If I Could Become a Flower for You…
Don’t let your heart be weighed down by the sadness of the past.
All we have is to decide what to do with the time given us.
If you’ve confessed your pain to the passing hours, let some of your burden go.
We all have such times in our lives.
Shake yourself off, get up again, and find the courage to stride ahead.
Become clear water and green woods on the wide yellow earth.
That’s when I’ll become your flower.
“Do you think you can do it?”
“Sure I can!”
The flowers can bloom again every spring.
How wonderful that is!
Hug
When I greet people, I always give them a hug.
No matter who they are, I want to approach them closely, as one person.
In this way, we become a little closer,
and we become "us."
Our joys, struggles, and stories of living intertwine together.
LOVE
Love begins
in places I don't even know,
already unfolding before I realize it.
When They’re Gone…. I think we often take for granted everything that other people do for us with or without our awareness. We pay little thought to those things, if we think of them at all. All of us have people who are precious to us. But when they’re gone, we’ll feel their absence as we realize how many things there are to do. It’s only when we feel the loneliness of being left alone in a fog-shrouded forest that we realize how precious they are to us, just as clearly as a chair that has lost its owner. And then there’s one more thing we’ll realize: just how much that precious person did for us….
Comfort 2
I think having someone next to you when life gets tough and you fall into despair would be a great source of encouragement. What I think is that having someone to sympathize with you, someone to say, “I know how you feel,” would help you rise above the sadness.
Comfort 1
Some time ago, my family got a puppy. After we played together for a while, just having the puppy next to me was a big comfort. While I’m still too young to help other people directly, I’d like to give at least some emotional comfort. I want to be a dog that’s much bigger than people and quietly stay by their side to protect them. I’d like to do that for everyone in trouble . . . .
Comfort 3, 2020
Acrylic on wood 1220 mm x 1800 mm
Comfort 5 2021, Acrylic on canvas, 120F
When I get frustrated, I start to look down on myself. I feel disappointed in myself, hate myself, or try to give up.
I let myself get worked up about the little things, not realizing how much I’m worth or that I deserve to be loved.
It seems like it’s only afterward, when I look back and realize that it wasn’t really a big deal, that I take a fresh look at myself.
We need to get faster at viewing ourselves impartially. To do so, we must not give in to negative thoughts. We need to work on the habit of intentionally finding a way to think positive thoughts. Since there are many dear people who value us, we need to be the first to remember what we are worth. We need to be the first to give ourselves lots of love.
Comfort 3
“Hey, what happened?” I asked my uncle, whose head was slumped down.
“Sometimes I just get sad, and my heart feels so heavy that all my strength is just sucked out of me. I just sink down to the floor and sit there vacantly.”
I wondered what I would do if that happened to me. While I’m not sure exactly what that would be like, I think I’d be afraid of being alone. It struck me that hard times are even harder when you’re on your own.
We need someone who understands how we feel, someone who can keep an eye on us, someone who can calm us down by quietly offering a shoulder to lean on.
So I offered my uncle a shoulder to lean on. I know my shoulder isn’t that big, but I figured it would be big enough for that. He gave me a big smile.
Comfort 6 2022, Acrylic on wood, 120F
We have to go through many things in our lives when we least expect them. Each of the challenges we face teaches us how to prevail on our own, showing us how to move forward in our lives. Being embraced at such a time can bring unimaginable strength.
For somebody, I might be the source of that strength; for me, that strength might come from the forest—a place where you can breathe easy without saying a thing. We can be that kind of strength for each other.
Comfort 7 2023 Acrylic on wood 1545 mm x 1220 mm
There are so many times when we need to be comforted. Whenever I feel exhausted and depressed, there’s so much on my mind. I can’t help asking with a sigh why all of this is happening to me. It’s so upsetting.
But if I gaze up through the darkness of a world where I feel all alone, I’m reminded that someone is there beside me, which brings me a little strength. It feels as if a warm and gentle hand were reaching out to thaw my frozen heart.
Comport 8 2024 Acrylic on canvas 100F
In the end, it will all be forgotten, but because it hurts now,
even if time passes,
this wound will likely remain…
But someone’s comfort will turn it into a trace I can easily shake off, even later.
That’s the kind of comfort I need.
Just hearing that it’s okay, that things will get better.
Sometimes, just being listened to can ease the pain a little.
It’s like a mysterious force at work.
It’s the reminder that I’m not alone.
When we’re together, we grow stronger.
- meeting and parting
In Jeju Port, Jeju Island, where I live, Many people meet and part ways.
Meetings always make me wait with my trembling heart. The wait is very happy. After that meeting The regret of parting awaits again.
Even though we break up, until the day we meet again I also like the excitement of waiting. The meeting to come again later
Because I know it makes me happier. Even if we break up
We will meet again someday.
A Delicate Balance
All creatures on earth are part of a recurring cycle. They consume, and are consumed by, each other until they eventually come to us. Crawling bugs, running animals, swaying flowers, fluttering bees and butterflies, flying sparrows and eagles . . . in the end, they all come to us.
