Do you have a creative project in mind?

Let’s get you there

When I set out to make a book of my paintings this year, I was immediately bogged down by the obstacles.

• Creating a themed collection of my art would take months of planning and research. Not to mention actually painting them.

• I’d then have to digitize my watercolor and gouache sketches. It will be a chore to light up each page evenly and take a photograph of it since I don’t have a scanner.

• If I manage to do all that, I have no idea how to use InDesign to layout a book and I don’t have any printing experience in Hong Kong.

I first came up with this goal in December, when 2024 resolutions were the main event in many conversations. My friends went around the circle to share their “new year, new me” aspirations. With the same nervous/excited energy as a round of spin-the-bottle, I voiced my intentions to start an art book and followed up immediately with my concerns. I wanted to make this happen, but I didn’t know how.

To my surprise, my friends had a way to address each “problem”:

Taking on a creative project outside of work is a huge undertaking. The evenings would only have my leftover energy and they’re usually allotted for happy hour drinks, working out, and rest.

If I had insisted on doing this alone, I might have given up halfway because the hurdles were too high for me to jump over. But when I shared my goal to my friends, they found a way to offer their own strengths to make my dream a reality.

An open invitation to meet you at your halfway point

There are few things more personally fulfilling than pursuing a creative project outside of your day job. It’s fun. It’s play. It’s your opportunity to let your whacky soul loose without any real implications on the “serious” aspects of your life (aka won’t get in the way of your income stream).

If you are thinking of creating something, I would love to support you in any way I can. Creativity flows more easily when done collectively. My Write of Passage circle chats weekly about ideas. Bonded by our shared goal to publish regularly, we even edit each other’s essays. The energy of creating as a collective pats away all the layers of uncertainty, allowing encouragement and even more creativity to flourish.

I would like to show up for you, too. I will be your sparring partner. Your flailing tube man cheerleader. The Boyle to your Jake Peralta. We can brainstorm about it over coffee, drinks, a Zoom call, or a walk by the pier. If you’re writing, I will copyedit your draft.

(Some disclaimers. If it’s a commercial project, I will provide you with a quote. If your project is of a significant length, I may not be able to look over everything. If you require capabilities I don’t have, I may refer you elsewhere.)

The most important part of creating is to get something out. It doesn’t have to be perfect. But you’d want it to be something that you’re proud of. Often, a second set of eyes, an extra pair of hands, and a big dollop of support is the boost that you and your project needs.

If you’ve got an inkling of an idea cooking in your head, you know where to reach me. (Comment below. You don’t need an account.)

In the meantime, I’ll be at my friend’s flat hijacking her scanner.

Thank you to friends who constantly encourage the creative project that is this Substack:

Lavinia Iosub

,

Harrison Moore

,

Emily

,

Miche Priest

, and

Meryl Rowlands

.

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Update log:

• 📖 The writing in A Little Life (12% completed) is so beautiful. I haven’t yet reached the parts that break people’s hearts so sorely that they couldn’t stop warning me.

• 📇 Art book progress: I’ve finished scanning all 16 of my sketchbooks! I’m considering to list them online as well. Let me know if this might interest you?

• ✍️ I struggle with thinking of essay openings. But many authors (especially novelists) do it in a way that draws me in. I’m going to go back to my favorite novels and pluck out the chapter openers and see if I can spot any patterns or tips.

• 🍣 Omigosh Japanese food in its motherland is divine. I’m obsessed with salmon sushi and sashimi, so to have it multiple times fills my soul.

• 🎨 Started a digital painting class that runs Mondays 6AM-9AM. The instructor is so helpful in pointing out my strengths (values) and weak points (need more confident strokes).

• 📷 The zoom lens that I brought for my trip, so I purchased a Canon 28mm f2.8 lens from a used camera shop. The pictures turned out so romantic. I’m so grateful that my friend (who speaks fluent Japanese) was there to help me find this gem.

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