juulekay

I have this folder on my phone named "text based love" full of random messages from friends that I like to revisit whenever I feel blue, hangover, need a little laugh or cry. And I think we all should have such folder ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

사유원 (sayuwon) is a space of pung-ryu, the Korean tradition of art fused with nature. A great place in the middle of nowhere to touch concrete and get distracted by stones (which I’ve been a lot here in South Korea). I would find new stones in the bathroom almost every day because bestie @djasonnam is equally obsessed. I recently learned about 수석 (su-seok), the art of strangely shaped stone appreciation mostly practiced by Korean grandpas and I feel this deeply. Anyways, this is a magical place full of concrete toilets in the wild and a handful of álvaro siza gems 🪨🩶

this one goes out to everyone who had a rough year, who lost themselves in the midst of emotional turbulence. it’s about colossal grief and having nowhere to put it. it’s about relearning how to take care of yourself and breaking with generational trauma. it’s also a love letter to some of my favourite movies (including a lot of "perfect days" references) and a travel diary with many of my notebook scans from japan spread out on eight pages in the new issue of @fraeuleinmagazine thank you so much for your trust @ankiriedl with this one, it’s *really* special to me bc it’s probably the most raw and personal thing I’ve written so far life is a spiral and I’m here to untangle it 🤍

all the random things I encountered in japan from chair poems and shoe horn holes to sliding down noguchi’s black slide mantra and street cones that look like matcha whisks. p.s found this in my notes app from a few weeks ago: "in the train to seibu-chichibu, we change direction after a few stations. everyone rotates their seats while I decide against it because sometimes it’s nice not to see what’s ahead of you" and somehow this sums up another month in japan beautifully 🤍

went to dubrovnik with a bronchitis last month to write my first piece for @wallpapermag and met my lovely editor @sofiadelacruxyz irl a few days ago in tokyo (we love a full circle moment) so here’s a collection of me being sick in my hotel room sipping chamomile tea, professionally ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Before making another trip around the sun, here is a random recollection of things from the past year. I remember how it feels to come back to the same place with a different mindset. I remember a cool ghost. I remember books as a love language. I remember this vinted issey miyake bargain. I remember my first origami swan. I remember walking up and down kappabashi street. I remember feeling empty-handed when actually it brought me closer to myself. I remember my heart exploding like this blob of silver. I remember vintage ads in old magazines. I remember eating my first strawberry and cream sandwich. I remember opening a door that has always been there. I remember how fragile pretty much everything around me is, including egos. I remember a beautiful stone when I see one. I remember shushing my gut feeling. I remember making sense of things that don’t make sense. I remember listening to a song on repeat without any intention to stop. I remember how heavy some things are to carry and how light others. I remember reading one sentence over and over again. I remember happy coincidences.

I’ve written this experimental text about fighting your inner demons for the new issue of @numeroberlin (of course I included THE iconic meme, duh.) It’s almost been a year since then and somehow it’s hitting closer to home now than back then. Funny how the universe works… as if this text serves as a reminder of learning your lessons. To sum it all up: Some days, it gets easier. On others, your demons will throw a tantrum. Just remind yourself who you’re talking to. The many different versions of yourself. There’s no winning or losing. Control is just an illusion.

I am just a museum of everything I’ve loved CPH edition (chaotic tables, baroque pillows, ambient soundtracks, the energy my friendssss bring to the table, BMO runs, a notes and poetry lamp, everything from @homefromhome__ basically)

Research shows that a child asks about 40,000 questions between the age of two and five. When did we stop being curious about the world around us? Have you ever wondered why some things are the way they are? What does it take to be real? And what is reality anyway? It’s an attempt to find answers, even though we might end up asking more questions. I had the absolute pleasure to work as an editor again on the second issue of ODE by @springstudios dedicated to WONDER with partner in crime @anoukjns 🤍 Through the eyes of the movers and makers of tomorrow, we dive into the magical worlds of feet and defeat, mythical creatures and the range of human emotions, childhood trophies and the body as a canvas. It’s been an extra emotional one for me, filled with so much love for the small things we’re surrounded by and tend to forget living in this cruel world. design: _anna_stefani special thanks to bb @oscarbmorgan__ go get it while stock lasts! @kdpresse

congratulations, you officially made it through my month in japan spam! I’ve really been living my "perfect days" fantasy. mostly checking out public toilets (my fave is the hemispherical one by kazoo sato), learning about matcha shortage and being comfortable with waiting a little longer for the things you deserve. so no more words needed other than 石の上にも三年 which translates to "three years on a stone" aka even if a stone is cold, if you sit on it for a long time, it will become warm. It’s all about patience, I guess.

Here‘s to the first week in Japan with bestie @djasonnam 🤍 mostly stones, tadao ando appreciation, touching concrete, spotting faces, early morning onigiris, watching people and seeing the isamu noguchi garden museum (finally). I don’t know, there’s this profound feeling of doing something you’ve wanted to the moment you found out about its existence. I’ve been carrying around a noguchi poster in a silly little box ever since, trying to not lose it somewhere along the way. It’s funny because it’s a drawing of a circle and this really feels like a full circle moment.

a lot of allora, mostly ¯\_(ツ)_/¯