It's art and option-eering     Ji picks up a salad bowl for lunch the day of her interview. She walks over to a table in the hallway with Luis, a co-worker at NuVu Innovation School and friend. She is wearing olive green velvety pants, and a white sweater with grey cross pattern stripes, over that she wears a slightly clay covered grey apron, and on her feet are colorful patterned socks under brown leather shoes. She sits down calmly and crosses her right leg over the left before starting to eat.

Jiyoo Jye, or Ji, grew up in Seoul with two other siblings, an older brother named Sunny and an older sister who is also called Ji. She graduated from Centennial High School in Maryland and went to Carnegie Mellon University for college, and later attended Harvard Graduate School of Design. She knew that she wanted to do art since she was a kid, because she always would be always drawing and painting.

“Art is something that captures the remnant of that time period so whoever is alive during that time has the capacity to capture what they experience as a human [...] and express it in a non verbal way.”

When Ji is doing art, she feels very liberated and in tune with herself. She does art both for herself and to share it with the world. People say successful artists are the ones who make the most money but Ji doesn't agree.

“A very successful artist, in my opinion, is someone who can still value that practice for their own needs and fulfillment without the pressure and anxiety of a price tag. Because, ultimately, when you create something meaningful and valuable or beautiful you should be able to share that with as many people as possible without building walls around your piece.”

After lunch, Ji walks into work through a panther pink arch, into a bright modern room with plants studded around on windowsills and tables. On her left is the shop where Jon, the shop teacher, is sitting at his computer and typing. To her right are people chattering about various topics. She walks further down the hallway into her studio. Inside, students are working meticulously on modeling softwares and sketching their ideas. She walks over to a whiteboard and starts erasing and rewriting names.

“No one on this list is here right now. Ethan, would you like to be the first desk crit?” She is standing with a confident air, her feet are shoulder length apart and her arms are crossed.

Ji says that one of the reasons she likes coaching at NuVu is because she can convince her students that there is still merit and value in striving to become a certain type of artist in today’s society without selling themselves short. She says that NuVu is all about life long learning and how you can teach yourself and train yourself to learn everyday. She thinks that there should always be a way to access art in the public realm without having to go to a gallery or museum.

Ji is an inspirational and skilled artist and coach.

“There are always creative upticks and creative pitfalls. Both are very crucial, because without those pitfalls, you don't have inspiration. The times when you're bored and you can't work are also important ‘cause that's when it propels you forward to that episode when you're creating just lots and lots of work.”

Ji smiles and looks back down at the blend of ceramic and plaster spread across the table. She takes a rag and starts wiping down the raw clay in front of her.