[PODCAST] Teach Me, Senpai, E7: Tattoos and illustrations with Wiji Lacsamana

“I remember waking up one morning, it was like 7 am, and I was thinking, why am I the only one not in love with my life? Why am I the only one stuck in this office job?” shared Wiji Lacsamana, who, at the time, had a corporate job while being surrounded by friends who were full-time creatives pursuing their passions.

It was then that she realized that the first step in changing her life was making the decision to pursue what she actually wanted. And Wiji, true to her Instagram handle “curiouswiji,” had a lot of curiosities she wanted to pursue.

Wiji is most known as a visual and tattoo artist and is popular for her watercolor and illustrative tattoo designs. Her work sometimes looks ethereal, sometimes cartoonish, and oftentimes filled with wonderfully blended colors that captivate the eyes.

She has worked with some of the most known tattoo studios in the Philippines, including Crimson River Tattoo and Tattoo Nebula. She’s also been selected as a recipient of the 2020 Adobe Creative Residency Fund and of the 2021 Adobe Stock Development Fund.

Curiously enough, she is also the person behind Manila Peninsula’s current signature scent, is a reiki healer, and from time to time dabbles in tarot card reading and astrology.

In this episode of Teach Me, Senpai, we ask Wiji about her journey in exploring ways to appeal to and trigger people’s visceral senses through visuals, scents, and healing. We ask her what it takes to gain so many people’s trust and confidence in allowing her art to be part of their bodies, and how she comes up with her designs. We also talk about burnout and how to deal with it, and her plans for the future too.

Catch the episode on Sunday, November 26, at 7 pm. Bookmark this page, check our Facebook and YouTube channels, or follow us on Spotify at bit.ly/RapplerTeachMeSenpai. – Rappler.com