We don’t notice the extremely delicate balance that extends to everything on earth, from the tiniest things to the hugest things. Even the breeze that was blowing this morning might be part of maintaining that balance—or even the tree that Wootae tinkled on this morning. All things seem to maintain their position through subtle motion while affecting, and being affected by, each other.
This got me curious about how well people live in harmony with nature . . . . I hope that people won’t break the delicate balance that has been in place in creation since the very beginning.
Love is
When I say "I love you,"
it’s usually when that person makes me feel good.
But when I feel hurt, my pride wounded,
or when selfishness makes me believe I’ve been wronged,
that love fades quickly.
It becomes like a tree without roots.
I tried to look like a tree, to appear well,
but at some point, it simply disappears.
I believe love isn’t about me first,
but about helping that person be happy,
grow well, and feel at ease.
It’s like a tree, where even the bugs live,
and the leaves fall,
but it stands rooted deeply, without needing adornment.
That’s what love is.
It’s Okay
You’re having a hard time right now, aren’t you? As tears drip from your eyes, all you can manage to say is that things are so hard. . . . Someone once said that life is the same for everyone and that we all go through the same things. That’s why we have to hold on. That’s why we have to push through. You’re not the only one going through this. But how can you push through, when things are so hard. . . ?
This is what I think. When I’m having a really hard time, I want to say I’m sad and I want to say I have the urge to cry. When I’m telling people how hard things are, and they tell me to cheer up, they seem to be placing another burden on my shoulders.
Even if you don’t say anything, the hand you place on my shoulder and the warmth of your body near me make me feel many things. When someone says they’re having a hard time, it means they’ve already tried so, so hard to keep it in. Don’t treat such a person flippantly. Don’t make glib remarks. Don’t forget about the thing called love—that unconquerable warmth rising from somewhere deep in our hearts. If we share just a little of that, many people’s tears will turn into joy and fill our hearts once again. It will fill all of our hearts.
It’s okay. It’s okay. It’s okay to cry. It’s okay to scream. You mean a lot. And don’t forget it. . . .
Longing
I still have things to say to you!
There’s so much more I need to tell you!!
So, come back...
It’s Okay 2
I know
How hard it is,
How your heart aches,
How you want to cry. . . .
You’re telling me that your heart is broken,
You’re in so much pain,
You want to hold onto me and cry. . . .
I know
How lonely you were,
How sad you felt,
How earnestly you wanted something. . . .
What I want to say is
You matter,
I love you,
It’s okay. . . .
Life
Life is danger, yet diverse experiences,
Sadness, yet evergreen happiness,
Sickness, yet hearty laughter.
God gave us sickness and pain, sadness and happiness,
So that there could be variety in life as babies grow up to be adults.
But He also gave us the choice to be happy through it all.
The power that lifts me up 1
The mysterious energy I feel at my fingertips
lifts me up,
its sweetness so unforgettable
that no one can resist it.
And so, none find it hard to contain.
Those with a steadfast core within
do not seek their strength elsewhere.
No matter what they wear,
that power remains alive,
unwavering.
Buddha's words linger in my mind—
the world is chaotic
because we love things more than people.
What kind of world would this be
if we loved people more than possessions?
Everyone
How many people are in the picture? Is it one person, because there’s just one body to move? Or is it two people, because there are two heads to think with? If you pour hot water on one head and only that head says “Ouch, that’s hot!” is it two people? If both heads feel the hot water, would it then be one person? And if we could feel another person’s pain, wouldn’t that mean that everyone could become one person?
Everyone lives together, so everyone is affected by every other person. When Mom hurts, I hurt, too. Despite being two people, we feel as if we were one person. Since we’re in this together, I think we shouldn’t just watch other people in pain, but seek to understand their pain, as if we were one person. After all, we are everyone.
Let’s run around in Nature with Me
2019 Acrylic on canvas 580 mm x 720 mm
That kid staring so intently
at their mobile phone
looks lonely for some reason.
Come play in nature with me!
Busy, Busy
Why are they so busy?
An Uncomfortable Gaze 2020 Acrylic on wood 1220 mm x 1700 mm
Whenever I meet someone, I want to look beautiful and good. I want to be the kind of person they like. This is a desire to be loved and a craving and longing for that love. But at the same time, when I meet and talk to other people, I act like someone I’m not despite being uncomfortable. It doesn’t seem easy for people to fully grasp each other’s feelings. One reason that many people try to look beautiful and good is because they don’t often show each other their true feelings. But it seems to me that true beauty and goodness are something else. I think that because the words we say and the expressions on our faces arise naturally from our thoughts and feelings, the words and expressions we fake while suppressing the real ones don’t last long. What I’m trying to say is that we feel uncomfortable when we meet people. I also think that we think of ourselves as more important than other people do. It’s when I feel proud of myself and think that I’m beautiful—and other people feel the same way—that my beautiful self makes its appearance.
Life… Problems Too Big for Me to Solve 1
They say God is watching over us when we’re faint with hunger or when we’re going through a terrible time and that we resent Him because of it. Whenever that happens, He watches from up above to see how we make it through, ready to step in with sustenance at the moment of genuine need.
