Hi! I'm Jess and I started this account to document my endless pursuits of hobbies and interests. I've never considered myself a very creative person, but my hobbies might indicate otherwise. What I'm certain is getting creative gets me into flow state and to me, that's the best feeling ever.
I've been telling people I've been making up for lost time - I was never encouraged as a kid to pursue any arts or creative ventures, other than piano, because.. well... I grew up stereotypically Asian. Now that I have my own time and money, I have been dabbling in pottery, pattern drafting, sewing, and whatever expensive hobby that exists 💸
This top that I'm wearing in this photo - I designed it, drafted it, and sewed it myself! (I got a bit of help from my mom who is a seamstress to topstitch for me in the 11th hour). It is actually part of a two-piece dress I made for my good friend's wedding in May 2024. It was probably the hardest and most stressful thing I did this year! Hoping for more making, doing, and being fulfilled 😊
Thanks for following along! ✨
I made my first lined wool jacket! Started and finished in the wrong season but I'll be ready this fall 😎.
Made with upcycled and second hand fabric all throughout! The outer fabric was from the Textile Museum, inner lining was from a thrifted skirt that no longer fit and the corduroy collar from a dress I didn't wear anymore.
Pattern from Etsy - had to make a few adjustments but learned a lot on this jacket and basically seam ripped my way through this whole project lol.
Made this with all the help of my sewing idol and teacher, Helen, in my TDSB @learn4lifetdsb sewing class! (go sign up for classes in the Fall!).
My very first roll of film in my Dad's Olympus OM-10 that he bought in 1982 on a trip back to Hong Kong.
Shot around Toronto springtime 2025.
📷 Olympus OM-10
🎞️ Ilford HP5 Plus 400 B/W
I hand-built a little trinket shelf which I've now filled mostly with memories from a recent-ish trip to Newfoundland ☺️.
Only recently started putting up art on my walls again - second picture for scale. Things are starting to feel homey in my apartment 🏡!
Also the watercolour painting in the pink frame is of my first apartment in the city by my pal, Nat!
Tucker's mid red clay stoneware with a studio "Nutmeg" glaze.
I participated in my first market this weekend at Feldspar Ceramics (where I am now a member - my new pottery home). I can't believe people (including strangers!) actually wanted to pay real money for my pottery 😅. Thank you to friends who came out to visit and support me this weekend, it meant a lot!
This was one of the most fulfilling things I've done in a long, long time. Talking to people and sharing my art in such a safe and supportive environment was truly the best feeling ever 🥹. I knew I wanted to try to sell at a market one day, but I didn't think I'd cross that off my list this year.
Here I am smiling proudly at my table, styled with a table cloth I literally grabbed of my dining table that morning!
A little project this fall 👚! I learned to sew this collared shirt through a @learn4lifetdsb class. Picked this fabric bc I had it lying around and I didn't like the colour so thought it would be good prototype fabric... But it's growing on me!
The over-achiever in me put piping in the sleeve cuffs for extra detailing. Will probably put a front pocket in at some point and will add buttons after I learn the function on my machine.
The green came from a classmate who had similar fabric and we decided to swap to add accents to our own shirts!
Weeeeee sewing is so much fun! 🪡
These ceramic wall hooks have made it through the wringer... I first started them in February (!! Yes, 7 months ago lol) at my last studio, then they sat bisqued in my apartment as I was looking for a new studio, and finally I got to glaze them at my new studio and I got them back this week ☺️
🍓🍒🍌🍅
Some process pictures from start to finish (in reverse order of course).
~Cone 6, mid smooth white clay, underglaze.
I can't remember the last time I attempted to draw, let alone trying to do a still life drawing!
We started off warming up with a blind contour exercise - looking at your object and letting your pencil flow. I haven't done that since grade 5!
This was challenging and I think I'll keep trying :)
Milky Way Community Garden
Pencil crayon
One of my goals for this course was to throw more consistently, and I think I did a pretty good job! I now have set of plates, rice bowls, and plate-bowls. I hope they survive the kiln! 🫠
