Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man

For 31-year-old Derek Luh, spirituality comes first.

Text by Dio Anthony

The depth of a person cannot be seen at first glance. But can it be felt through video, in an age of zoom calls and virtual meetups? Perhaps? Possibly? This thought lingered in my head after a routine interview with 31-year-old Derek Luh, whose life and journey could not be more distinct than my own. He speaks casually and comfortably, and finds a way to smile after every word spoken. With more than 3,000 real life physical miles between us, I tried my best to sketch a written portrait of Derek. Something accurate or at the very least adjacent to how he views himself.

DIO: I’m so excited to talk to you. I appreciate you making the time.

DEREK: Of course. Thanks for having me. I’ve heard so much about you, so it’s exciting to meet you in the flesh. 

DIO: Same here. I know that a lot of your interviews have been very character focused, so I figured we’d get a different vibe going. For starters, you grew up in California, correct? 

shirt ADEAM

DEREK: I did. One of the very few that are in this industry and were born and raised in Southern California, [Laughs].  

DIO: I feel like growing up in California is usually portrayed as this cinematic experience. Unmatched to other places in the country. I’m wondering, what was it like for you growing up in California? What are some memories that stick with you?

DEREK: Oh man. I mean, growing up in California, specifically  in Valencia, the Santa Clarita area, right by Six Flags. That’s what my friends and I would do on the weekend; Six Flags and Hurricane Harbor. Then as I got into high school, it was more of the things you’d expect, like the beach and countless house parties. I’d say it was 25% of the Hollywoodized version you see in movies. Growing up in California for me was about beach days, and wearing a jacket when it’s 67 degrees because you’re freezing. I think it was a typical Southern California experience.

shirt PALY HOLLYWOOD, cap ROUGH, shorts BOOHO

DIO: It’s funny you mention Six Flags. I lived in LA for some time and the only time I’d hear about Valencia was when referencing Six Flags. 

DEREK: [Laughs], absolutely, that’s my landmark that I like to use when people don’t know where Valencia is. Most people in LA instantly know where that is once you say that. 

DIO: Is there anything you do every day that you feel like is non-negotiable? Something that you absolutely have to do.

DEREK: Every day? I wake up [laughs], that’s non-negotiable. I’ve gotta wake up. But actually I recently started this thing that helps me, something I saw on YouTube and was inspired to start my day like that. I stay off my phone for at least an hour. I brush my teeth with my left hand. ‘Cause it’s my non-dominant hand. So it’s not the mundane action that it would be if I used my right. It’s about getting my brain to work. Then I look in the mirror and I say into each eye, I love you.

Then I start taking very deep, exaggerated breaths, to get my system moving–and some oxygen flowing into my body and brain. Then I’ll have warm, not too hot lemon water. I’ll try to read if I don’t have to get going. If I do, I’ll try to read right before just to be able to escape from something and get my mind focused on words on the page, instead of scrolling through the news of the day. Those things have been non-negotiable for me lately. I try to do that routine in the mornings. If I really have to go, I’ll do the left-handed teeth-brushing and say I love you in the mirror. 

DIO: That’s very nice. I’m so glad I asked. That feels very spiritual. Are you a spiritual person?

DEREK: I am. I would say I’m a spiritual person as of recently. In the past, I feel like I’ve always been, but in the last maybe five to seven years, I’ve really tapped into that and what that means for me.

DIO: And what does it mean to you? What is your personal idea of spirituality? 

DEREK: Well, I’m really big on the belief of living Karmically. Doing the things when no one is looking. It’s easy to go on social media or do things in front of your friends. But what work are you doing when no one’s looking? I realize that when I’m doing that spiritual work and inner work, the rest of my life ends up lining up. Even if I’m eating properly, I hear good news, or my friends and family get good news, all these things start to align for me. I think spirituality for me is just really being in tune with myself and being aligned. I think the more I’m focused on being in tune with my spirituality, the better I am when it comes to having a better grasp and being less prone to distractions. It’s listening to my intuition, to the signs that the universe is giving me. I’m able to make decisions with a clear head and more intuitively I would say. 

DIO: Right. Being intentional. 

DEREK: Intentional! Yes!

