How does an artist’s environment direct their creative identity?
Luis Mendo speaks with us about how his creative residency ‘Almost Perfect’ has countlessly resparked creative blocks.
Working at a creative agency such as YL, we are constantly on the hunt for new ways to spark ideas and keep our work fresh. Remaining stagnant and in one place can jeopardise this creative development, so we try to keep moving as much as possible, most recently realised in our company trip to Paris earlier this year.
Joe Slater, our design intern who joined us late in 2024 speaks on this, in reference to the transition from his home country of the UK, as an Illustration and Visual Media student at the University of the Arts London, to working at YL and living in Tokyo.
Environment is the core to any artistic practice. The community that surrounds this environment equally influences the artists that inhabit it, shaping the work that they create. When an artist leaves this environment and enters another, their work shifts alongside it, whatever the practice may be.
The subconscious mind plays a large role in this ‘shift’, as the artists who travel might not be making a conscious change in their work, but rather one that is influenced by the sights and sounds that are unknowingly absorbed. This manifests as seeing work in a new light, assisting people in getting out of a creative block, or entirely changing the manner in which they approach a piece of work.
Japan has long been this place for many artists from overseas. Notably, in 1861, Illustrator and Artist Charles Wirgman left Britain for Yokohama. It was during his time here that he came to create one of the first magazines in Japan, “The Japan Punch”. Inspired by current events, usually political, and the isolation of the foreign community in Yokohama, he brought a piece of himself from overseas, and had it altered by his new environment.
Personally, after spending the first 21 years of my life between London and Essex in the UK, I felt this change in environment was overdue, and made the decision to move to Tokyo. In the time since, the things I eat, things I see, and most notably the work I create have all changed alongside me, reminiscent of Charles Wirgman in 1861. I have long wanted to work in video for live events, providing a visual environment that performers or DJs can live and play within — but being at university for illustration has not facilitated the ideal environment for this vision. Now removed from this initial environment, I can reconceptualise new ways to achieve this, meeting artists in other disciplines that want to use these visualisers alongside their own work, co-existing in unfamiliar spaces.
Furthermore, this is equally important to agency work as it is to independent practice — as the change in environment can improve both our conceptualisation and our output. Breaking free of what we have become accustomed to can improve the quality of work, bringing an even better product to any clients.
Equally as important to the work itself is the time in-between its creation, referred to as the ‘Incubation Period’ (Ritter & Dijksterhuis, 2014.), stating that conscious thought improves after giving your mind a “break”, allowing it to absorb its surroundings, without deep thought.
One way of facilitating the absorption of new surroundings that I was curious about was through a creative residency, which can simultaneously act as the “incubation period” and the “break”. Offering a space to creatives to enter an entirely new environment and disrupt the habits and location they have become accustomed to — shifting their process into entirely unexplored waters.
During my time here, I found out about a residency called Almost Perfect in Tokyo, run by artists Luis and Yuka Mendo. Luis Mendo is an illustrator born in Salamanca, Spain who worked as an editorial designer and creative director in Amsterdam for 20 years before relocating to Tokyo. It was here that he found his passion for illustration and met his wife and creative partner, Yuka, who he ran ‘Almost Perfect’ alongside, a creative residency in Taito-ku, Tokyo. The space would offer visiting creatives a place to live, create, and showcase their work, all on-site. Luis was the curator and creative director, whilst Yuka worked on the finance, planning and logistics of the space. ‘Almost Perfect’ welcomed illustrators, sculptors, painters, designers and even musicians through their doors, who would stay from as little as a week to a month and a half. Each of these residents would then host their own exhibition, displaying what they’ve been working on at the end of their time there.
Although Almost Perfect shut its doors as a creative residency early in 2025, Luis and Yuka have written a book entitled ‘The Almost Perfect Reset: A Manual to Plan, Execute, and Enjoy Your Own Creative Residency in Tokyo’, packed with bits of wisdom and insider information they’ve gathered from their time running Almost Perfect.
Curious to learn about the effects of breaking out of your environment, and how that can impact your creative output, I asked Luis his perspective, considering his years of experience as an art director in Europe and host of a successful creative residency in Japan.
Q: I read your book, and I particularly liked the section of “‘The Power of Personal Projects’ . How does the work you make for these personal projects differ to more creative agency-based projects? Where do you have to place yourself, physically and mentally?
A: Personal work is what makes you. It enriches and informs the work you make for clients. All my client work probably exists because I did something similar before for myself. Or I learned to do something for myself and then applied to a paid job. It’s essential for creatives to do “their” thing if they want to work for clients. For artists it’s of course even much more important.
Q: I see. And have you felt your style shifted in response to your environment?
