Offline and alive: notes from Korea

7 things I loved this November

Welcome to my roundup of things I loved over the past month! If you’re not interested in 7 Things, you can specifically toggle off these emails in your account settings.

Hello dear readers! After retreating for a private November spent with family, I’m thrilled to be back with you all as autumn comes to a close.

This month’s roundup is essentially a letter to you with my reflections from Korea, my second home country. There’s some travel and cultural insights, reflections on being offline, and recommendations for illustrators to follow and making a cozy home. Grab a cup of tea and let’s dive in!

Here are the seven things I loved in November:

1️⃣ Newsletter time off

This month I broke the #1 advice for showing up online: being consistent. They say you should send your newsletter every week or else people will forget about you. And it’s true, even a few weeks of silence means that some readers won’t remember who I am and will unsubscribe.

So what if people leave? Unsubscribes happen with every single newsletter I send out, and the same goes for followers on social media. Some people want to hear more from you, others want to hear less. If you’re upfront with readers about taking a break, I don’t think taking time off has much of a long term impact.

The most important thing is to stay attuned to your own capacity and motivation, using breaks as a way to help yourself renew your commitment. During my time off, I gave myself space to ideate a new January offering that I’m excited about—stay tuned 📣

2️⃣ Unlimited Edition Art Book Fair

Left: Jin Young Choi’s table, Middle: Redfoxpress’s display wall, Right: My haul

While in Seoul I got to check out the city’s annual art book fair, Unlimited Edition. I’ve been to my fair share of artist/illustrator fairs but this one was by far the most organized! I loved using their handy online map of exhibitor tables with the option to “heart” your favorites.

There were so many talented illustrators at the fair—some of my favorites are Paca Kim, by_ell, Kelly Belter, imonyourside, and Park Jung Eun. I left feeling overwhelmingly inspired and invigorated to make paper products and small books.

3️⃣ Bilingual brain shift

I am conversationally fluent in Korean, and when I visit the motherland, I immerse myself in the language as much as possible. Whether I’m reading Korean essays or journaling in Korean, I notice the poetic textures that emerge with the language change.

Korean often relies on implied subjects or objects, so sentences feel more evocative in their simplicity. I too am writing more simply because of my gaps in fluency. When I think and write in a different language, I notice the changes in what I perceive and remember.

As a former linguistics student, I'm endlessly fascinated by how speaking multiple languages changes the brain. But you don’t have to be multilingual to tap in: travel, translated literature, and subtitled foreign films offer everyone portals into these different ways of seeing and feeling.

4️⃣ Sketching at Gamcheon Culture Village

During the middle of my trip, I snuck away for a solo trip to Busan. It was my first time in the coastal city and I loved how quiet and peaceful it was in November. At the top of my list was visiting Gamcheon Culture Village, a revitalized area full of brightly painted houses, small alleys with art galleries, and various murals depicting the Little Prince. The art is eclectic, the area is touristy, and everything there is just so fun to draw.

5️⃣ The power of protest

I departed for Korea a week after the US election, nursing a heavy heart at the prospect of another four years of Trump. Meanwhile, Koreans have been facing their own extreme displeasure over the current president, Yoon Suk Yeol, who has been mired in controversy since he took office two years ago. Even before this week’s chaos with Yoon declaring martial law (then lifting it six hours later), I saw countless petitions and protest banners in Seoul and Busan calling for Yoon’s impeachment.

Korea has only been a democracy since 1987, which may explain why its citizens are so passionate about organizing and protesting to make their voices heard. As an American I often take our democracy for granted, but seeing the pervasiveness of protests in Korea encourages me to use my democratic rights more often to enact change.

6️⃣ Bathroom love notes

I stumbled across a homey vintage cafe in Busan called Awluk. The space doubles as a leather goods workshop, with plenty of handicrafts for sale and books to peruse.

The ambiance was great and the coffee was delicious, but I was most smitten by all the customer love notes taped onto the bathroom wall! Putting up love notes is a great idea for introducing more coziness into one’s home, especially next to a bathroom mirror. What’s better than reading a message from a loved one as you brush your teeth?

7️⃣ “Missing out” online

When my days are full of activity, as is the case when traveling, I’m way more at peace with “missing out” online. Whether it comes in writing, imagery, or video, content is an endless stream that is harder to keep up with the more people you discover.

There’s no one right way to consume content. Some people like to subscribe to hundreds of accounts and skim headlines, while others limit their consumption diet to a few folks and read every word. I’m squarely in the latter category, yet I still get overwhelmed when I realize all that there is to take in online, let alone offline.

Breaking my normal routine helps me realize that content is not homework, and I can diversify my intake. Doing just that is the key to unlocking inspiration, letting new seeds germinate and form, and building confidence in what you alone have to offer.

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If you enjoyed today’s letter, I would be thrilled to receive a little love note from you so I can put it up on my wall 📝 Thanks for reading, and stay warm!