DIO: Very cool. I feel like one quote that I always think about is who are you when no one else is looking. Which feels very aligned to what you just spoke about. Is there a philosophy that you like or tend to live by? 

cap UUUNTLD, suit PHIPPS

DEREK: I think it’s similar to that quote. What work are you doing when no one else is? And why? For me personally, that determines my worth more than anything.  What am I doing when no one’s watching? That’s self-validation,which I think is pivotal. 

DIO: Oh, I love that. Is there anything you’re particularly looking forward to this year? 

DEREK: Doing more of the things that I want to do. I want to get out and golf a little bit more. I’ve been so busy and haven’t really found the time to do that. I definitely want to read more. I’ve been reading scripts as they come in, so I’m always reading those, but I’d like to get lost in some books more. I’m currently reading  Anthony Kiedis’ Scar Tissue, and it’s a total page turner. I cannot put it down. I’ve been knocking out 60 pages in a sitting. I forgot how amazing and fun it is to read. And of course I want to focus on dialing in my nutrition. So that it’s like second nature to me, and not something I have to think about too much. 

tank JACQUEMUS

DIO: All those things work synergistically. I feel like I kind of get a vibe of your personality already by your answers. I want to talk about your tattoos, because you have quite a few. What was your first tattoo experience? 

DEREK: My first tattoo experience was when I had just turned 18, on my 18th birthday. I really wanted a tattoo. but didn’t know what to get. I had a friend at the time who had the outline of California on his ribs. I thought–that’s sick, I’m from California too, so that’s what I’m going to do. But I thought, I won’t get it in an obvious place, just in case I want to hide it.Which turned into me getting the California state outline on my hip, right in the V part. You know that strip in Venice with all the tattoo and smoke shops? I paid the first person I saw and saidI want this right here.  Which they instantly agreed to, [laughs]. Afterwards I had that instant tattoo regret. I’m looking in the mirror like, why did I do this? It’s a weird thing getting a tattoo, even to this day, after having so many. I’ll see it the next day or following week and think to myself–was this the best choice? Should I have done this?

tank JACQUEMUS

DIO: I feel like the people in  these shops in Venice deal with that daily. Young people getting their first tattoos, that they’ll regret very shortly after.

DEREK: I would agree [laughs]. That’s probably 80% of their business. Someone getting a tattoo on a whim. 

DIO: But then you continued to get more. You couldn’t stop it seems. 

DEREK: I really couldn’t stop. I just was so influenced by the music I was listening to and the people I was big into. Like Lil Wayne and Wiz Khalifa. Growing up in high school and seeing them–I wanted to be tatted just like that. 

DIO: Lil Wayne is amazing. I was just listening to the ThaCarter III album front to back.

DEREK: Oh man, I listened to it every single day on my way to summer school. Every day. I remember riding in my friend’s Jeep to summer school from football practice every single day. We started at number one and just listened all the way through, and we’d resume it after we’d gotten out of summer school. We’d resume wherever we were. Right on the minute-mark.

DIO: It kind of transports you back in time, doesn’t it? I had a moment like that this week, going song after song, screenshotting my phone screen and sending it to old friends, because it takes you places. Do you abide by any rules when it comes to your tattoos? 

DEREK: Man, I wish I had the knowledge I have now. When I was getting tattoos before, it was so reckless and just about getting tatted. I want the sleeve, and I want this and I want that. I think I’ve slowed down and probably won’t be getting as many tattoos, if at all. But they’re all very meaningful. It’s gotta be. I’ll sit with the idea for a year or two, thinking through if I still want it. Does it mean the same to me as when I first thought about it? If it does, then I’ll get it. Much smaller and more detailed. It’s like collecting a souvenir. Instead of blasting my body with a massive sistine chapel art piece, ya know? 

DIO: Have you ever actually gotten rid of one? 

DEREK: Definitely. I’m sure some fans have put it together from my music days. I’m actually removing a lot of my tattoos. I’m removing my sleeve and I’m also removing some of my wrist. It’s going to be a gnarly process.

DIO: What a journey. I love the journey from tattoos to de-tattooing. Very interesting.

DEREK: It’s therapeutic as well. Some people get them as therapy. It’s kind of the same sort of thing when you’re having them removed. The healing of it, and watching it fade. It’s pretty cool actually.

