From anxiety to art: Charity Lynn's creative journey in Seoul's music scene

"Listless" by Charity Lynn / Courtesy of Charity Lynn

By Jamie Finn

• Published May 11, 2025 11:40 AM KST

In the tiny but vibrant indie music landscape of Korea, American illustrator Charity Lynn has established herself as a visual storyteller whose distinctive black-and-white illustrations have become intertwined with the country's local bands and venues.

Since arriving here in 2021, Lynn has transformed from newcomer to sought-after artist, creating posters and artwork that capture the essence of the independent music community — all while developing a style she describes as "anxious and soft," a motto that perfectly encapsulates both her art and personality.

Lynn recently added “promoter” to her list of jobs, booking an exciting lineup of indie bands for an upcoming event celebrating her birthday.

"Recently, I've been trying to make more emotionally inspired art," Lynn explained during our interview at her apartment, as her cat Chai — herself an occasional artistic muse — wandered in and out of the room. "I want to show my feelings in a way that isn't predictable, presenting anxiety in a cute way."

Lynn's signature aesthetic features monochromatic illustrations with meticulous attention to whimsical details: stars scattered throughout compositions, decorative borders and elements that deliberately break conventional frames. Though she works digitally, she deliberately maintains a hand-drawn quality, preferring the 6B pencil tool in Procreate to preserve that organically sketched feeling that gives her work its distinctive character.

"I've been doing black and white since university," she said. "My teacher told me I was really good at it, so I just kept doing it."

While clients occasionally request color, Lynn admits she finds color "intimidating," typically limiting herself to five or six carefully selected shades when she does venture beyond her comfortable monochrome palette.

Her creative process begins with what she describes as "a collage in my head." Pinterest serves as her primary inspiration source, where she'll spend up to an hour gathering visual references before beginning a three-phase sketch process: a rough draft establishing basic shapes, a refined underlying sketch with greater detail and, finally, the finished black-and-white illustration, with color added later if necessary.

Depending on complexity, pieces can take anywhere from five to 24 hours to complete — the latter being the case for her first Block Party poster, which required painstaking attention to capture the essence of Seoul's Haebangchon-Gyeongnidan area.

Lynn's emergence in Seoul's music scene came through a fortuitous email. "I almost didn't send it," she confessed about responding to Platform Magazine's call for contributors. "I was like, 'They probably won't like my art.'" That single message altered her trajectory in Korea, connecting her with bands and venues that would become regular collaborators and friends. "What if I didn't send that email? My life would be totally different."

Since that initial connection, Lynn has established herself as something of a visual chronicler of Seoul's indie music community. Her poster for Sally Everywhere remains her favorite commission — a band she now counts as friends and has seen "hundreds of times." She's particularly proud of her work for Seoul Magic Club, which pushed her outside her typical style comfort zone. Other notable collaborations include Say Sue Me, Sabbaha, Pop Ents and Narotic.

What began as volunteer work has evolved into regular commissioned projects, with Lynn expressing particular enthusiasm for her current collaboration with the band Narotic, for whom she's illustrating a book.

She also developed a particularly memorable series of Pokémon-inspired cards that expanded from an initial request for 10 illustrations to an ambitious 25-piece collection — a testament to what Lynn acknowledges as both a strength and challenge. "I get too ambitious about things, and then I procrastinate really bad until I'm forcing myself to do it," she said. "But actually, some of my best work comes out of that."

Lynn cites several influences on her work, including Manmulsang, the artist behind the Korean webtoon Socks Goblin, and Natasha Allegri, known for her work on "Bee and Puppycat" and an "Adventure Time" spinoff featuring Fiona.

Animation has been a consistent inspiration — Lynn initially studied animation at Columbus College of Art & Design for two years before switching to illustration. Her artistic journey began much earlier, however, with childhood stories about cats escaping animal control and a middle school fascination with Sonic the Hedgehog — origins she admits with endearing embarrassment.

Her recent work, "Listless," a sort of self-portrait showing her lying on a bed, represents what she considers her best work. "There's a difference between the feeling I get with art I make for other people and art I make for myself," she said. These personal pieces function almost like visual diaries, providing a cathartic outlet for expressing emotions that might be difficult to articulate in words.

Imposter syndrome represents her greatest struggle as an artist. "Every time I make something, I feel good about it for a little bit, and then I'm like, 'Wow, this looks like shit. Why do people like me?'" she admitted with characteristic candor.

She also noted a disconnect between aspiration and execution. "I want to make scary, cool art," she said, but conceded, "everything I make just comes out cute. It's not because I wanted to. It just happened."

Though content with her current trajectory of balancing art with teaching, Lynn reveals she deliberately avoids making illustration her full-time career. "I get burnt out really bad, really easily," she explained, noting that after graduating from university, she didn't draw for two years.

As for dream projects, Lynn expressed interest in illustrating for major music festivals or creating more book illustrations like her current project with Narotic. For now, though, she's "perfectly content" with her place in Seoul's creative community — a space that allows her anxious, soft personality to translate into art that resonates with bands and fans alike in the city's flourishing independent music scene.

On May 17, Lynn will celebrate her 29th birthday with a specially curated lineup of her favorite indie bands.

“I wanted to have a party with all of my friends, so I chose some of the bands that I’m friends with, which also have great live performances,” she said.

The event, titled Cherry Bomb Bash, promises to be a memorable night that’s open to both her friends and the public. The show takes place at Infinity Club in western Seoul's Sinchon and features Peach Truck Hijackers, Sally Everywhere and 18Fevers. Tickets cost 25,000 won in advance, or 30,000 won at the door. It will be a fantastic opportunity to see some live music and meet the artist who organized the event. That’s if she can get over her anxiety.

Follow @_charitylynn_ on Instagram for more information about the show and to see more of her art.

Jamie Finn is chief editor of Debaser Magazine. He previously published Platform Magazine.