create as much as you consume

the motivation to create

If you're anything like me, then you probably enjoy watching lots of YouTube videos, collecting books, watching movies, and saving long-form articles to read later. I absorb a lot of content. I actually do find a lot of inspiration from certain people on social media. Especially during quarantine, when I'm stuck in the same room 24/7. It's nice to see what the rest of the world is doing. It's nice to escape and appreciate an artist's work or an iconic film. Or even just a YouTuber's beautifully edited vlog.

My college playwriting professor once said that the goal for us as students was to "produce a lot of work." We read a lot of plays in class. But we also produced our own plays through both shorter written exercises and longer projects with multiple scenes.

This balance, it turns out, was incredibly important for me to learn from experts while putting into practice the new techniques that I picked up from my reading time. Writing on my own was also proof that I was learning and growing as a creative. After all, I enjoyed reading partly for the sake of becoming a better writer.

The same could be said for other media that I enjoy. As a photographer, Instagram is like a gold mine for me. There are tons of talented visual artists and creatives on here; but it can be so easy to get carried away and fall into a rabbit hole of scrolling nonstop.

Instead, I find the actual process of content creation—building a portfolio, testing a new tool on Photoshop, and publishing an original photo essay on my website—much more rewarding. Even if no one sees it. Why? Because, again, I am creating proof that I'm learning and growing.

Absorbing too much media can feel exhausting. I know I have days when my screen time is unbelievably high, but I don't even realize it in the moment.

So, I challenge you (right now!) to get off your phone and produce something of your own. Design a graphic, edit a quick video, or make a photo collage. Write a journal entry. Record yourself reciting a poem you wrote, as if you're performing spoken word in front of a loving audience.

Channel that energy into creating something new. It will leave you feeling a lot more fulfilled than if you had decided to watch another hour of Netflix.

let’s get creative! top 3 tools for generating the first draft

I thought I would share some amazing, trustworthy resources that I turn to when I’m looking to create rather than consume:

• Adobe Photoshop.

  If I only had to keep one software program on my computer, I would want to keep Photoshop. This program is where I first learned how to edit my DSLR photos in high school, and I still carry those skills with me today as I go through photography edits. For about two years now, I’ve been using Photoshop for design work as well — it’s relatively easy to move objects (i.e., photos) around freely so that you can create your own collages too. Adobe also has an incredible array of fonts, so if you’re into typography, it’s a great way to experiment with a different look and feel of text on images.

  Alternatives (free mobile apps):

  • Photo editing: VSCO

  • Photo collaging and design: SCRL, Unfold, Layout

• Canva.

  I discovered Canva during my freshman year of college, and I never looked back. It’s a free resource and an incredibly user-friendly way of introducing someone to design. Over the years, I’ve noticed how much they’ve upgraded their various template designs (with correct dimensions), so that you can really find a good base template for anything you want to create. If you’re new to graphic design and want to start experimenting with color palettes and layouts, I highly recommend Canva!

• Journal + pen.

  I have my favorites: Moleskine hardcover notebook + Muji 0.38 black gel pen. Journaling is my go-to form of self-care. I tend to be an overthinker, so having a dedicated space for me to scribble my thoughts into more organized notes is extremely therapeutic for me. Even on days when I’m feeling good, I like to turn to my journal to make lists for brainstorming creative projects, or to set personal goals for myself. At the end of the day, when there’s too much clutter on the Internet or my screen, I like to shut down my computer, go analog, and mindfully exercise my hand movements as I handwrite and doodle on the page.

As far as what I consume, there’s quite a lot. But I’m slowly learning for myself what my top sources of healthy inspiration are. I’ll create a curated list soon — for now, I’m feeling ready to watch a good TV show and appreciate the weekend. Happy creating!

poetry in april

Upon returning home after leaving campus with the knowledge that I would not be coming back as a student again, I searched desperately for ways to cope with my despair. I turned to my journal, as I often do in these types of situations, and put pen to paper to create this anthology of quarantine poetry. I speak on loneliness, intimacy, and dealing with change.

I hope these words resonate with you.

The full poetry collection is published in The Wave’s digital magazine, Quaranzine.

cosmic wonders — behind the scenes

After about a year-long hiatus, I finally posted a new video on my YouTube channel! For the most part, I’ve kept my YT space pretty low-key and don’t really consider myself to be a full-on content creator. However, I definitely enjoy the space and platform to post whatever kind of content I want, especially when I’m proud of what I made. It usually takes me hours upon hours of editing to get to the final stage of publishing. By the time I’ve reached that stage, I usually make myself go back and fix one or two nitty-gritty edits that I notice at the last minute. But it’s super satisfying to finally post!

For my newest installment titled COSMIC WONDERS, I didn’t take all these photographs and videos with the intention to publish them as its own collection. I thought that maybe they would get incorporated into already-existing collections, like QUARANTINE, or maybe even AN EMERGING CITY.

But as I sifted through my memory card and re-evaluated various photos I had taken of the sky—clouds, sunsets, and even the moon in several instances—I discovered a cohesive theme that I wanted to explore. The universe! Something about these photos was so calming and serene, yet powerful and awe-inspiring. I wanted to make the viewer feel as if they had traveled to another universe without leaving their seat at all. (Much like how I didn’t even have to leave my own house!) 🏡

Fun fact: all of the video footage and photography from this collection were filmed and shot from my own bedroom (in quarantine fashion)! Although the past few months have been rough, I’m glad that I am still being creatively stimulated and inspired, even when I’ve been stuck in the same place. No matter how fancy your equipment is, it’s all about the vision that you have for yourself and whatever projects you want to create.

If you think someone would benefit from seeing the message in the video, please feel free to share it with them. I hope this brightens your day!

—

• Camera: Canon EOS 80D

• Lens: Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5–5.6

• Editing software: Adobe Premiere Pro (video), Adobe Photoshop (photo)

• Inspiration: simple joys, Korean home vlogging style (silent and relaxing), journaling and letter-writing, summertime, lo-fi music

documenting home

As the world begins to open up with a lingering cloud of uncertainty, I look back on my experience living at home in Queens, New York City. For three months (and counting), I, like many others, have been cooped up indoors as I wait for things to get better in the outside world. At first, I kept myself busy with finishing college online. When classes ended, I found other work and media that I could consume relentlessly until I became exhausted. 

Yet there were also days when I’d stare at the ceiling, feeling an overwhelming absence of purpose. One change that I made while being stuck at home is that I now keep my camera more accessible, displaying it on my desk rather than keeping it hidden in my camera bag. 

With this small change, a photo collection was born. Click on the thumbnail below for the full series.

***

Welcome to an intimate glimpse of my home: a Korean household inhabiting a small building in a very quiet town. Thanks to a pandemic, this home became my shelter for a much longer extension of my childhood than I anticipated. Has living here disrupted my transition into adulthood—the transition that I yearned for and feared at the same time? I have a theory that your physical surroundings influence your mental space. Spending three whole months contained within the walls of your childhood bedroom might cause you to revert to your younger self. At least there is the beauty of nostalgia. 

Home is filled with fruits toppling over the basket rim. Hot stews, broths, and a guaranteed bowl of rice with every meal. Home is silhouettes and shadows with every 8:30pm sunset. A humble appreciation for clear skies and views from suburbia. Home is the garden of my mother’s labor. 

It is a place of solace, when no other door is open. 

click below for more visuals

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