DIO: Like releasing something from your body. 

DEREK: Absolutely like that. 

DIO: There’s quite a few movies out right now that have been part of a collective conversation. What’s one film you can’t stop thinking or talking about recently?

DEREK: PastLives rocked me, as well as May December. I also just watchedLeaveThe World Behind with Julia Roberts and Ethan Hawke. I’ve heard less talk about that one but felt that it was very relevant to today’s world and how we are consumed with technology. Another one was Society of The Snow. Which I definitely don’t recommend watching while you’re flying somewhere. I also felt that Poor things was so fantastical and magical. It transports you instantly. The performances are phenomenal.

DIO: I agree. Some of those films, the ones I’ve watched, left me wanting more afterwards. 

DEREK: There were so many nuanced things in these films. Things left up to interpretation. We’re a society that wants resolution in our movies like we do in our lives. It’s nice to be left thinking–what does this mean? 

DIO: Is there a song right now that you’ve been playing over and over and over again?

DEREK: Honestly, the one that I go to all the time is MoneyOn My Mind by Lil Wayne off The Carter II. That’s my go-to. I love that song. It’s my go-to when I get in the car. If I can’t find a song I like I’ll put that on. I’ll put it on in the gym, too. I don’t know what it is about that song. Maybe it’s nostalgic, and I know all the words–so I can sing it flawlessly, [laughs]. 

DIO: What are your three top most used apps on your phone?

jacket KKCO, bracelet ODDINARY STUDIOS

DEREK: Probably my Gmail app. My texting app, and then my music app for sure.

DIO: Which is Spotify I assume? 

DEREK: It’s Apple Music actually. 

DIO: Interesting. Why Apple? I feel like Spotify, especially for music lovers, is a game changer. The catalog is insane. 

DEREK: I’m gonna be honest.  I know how to use Apple Music and I just am so stuck in my way sometimes. I don’t want to learn to use a new app. I have my stuff saved and my playlists made. I’ve been using it since I was buying music off of itunes, and downloading it illegally on limewire. You know what I’m saying? 

DIO: I know what you’re saying.

DEREK: Exactly. Sucks. I’m just kind of stuck in my ways [laughs]. 

DIO: You’re a creature of habit. I get it. 

DEREK: Exactly! I’m a super creature of habit. Especially with all the variables in life. If I can just have my Apple Music, everything else will be okay. 

DIO: My last two questions are: What’s the first thing you do in the morning? 

DEREK: That routine I told you about earlier,and then I’ll head to the gym. On Wednesdays I do ballet. When I can’t hit the gym, I’ll try and get some form of activity going. A hike or a run, or maybe just a walk. 

DIO: Wait, tell me more about the ballet. You take a class? 

DEREK: It’s kinda like a class, but it’s private, in a group setting. Three, sometimes four people. My friends and I. My teacher’s name is Katie, and she’s an amazing instructor. I was at a game night one night, which I do often with a couple of friends, and one of them mentioned we’d be doing ballet the next day. I thought, ballet? I’m down for anything challenging and new and artistic–anything that lets me use my body. The first day, I obviously was terrible at it, but I felt so refreshed. I’m used to lifting, which is just very up and down, up and down. It’s not new for my brain. Doing ballet, I was using and moving muscles that I never thought I had. There’s lots of detail to it. I didn’t have time to think about anything else for that hour. I’m thinking about where my scapulas are placed. It’s so technical, but so freeing. 

DIO: In  closing, what’s the last thing you do on most days?

DEREK: The last thing I do on most days, right before I go to bed, I have to watch something.I have to go to bed with a movie or a show. It’s my routine. I will put on something until I’m fighting to keep my eyes open.

DIO: So you’re  a fall asleeper, versus an I’m going to bed kind of guy.

DEREK: Yeah. I’m a fall asleeper. I’m sure all of the sleep scientists would tell me, no screens. I’ll do that with my phone, but not with the TV.

DIO: This was such a cool conversation. You’re so interesting. You had such great answers. 

DEREK: Thank you, Dio. Thank you for having such great questions to spur it out of me.  

WORDS: DIO ANTHONY, PHOTOGRAPHY: EMILYNN ROSE, STYLING: MELISSA LYNN, GROOMING: COLLEEN DOMINIQUE