Motherland Diaries
“I’m latching on, babe, now I know what I have found...”
Aren’t we all looking for that one place we can latch onto and lock in - to sigh relief and proclaim (finally!) we’re set for life?
Six months ago, I wrote a post about how my visits to Korea permanently trickled into my life. Now, as a proud five-month resident in Korea, I'm living out the initial sparks of connection and inspiration - and entering into deeper dimensions of wisdom and clarity about my place here.
I experienced major creative blocks while living in San Jose and Philadelphia. I knew that I was called to these places for the season, but experienced so much difficulty in finding vision and drive to remain. Nothing seemed to fit right.
Thankfully, his kindness outshines my tears. My waiting season was also a time to blossom. I ventured into expressions I feared to enter before and established aesthetics unique to me. Through the waiting, I created and documented - but felt that I was not yet ready to share. My departure from these places made me realize that the purpose was not to settle in these places, but to strip away my old attachments for new grounds.
When I arrived in Korea, I dove headfirst into an adventure full of inspiration, freedom and healing. My creative expressions are no longer floating - but locking into good soil and solid ground. Like puzzle pieces perfectly clicking into the puzzle and key that perfectly fits into the door lock.
You find your place, and your people, then the vibes and ideas come to you. You're not just throwing on thin air, but there is authority and fruit in what you create and share. Your expression leave an eternal resonance as a part of the bigger story. What you thought was a mere drop of water reverberates into an endless body of ocean. That’s what I found in Korea - and am excited to know this is just the beginning.
w o n d e r
“Staying in touch with wonder opens up so many doors for adventure. Even in the most mundane things. It frees us from fear and guide us to unforeseen territories. (But hey, though you haven’t seen it, it tastes better than the glimpse you whispered in your heart to be true one day.) I’d rather take the narrow road than remain stagnant towards emptiness. If your wonder’s hanging loose, fight to grab hold of it, because the battle is worth it - and truth can be hidden under a bowl only for so long. ”
P R O C E S S (LIFE LATELY)
Finding wonder in small things
Stepping into deeper measures of grace
Discovering new depths of beauty
Unveiling the treasure of connection
Embracing the process wholeheartedly
Strands
New season
Shade or style
I do not know
But it’s coming
Yet again
Liberation at hand
“Hello June. You showed up at the most perfect time.
펜과 노트 하나에 느끼는 자유. 공동의 공간이 나만의 되는 순간”
V O I C E
A Time to SPEAK
Life's been a crazy swirl, but full of substance and revelation. I realize I've been in my head a lot - so when I speak, I get loud. The words sound perfect in my mind, but more often come out frazzled and even overwhelming. I used to stop myself mid-sentence, thinking I'm a nuisance instead of a blessing. But hey, maybe it's time. There is time to refrain, but also a time to speak. There are things I forgot, left behind and tucked away as the past thing - despite its glory and beauty. But hey! I'm being renewed daily, so the old of yesterday is always the new of tomorrow. I realize we never outgrow learning. Education continues beyond a college diploma, as long as you're willing.
F A S H I O N
THE INDUSTRY, THE DREAM
I'm already in my mid-20s and waking up to the realities of life. How can I possibly leave room to nurture the dream? So says the world. I'm called to a higher standard. Believing even when everything else says no. I'm too attuned to the fuel driving me forward and the sparks exploding inwards to stop hoping and live mediocre. There is room to remain a child and run full force when the opportunity is at hand. For now, I'll stand in wonder with hands wide open - because I see, and so believe.
B E A U T Y
I'm bombarded with lessons about #beauty whenever I come to Korea. It's a place full of beautiful faces and broken hearts. A perfect face cannot fill a broken well; rather a pursuit of perfection is a path of perpetual dissatisfaction. Beauty is fleeting, but truth remains. I'll embrace my imperfections because my heart is made beautiful through truth.
“한국에 올때마다 공기에서 뼈저리게 느끼는 아름다움에 대한 숨막히고 조용한 마음의 사투. 그 안에 갈망, 싸움과 절망. 그리고 눈으로 보이는거 보다 ‘더’의 대한 소망. 그 소용돌이 안에 과연 풍족할수 있을까. 진리를 통해 마음이 아름다워지고 그로 인해 외적인 아름다움이 비치는 것... 진정한 아름다움은 안에서 시작한다.”
All words & images by @pieana