Hello fellow bakers, readers, and writers!

I am Anne Lee, one of Nicole’s close friends. Today, I will be talking about something that means the whole world to me—something that saved my life. Whether you are from Korea or from some exotic location abroad (I would not be surprised if Nicole has readers from far away places such as Trinidad), I hope you find some deep truth you can relate to and bring back to your home. I believe what I am about to share is universally significant, so while I will be mainly focusing on situations of Seoul, tune in because there are jewels of insight and wisdom beyond geographical differences imbedded in this post.

The background for my story starts in the streets of Apgujeong, Seoul. Among the rows of hagwons (cram schools) of South Korea, I am starting to notice a pandemic. The well meaning Koreans have a recipe for “success” they feed their youth, and it leads to a chronic blindness. By becoming “blind”, I mean growing aimless in life as the personal engagement in our lives fade. Molded only by what society tells us to do, students are being denied room for being inquisitive. They are being denied room for discovery, exploration, and expression. Free spirited thinking is oppressed and dismissed as being “trivial”.

I have never estimated close to the toll this disease can have until I experienced it myself. I might be exaggerating a little bit when I illustrate Korean society as a monstrous, dystopian regime that brainwashes students (You can get your full dose of my creative bitterness in the film my friend Abigail Oh and I made: password is SKR). However, it is true that one can so easily lose themselves in a life focusing only on what others tell you to do. There is no escaping this rigid path our society set up for us, no matter how supportive others in our lives are. We as individuals must fix it ourselves.

As a solution, I bring up journaling. Now, before you hear that one word, think, “writing,” and quickly close the tab in disgust, here me out when I say that journaling is much more than you might think at first. Although I love to write, I appreciate the diversity of passions in my community around me. My definition of journaling is extremely broad and incorporates all of these possible passions. The definition I will be using is “self-expression through reflecting on the world outside and inside oneself”. I consider art, music, photography, and even math or cooking a form journaling if it is what keeps you engaged with life. I believe by developing a habit of finding our own inspiration by musing over the smallest and most abstract thoughts, we can become independent thinkers. As independent thinkers, we will have strong roots that hold us to who we are despite the inevitable societal pressures that come our way.

I am not saying to march up to your parents and declare you are never going to go to hagwon (Korean tutoring centers) or never going to practice that instrument you loathe again (gasp). What I am saying is that finding your own vision is crucial in making your life your own, even as you go through mundane tasks. German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer wrote in “On Thinking for Oneself”, a chapter of his Parerga and Paralipomena: Short Philosophical Essays, “When we read, we allow another to guide our thoughts in leading strings… the book-philosopher… constructs for himself and entire system from the opinions of others… [and] is then like an automaton… whereas that of the original thinker resembles a living human being.” He says books have no deep value on an individual if one does not invest their own essence into it. I compare his “books” to the long list of activities we are all guilty of believing is conducive to “success”. These things are not harmful, but they lose value if you do not put any personal meaning into it. Furthermore, you become an obedient robot when you have no thought in what you are doing.

Schopenhauer declares that our thoughts are our most powerful assets. He claims that most people who “are not clearly conscious of the problem… live for the day and think only of the scarcely longer span of their personal future… [their thoughts are] clipped as short as chopped straw, so that out of them a longer thread cannot be spun.” On the other hand, he says that, “the characteristic sign of all first rate minds is the directness of all their judgements,” and “every genuine and original thinker is… like a monarch.” To hone my thinking abilities, I personally started a habit of keeping a physical journal (actually electronic because I cannot handle hand cramps) in which I jot down any whimsical thought that passes my mind each month. Everyone will have their own form of journaling.

So how do we actually journal? Although journaling can come in all shapes and sizes, the foundation of the content should always point back to your mind. Schopenhauer has a few things to say about that as well.

1. “In the realm of ideas, we are bodiless spirits without weight and pressure”: Let your mind wander, float, swim, sprint, soar above everything else! There are absolutely no limits to what you can journal about. Find inspiration in the most fickle thing that makes you laugh or the grandest concept that overwhelms you. My journal consists of a range of topics from the vastness of the universe to the connotation of the word “honey” and to my favorite colors.
2. “The presence of an idea is like that of a loved one”: Love who you are, including your thoughts. In the beginning, you might feel awkward expressing yourself so openly, even if you do so privately. I promise that as you let more of yourself flow out, you will grow in confidence. Soon, you will form a sense of who you are and love yourself for it.
3. “The finest thought runs the risk of being irretrievably forgotten if it is not written down”: It is the worst feeling ever. It feels like you lost a part of yourself. Your most exciting thoughts can hit you at any time such as when you are walking to the supermarket, getting on a bus, or even on the toilet. Never dismiss these brain signals; always record it somewhere (I always find it easiest to jot it down on my phone or some other electronic device). Trust me and thank me later.
4. “If nature had intended man for thinking, she would not have given him ears”: This might be the most important advice in this list. Although I said to not rely on others and to instead, form independent thoughts, we need outside sources as foundations. The world beyond us is filled with inspiration that can incite our thoughts. Paying attention to what is going around us not only makes our ideas stronger, it helps us discover the things we find interesting and want to pursue further. Go out and explore! Read many books, scroll through the news, watch movies, talk to friends and family, visit a museum, eat at a really nice restaurant, go for a walk in nature, and immerse yourself in the wonders of Earth. Fill your mind so you can let it all out in your own voice.

It is now your turn to take these things I shared with you and apply it to your own life. One last piece of advice I have for you is if you need motivation or accountability in your journaling process, consider starting a blog. You can upload any writing, photographs, videos, or other projects you might have to share with others. It does not have to be formal or even have a structure. It is more for yourself than anyone else.

Note from Nicole: I genuinely agree with Anne that blogging in a sense can be another form of journaling. The reason I started my blog was because I wanted to share and inspire other people with my work, but also, keep a record of my own personal improvements. Through the years, I am excited to see how my writing changes and develops as I get more mature or knowledgable about writing (and even cooking). Your blog doesn't have to follow the same sort of format as mine (I worked a lot on aesthetic value and design) because after all, blogs are the spreading of your inner mind and creative ideas, not just outward design and format appearance. It can even work as a teaching space. Essentially, a blog is whatever you want it to be. For example like a TedTalk transcript,  you can share or keep track of interesting thoughts and ideas on any subject matter. If you are a more shy person, it is definitely understandable to keep your work private. The kind of blog you have really depends on who you are as a person. My motivation for having a "public" blog is because it prompts me to present my best possible work (make sure each piece of writing is as cleaned and well-edited as possible), and also, I obviously love to post cooking tutorials for my viewers. However, I believe even your best pieces need editing—one of my teachers told me that if writers never had a deadline, they would go on editing forever—so I hope that I can continue editing and drafting my blog posts as the years pass by, since technically with my blog, I don't really have a set deadline. My blog is also my own reflection space.

So get started! It begins with a single moment, a single spark, and a single step. I hope that through the process, you discover something that will keep you going beyond your life as a student. Stay in tune because hopefully you will see more of me in Nicole’s blog in the future! Let us know what you want to read or see us do. We are excited to go on many more adventures!

Happy journaling,

Anne