Jet Lag, Reunions, and March
Letter No. 11 :: March 25
Dear Letter Drop Readers,
I’m finally out of bed without any headache. How have you been?! I’ve lived a split life between New York and Seoul for over 10 years, but strangely enough, I've never gotten used to jet lag. I still don’t have tips for overcoming it quickly other than trying to only take power naps during the day.
I moved quite a lot of boxes from the storage but still hadn’t got enough time to unpack all of them. By the time I was ready to unpack my clothes, I fell asleep. Then, after another few hours, it was now or never—I’d fall back asleep again.
Entering into my 30s
I turned 30 at the end of February. Honestly, I thought it would be so much more dramatic to finally become a thirty-something person. Perhaps I thought I’d feel a bit more powerful. My insecurities of always being the youngest in the group all the time did make me feel a bit more empowered to enter into my 30s. Will I actually be more wise now? I guess we’ll figure it out.
Yet, I must say that I feel SO happy about the people I am surrounded by in the very first chapter of my 30s. Navigating all kinds of relationships—friends, co-workers, romantic partners, family, even with myself—throughout my 20s was not pleasant at all. I am very happy to have my group of friends who make me feel secure, confident, and happy. Mostly, loved.
Lv.30 of life. Here we go!
Featured on Creative Boom
I got another chance to share my work and the story behind my project with Creative Boom. A few years ago, I participated in the Childhood Week Challenge on Instagram, which allowed me to delve deeply into the concept of childhood.
My ideas naturally progressed from my own childhood stories. It was so much fun to revisit my childhood and to learn about it from different perspectives from my family members. There were moments when we all laughed, saying, “Is that why you’re scared of the darkness?” Also some awkward moments, saying, “Why did you never let me take a walk alone?”
It’s all good. What’s great is that we still have all of them inside us. No matter how glowing and hurtful that time had been, they shaped who we are. I learned how powerful childhood, or the story of children, can be in learning about ourselves and others.
Check out Inspired by My Childhood - with Cindy Kang on Creative Boom!
Reunions and Good-Byes
When new ideas storm into my mind, I miss the chance to wrap up before moving on to the next thing. Having many open tabs was causing anxiety (or is a reason for anxiety), so I decided to return to things to either continue or close the tab.
Friends. I reconnected with old friends and also kinda let go of some. Growing up in different places and living quite different lives from the “norm” of society—especially Korean society—made me feel distant from some communities. I wrote about What It Means To Leave Korea to discuss why I often felt uncomfortable around some. Exploring what I believe is the biggest social issue made me understand who I am, where I want to be, and who I want to be with. It’s great how knowing this allowed me to reconnect with people and share our thoughts.
Home. After packing for days, I sat in the middle of my empty apartment feeling devastated. I wasn’t ready to leave. If I had done better, or if I spent more time in this apartment … but for real, what else could’ve been done to feel OK to let go of this apartment? After a few months, as if my wishes were heard by Mother Nature, I was back in my dear and loving apartment in Queens. Sitting at the exact same spot where I was in deep regret. However, this time, I was fully indulged in gratitude. It was time to acknowledge not to take this space for granted anymore and constantly make art until I was sick of making art.
Routines. March is often considered a real beginning of the new year for Koreans, as our new school year starts in March. The cold air of early spring takes me back to that moment when you walk into your new classroom, being all nervous and excited. New classmates, new teachers, new goals for the year. Even though I’m not in school anymore nor in Korea, I decided to have a fresh mindset starting this March, as if I’m entering a new school year. My goal is to keep a routine, a set schedule. Goodbyes to having random daily schedules, but a reunion with self-initiated class schedules to keep a slightly more balanced, healthier life.
And… more drawings! Most certainly. Follow me on Instagram, Bluesky, and Letter Drop for more sketchbook and art-related posts. I look forward to continuing to share my journey here, and I hope you enjoy the warmer weather this week!
Sincerely,
Cindy