A: I would consider it impossible to change your environment without affecting you in one way or the other. The sounds are different, the food is different, the air is different. But for visual artists it goes so much deeper: the color choices, the graphics, the art, the writing… Both my mother country (Spain) and my adopted one (The Netherlands) are located on a different planet. As a Spaniard, I have clear Mediterranean influences in my colours and line character, but also 20 years of Amsterdam became part of who I am today, graphically. Now, 12 years of Japan has become part of that amalgamation. Observing and learning from Japan is a delight. I am trying to keep everything coherent inside me and on my work.
Q: I can see that in your work too. Did running the creative residency change how you see the role of environment and community in creative work? Looking back, what do you think Almost Perfect offered to participants?
A: Many creatives struggle and in many cases they lead a precarious life money wise but also support/understanding/acceptance wise, the struggle is real. The community is essential to keep us going. The Internet has become the perfect place to find peers but at the end of the day we need to meet in person, talk over coffee or beers. Sketch together, build in groups. It’s all important.
Q: That’s so true, especially after COVID I feel like we have a newfound appreciation for human connection. How do you think artists, yourself included, have approached being in a completely new city or environment?
A: Being in a new city is the moment I personally become a sponge, soaking up inspiration and ideas which I can put back into my work. The only thing you should be wary of is being too distracted by everything trying to grab your attention — potentially making it more difficult to concentrate on doing the work.
Q: Tokyo especially has a distracting nature to it — it feels as if everything is trying to grab your attention. How does a residency in Tokyo differ from anywhere else in the world?
A: Many residences are located in quiet areas, like villages or countryside settings which is great and I am sure many people appreciate that. Being located in Tokyo means a shot of inspiration from the Japanese urban culture, which I guess is not great for everyone, as some may find it too distracting. When choosing a residence, creatives look for a good mix of safe tranquil space to work and an environment where they can get inspired. Our location in the rather quiet Taito-ku area served both ends of the spectrum well.
Q: I know quite a few people who find it difficult to leave the physical environment they’ve grown accustomed to creating within, especially if that place is intrinsic to the existence of their work. How do you continue to create in a world growing around you?
A: My experience is precisely the opposite; most creatives I know can’t stay in one place. I wouldn’t say you have to move around in order to grow, as there are many big artists who never leave town, but personally I believe that creativity is a translation of the world around us, and making that work richer by travelling makes more sense than never leaving home in the first place.
Q: What does the future of Almost Perfect hold, since the closure of the building earlier this year?
A: We don’t know for sure yet, so can’t say much as of today. We still hold the name and the idea, we might revive it again one day elsewhere. We have talked with other parties about taking over but we haven’t found the right click, so we are still open for proper offers. Also, we have friends starting similar initiatives under their own name and we, of course, will support them.
Q: What advice do you have for artists limited to their environment by age, budget or an inability to relocate themselves? How can they still tap into this core?
A: Well, buying our book would help: it’s written with Tokyo in mind but to be honest you can use it to go anywhere and do a DIY residency: it’s about creating the mental space and mindset, cut out all the regular nonsense in your life for a while and sit down to MAKE.
After speaking with Luis, I began to prioritise the community accessible to me, the one I had created without even realising. Collaborating with people in similar points in their creative journey, speaking with those who had walked my path before, and applying the concept of the residency into my practice, giving time to create and breaking free of the places I usually created in. It was at this point in my creative development that I began to notice a difference in the things I made. They felt more purposeful than before.
My eyes were opened to the way in which creativity is seen as something as a natural byproduct of the self, reflective of the things we see and how we treat ourselves, improving only when we better ourselves.
To actualise this change, I created a visualiser for an event in Tokyo, sampling and stitching bits and pieces from videos and photos I have taken during my time in Japan. Reminiscent of the TVs on Japanese trains, showcasing quick advertisements, English lessons, or the weather. The latter was something I directed my focus onto, integrating it into my work by collaborating with an actor I met whilst in Tokyo named Louisa, playing to different Japanese TV tropes. This was then edited together to imitate an archetypal Japanese weather report.
The piece was made for an event in Tokyo, being seen by attendees and growing my artistic presence outside of my initial established environment. Being given the space to establish a foundation, this was only made possible by exiting and re-entering my environment. The final work was played alongside my friend, Amica’s music — establishing a collaboration which can exist as its own entity.
This is something built into the ethos of YL, writing “routine is a danger signal” into our manifesto. To successfully realise this, we have to each enter “incubation” and reflect that time away back onto our practices. Learning what you can supply and what may be unnecessary gives you a greater understanding of the things you’re creating for yourself, and improves the quality of work you’re providing for any potential clients.
You can find Luis and Yuka’s book from their website here.
Check out more of Luis Mendo:
https://www.instagram.com/luismendo/
Learn more about Almost Perfect:
https://www.instagram.com/almostperfecttokyo/
Written by Joe Slater
