home of the brave!

What do you do? I am a visionary, urban nomad, flow expert, universal citizen-artist, and lover. I envision, create visual realities and manifest the invisible for a living—my life is truly magical, despite the financial inconsistencies that come with being a freelance artist in this depressed economy. I am first and foremost a painter, but I do illustration, graphic design, art direction (videos and photo shoots) and produce art related events for a living. 

What inspires you? Anything and everything: The Sun, the cosmos, children, gods &goddesses, mythological characters and superheroes, survivor stories, comic books, erotica, fresh typography & design, tribal art, traditional architecture, the urban jungle, my power animals, beauty that reflects the heart, mystical poetry, music, the search for enlightenment, my artist friends and the bounty of Mother Nature!

Why are you fly? I am who I am — I have embraced my flaws and love myself enough to know that the true diamond is within-but you have to work on perfecting it. I love to live and I am living my dream following my true passion. I am a lover and a seeker, and I won’t give up until I reach my destination. To be fly is to elevate yourself from the plainness of not doing YOU!

Advice: I believe that the key to a happy life is finding a way to express your flow and feeling the satisfaction from doing what you love on a daily basis. In my experience and those of my other friends who have advanced their carrier as artists, there are always going to be challenges and disappointments but it is ultimately 99% about the journey and how you grow and handle yourself and only 1% about the goal. Don’t be afraid to say yes to what you really want to do with your life and be willing to take risks and make sacrifices to achieve your dream (though I’d say don’t make sacrifices that will make you feel later in life that you sold yourself out or were untrue to yourself). And if you find out that what you wanted is not making you happy anymore, just pull back, do your soul-searching, and try yourself in something else that is drawing you. Give up the self-doubt and just do it! And do it with love.