tinker & twinkle » _____
Holiday season marks the beginning of people scrambling to decorate houses and the front of shops in some bright display of we have something to help with your gift checklist. It means setting aside projects in order to sell out to capitalism instead of endorsing the arts and creativity of individuals. It means something generic and red and white and cute enough for parents to want for their kids or lovers for their partner. It marks the end of freedom and experimentation unless one is willing to sacrifice sleep to find ways to slip in individuality into projects.
Hongbin sighs as he files away his sketches, the ones that emulate the summer sky and dragonflies, the ones that seem to have flowers encapsulated in sugar, and the ones that derive elements from festivals. Two months and hopefully it’ll be over. He ends up staring at a lump of sugar, falling into the habit of clipping and pulling to form a rabbit, wondering if he should add a colored red lump for a Santa hat. He does, trying to find ways to add in festivity to the original creations the owner has created long before Hongbin set foot into this shop.
He adds the finishing touch when the bell above the door tinkles. Relieved of a distraction, he looks up with a smile: “how may I help you today?”






