Who: Joe Bae
What: Furniture Design
Where: Bellevue, WA
Favorite Quote: “Life is an occasion, rise to it.” -Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium
If you study some the world’s most prolific creators, they all work in a similar way. They’re masters at working on multiple projects simultaneously. Although changing media, form, style, or genre might seem daunting, it can actually be beneficial, providing a way for artists to boost their creativity.
Joe Bae, owner of Joe Bae Salon in Old Bellevue, is prime example of this principle. As a hairstylist for many years, he loves working with his hands and creating something new. The challenges from 2020 pushed Joe to think outside of the box, and he discovered a new creative outlet: furniture design. “There are opportunities everywhere, we just need to take a chance and go for it,” said Bae. He also is a firm believer in being open to trying everything without fear of failure and doing everything with intention to learn.
Being creative through a different medium is a perfect opportunity to intentionally learn and opens us up to new ways of looking at things. Behind the hair salon chair, Joe’s style is often at the request of the client, but his furniture design requires something different. “My design style is modern contemporary, and I want my work to be timeless, something more classic.” He works with wood and cement to craft clean lines, and textured design. And, most importantly, he has learned something new, and realized that he really enjoys it. “My theory is it’s so important to love what you do because that is what will drive you,” says Bae.
Joe’s work is available for sale and can be found at his salon in Bellevue or on his Instagram account @OkJoeBae.
