i can't help but question if any of this is real. it's been months since my life became this unbelievable, dreamlike. yet it remains tangible. right here and now. what's most magical is that life is easy. have i become this good? or is this some glitch? everything i want just falls into my lap.
as did this. an art residency in seoul's biggest art museum. 이제 나 왔다. 한국에. (i've finally come. to korea.)
and i'm here as an artist. i had fans greet me at the airport—that part never stops surprising me. or at least it hasn't yet. i am so respected and adored! i'm truly where i wanted to be for years. and then it's like i blinked and i'm here.
korea is as charming as ever. welcoming. it feels like home. even more so now that i'm fluent in the language.
my art residency hosts greeted me warmly, gifted me flowers, a blanknote, and a gift card to some shop. and my apartment is so cozy!! i already feel beyond comfortable—with my art studio in the next room, for when i feel like creating from home.
oh, and the fans who waited for me at the airport, they brought me 찹쌀떡 (sticky rice cake)! it's a well known fact at this point lol. the fact that i love 찹쌀떡.
i will soon start working on the welcoming exhibition. all of my paintings have already been transported here, but i'm yet to be introduced to the space where they will hang. so that's the plan for tomorrow—meeting the museum director for a tour and a conversation.
this residency is going to be absolutely incredible!!
(an illustration of 찹쌀떡 because it's the best thing in the world)
the sound of snow under our feet. cold air turning our faces rosy. looking at snowflakes up close to see their unique designs. ice skating, even though i have to hold on to him for balance. cafe stops to warm up. foggy windows and quiet chatter. hot cocoa, sweet pastries. soft conversation. gentle glances. his hand in mine.
stop treating shifting like a skill you’re still learning. that beginner mindset served you earlier in your journey. it’s outdated now. every time you approach it like “let me see if I’m doing this right,” you shrink your own authority. anything you do is the right thing to do. you just have to own that choice.
your visits were becoming more and more frequent. we didn't question you coming by just to read beside me. we didn't speak on how casual it was to rest my chin on your shoulder now.
life with you in it was natural from the very first moment.
Bro get it through your head. EVERYONE is living in their own reality!! EVERYTHING is accessible to you!! You are LIMITLESS!! You are god. Never question your power for a moment.
“i was twenty-three years old when i received the dark gift from my maker. the year was 1911. what came before then belongs to a different life altogether. my family left paris for new york when i was ten. my father was a teacher, my mother an artist.
my mother was distant. affection did not come easily from her, but i learned young where it could be found. when i shared in her work, she allowed me into her world. the talent i learned from her became both a means of connection and expression. my relationship with my father was different. we shared a similar temperament, which made his presence somewhat more comforting.
they both died young. my mother first, my father soon after. i learned keep my own company. it was a skill born out of necessity, and one that shielded me from disappointment. there were few paths for women in my time. through my father’s connections and what my mother had left me, i became an arts teacher. teaching gave my days structure and my hands purpose. in classrooms thick with the smell of paint and dust, i felt closest to my mother, as though each lesson kept her from vanishing entirely. art became my refuge, the place where grief could be reshaped into something bearable.
over time, the life i built in new york began to feel incomplete. i desired something more, and the pull of the country i had left as a child grew impossible to ignore. though the city was familiar, i saw my return to paris as the start of something new."
the opening night & the behind the scenes leading up to it.
just a week after arriving in seoul, i had my first show. it was bigger than i had expected. it left me quite overwhelmed, but in the best way possible.
honestly, my fault for spending every day leading up to it living my best life (exploring, hiking, going to galleries and cafes and restaurants, norebang, hanging out with friends)—
and spending every night working and prepping for the show. did i ever sleep? that's a good question.
but the gallery that hosted me accommodated me beautifully. their space was incredible, seemingly tailored to my artworks. and they provided me with everything i needed for the set up.
when the opening night came, i was feeling a mixture of pride and anxiety. i knew i did well, i loved every piece displayed, but still the nerves were there.
or maybe it was excitement.
truly it was magical. i got so many flowers and so many compliments. my leo rising was purringgg!
and i didn't expect it to garner as much attention as it did—several well-known collectors showed up, and i was introduced to some very influential people of the art world, as well as the entertainment industry.
shockingly, i saw some people i recognized. my heart jumped at the sight of park jinyoung strolling across the gallery, eyeing my artworks.
i had to ask the gallery director if my eyes weren't fooling me. she confirmed it was him, and introduced us.
our conversation was brief, but it stayed with me.
i will talk about what that night lead to in a different post. but it was simply unforgettable, so many new beginnings in one evening.
settling in seoul was a big change to my life, my career, my routine, but before i delved fully into art and my residency responsibilities, i took a week to dive into korean life as gia & i were envisioning it for the last few years.
you see—before the trip, we discussed whether our memories of korea had been pure nostalgia or if we really had entered a bubble of absolutely freedom when we lived in seoul last time (exchange programs will do that to ya), and if going back would recreate the same feeling.
and as we set out to replicate all the best memories from years before, it was beautiful to discover that it did.
it only expanded. with more magic, more freedom and more joy.
naturally, we had to go for korean food. there were so many dishes that i'd missed. we even went to a local restaurant that was our 'hidden gem', and were surprised to find it was still there!!
next was karaoke, of course. it didn't matter if you can sing or not—norebang was a necessary part of korean culture. unskippable experience (personally for me....).
then photobooths. i love my growing collection of photobooth pictures with all of my favorite people. (might make a separate post??)
we also joined a bukhansan hiking group and climbed to the very top, visiting temples and snacking on kimbap and injeolmi on our way up. i make it my mission to climb at least one mountain a month. it's easy, because seoul is full of them.
so that's a glimpse at my first week there.
what's next is the beginning of my artist-in-residence life, which begins with an art exhibition opening night, and eventually brings me to my goals, my dreams, and my s/o.