OOOOOHHHH HELLO FROM SEOUL!!!
So my lack of blogging recently has been SHOCKING! Mainly because there have been some MASSIVE changes which have meant my time has been super limited over this past couple of months....but, in short, to fill you in on the gossip... I HAVE MOVED TO MAGICAL SEOUL!!!
It is an adventure that I have actually been thinking about for a good couple of years and after my experiences here in Korea last year during my artist residency with Incheon Art Platform, this kind of cemented my decision to uproot myself and give life a try in Korea.
Obviously it was a huge deal to pack my bags and move to the other side of the world but, it's such a dream come true and I'm SUPER happy to be here!
Hence my reasons for being so rubbish with updating my blog of recent because the last few months in the UK were CRAZY busy with wrapping up a load of work and projects whilst planning and preparing for my big jump to Seoul!
As you may have noticed my time here in Korea last year had a MASSIVE impact on me, not only in a work sense~ I totally fell in love with this place for so many reasons mainly the people, the way of life, the cultural heritage, the contemporary art scene, the dedicated work ethic, the food, the fashion, the colourful streets, the pride that the country has in it's own cultural identity and of course the fact that the visual aesthetics of Korea are like gold to any creative person... so in short I pretty much love everything about it here... ( well, except from the oversized bugs and spiders of course!) and the idea of totally throwing myself into the experience of living and working in an environment that is such a dramatic contrast to my norm is possibly the most exciting thing in the world! I find nothing more awesomely exhilarating and phenomenally inspiring than totally immersing myself in alien situations with a whole bunch of new challenges, people, experiences and influences surrounding me!
So the past couple of months were mega hectic in making this happen and I touched down in Korea just 3 weeks ago~it's been a whirlwind of paperwork and preparations in the run up to the big departure.... and one of the most major aspects.... I HAD TO GO AU NATUREL with my hair?!?! FIRST TIME IN A MILLION YEARS!!! I figured that in the long term the upkeep of bleaching my roots in Asia was going to be a nightmare and not as easy as I'm accustomed to... so it was farewell to pastel, pony hair and now I'm officially a brunette which is WEIRD!!!
As I mentioned, I arrived 3 weeks ago so I've been mainly focused on settling in, making my new home all pink and sparkly, adjusting to my work commitments, catching up with old friends, checking out my favourite haunts and basically seeing what's going on in the wonderful city! So after my previous experiences of rural-vs-urban Korea last year, much as my time on little Baengnyeongdo gave me the most intense and close up peek into Korean life and true community spirit that I could have ever wished for.. well... I think we have established that I'm more suited to city life.... so Seoul was my city of choice when shifting over here!!!
I'm living in a nice little neighbourhood in Eastern Seoul~ which has a nice mix of greenery and neon as well as a tonne of little cafes, shops and restaurants sitting right on my doorstep... (it is also only a short walk to a multi-floor Daiso and a wonderfully aromatic market arcade full of colourful fruit, vegetables and various other practical finds!) I have a cute little apartment which is super cosy and I'm gradually turning it more pink and plastic by the day!!! I'm also located right by a metro station which is perfect for getting out and about around the Seoul and beyond...I'm only a few short stops away from the fabric markets which is AMAZING!!!
There are so many things I'm excited about for the upcoming future....I figure this is an awesome opportunity to learn so much through living in this new situation...there's so many things I'm looking forward to experiencing, researching and considering... I'm also excited to try and learn Korean (I've spent the past few months learning how to read and write in Hangul and now I'm trying to build up my vocab and practical conversation...so I will keep you updated on my journey with the lingo here as it's MEGA TRICKY!!) I'm really excited about working here and the new people I will meet~it's the perfect time to expand some of my skills and learn new things which is pretty exiting! I also want to perfect the skill of making vegan kimchi and also want to learn how to cook Baekseolgi (백설기) !! I love how there is so much going on in this city~ TONNES of exhibitions and events going on and it's also great to just wander around this huge expanse as you never know what you may find around every corner!
I guess I've got so much to talk about but, I need to wrap up this post and save some juice for next time!! Last week I got to go and check out the Yayoi Kusama exhibition which was BEYOND AMAZING so next post I'll spill the beans on that as it was so awesome it deserves a post of it's own...and I also need to update on some of the fun projects I've been working on over the past couple of months including a joining of forces with super cool LAH'LAH'LAND in Malaysia and a couple of fun new shoots that have been in the mix..but and right now lunch is calling!!!
So here is to Seoul and the magic it may bring!!!
Love and Sparkles,
Emma
xxx