I think that our eventual realization of all that helps us to view life from a broader perspective and consider things in greater depth.
Life… Problems Too Big for Me to Solve 2
When unfortunate things happen to us, there’s this urge to ask someone whether we’re making the right choice. No answer seems to come, which feels awfully frustrating at the time. But later, when we look back on all the challenges we’ve come through, I think we reach an amazing realization. God gave us the answer, He helped us find the answer! He was watching over us the whole time, waiting to see how we would overcome.
So Easy for Us 2023, Acrylic on wood, 1545 mm x 1220 mm
When people get greedy, they start to fight. That’s so easy for us to do.
It’s easier to think of ourselves than to think of other people, so we don’t think straight even though we know better.
We just go with the flow. We just sit back and watch it all unfold. But that’s when we need to be able to do the hard thing, no matter how much we may hate it!
Come and Go 2022, Acrylic on wood 1220 mm x 1540 mm
The emotions that come to me will soon go just like a guest.
The things I possess will disappear, while the things I’ve shared with others will soon return.
2021, Acrylic on canvas,
1220 mm x 630 mm
Feelings
If we didn’t have feelings, we wouldn’t hurt, but we wouldn’t know how other people are feeling either. If we didn’t have words, there would be less fighting and fewer wars, but there would be less happiness, laughter, and joy as well. If we didn’t have feelings, our bodies would grow numb. Feelings are our life, the animation that brings us to life. Feelings are no less than the light of the world. Perhaps it’s through those feelings that we look at the world.
If we didn’t have feelings, we would vanish, too.
Left, Right
Before we can walk, we have to match our steps: left, right. Our thoughts may be different, but we have to compromise before we can move together: left, right.
We’re all different, and our heads are full of different thoughts, but we have to share this world and are sure to fall down unless we move together. Despite knowing we can’t do anything on our own, we sometimes choose discord instead of harmony.
But we can’t just give in to circumstances beyond our control. We have to reach an understanding with others if we’re to keep on going…. At such times, we reach decisions based on whether they’ll make us happy or unhappy.
We need to be able to bend our will; we need to be able to recognize how other people are feeling; and we need to be able to respect other people’s wishes.
These are all things we need to learn, and we need to learn them naturally, and not by force.
Are Fortune and Misfortune Really That Different?
Nobody Knows
In our lives, we seem obsessed with how we look to others without even realizing it. Going out in public is so exhausting because of our fears about how other people will see us or judge us. Through long years of habit, the effort to present ourselves as we wish to be seen has become engrained in us, and we struggle every day, unable to become our full selves. While we crouch down, as meek as lambs, nobody knows what’s on the inside. Do we really need to keep glancing around in every direction as we go about our lives? Nobody knows.
Those Who Can Only See Things Through Their Own Eyes 2
It’s just a brief pause 2, 2024, Acrylic on canvas. 100F
It’s just a brief pause 2, 2024, Acrylic on canvas
60F
The power that lifts me up 1
The mysterious energy I feel at my fingertips
lifts me up,
its sweetness so unforgettable
that no one can resist it.
And so, none find it hard to contain.
Those with a steadfast core within
do not seek their strength elsewhere.
No matter what they wear,
that power remains alive,
unwavering.
Buddha's words linger in my mind—
the world is chaotic
because we love things more than people.
What kind of world would this be
if we loved people more than possessions?
Monkey
Since It’s Always Been Like This and Always Will Be
Those who have been around for a while and experienced a lot in their lives just gaze upon the world. They know there’s no point in making definite judgments.
Everything already has its own reason for being. Some seek themselves in that, some seek others, and some don’t seek anybody at all.
When everything makes no sound at all and just appears to flow on its own current, there’s nothing more to be said.
Horse
How Are We Actually Different? (About Racism)
A mother dog looks after her puppies and cares about them the same way even when they come in different colors. She doesn’t cherish one puppy and spurn another because they have different-colored fur. Only human beings are capable of such incomprehensible prejudice.
Animals howl when their offspring are sick and feel obvious anguish when their offspring die. Every human being is somebody’s child; each of us is someone’s loved one. I just can’t seem to understand why people with a different skin tone are called racial slurs, viewed as inferior, or treated like the plague. How are we actually different from each other?
Not a People-Pleasing Face
I don’t often let other people see my true face—the one I feel inside.
My fake face always wears a smile, but I don’t let myself say what’s really going on inside. But that’s hard to keep up and ends up making me feel even more exhausted. Then I feel discontented and irritated. Surely other people wish they could be themselves. . . Surely they want to let it all hang out. . . Why do we make things so hard for ourselves?
Our Lives
On a walk one morning, I came upon a flower standing straight and tall. Its proud form was one of such beauty that I went up closer for a better look. I soon saw that the flower was trembling, almost imperceptibly. From a distance, that flower had looked so confident—I was sure that’s what I saw. But the trembling I saw from up close suggested that the flower was going through a very rough time but would eventually prevail.
Just like that flower, we may look like we’re in control from a distance, but when seen up close, we’re trembling all the time. That seems like an allegory for our lives.
I hope my pictures won’t be too difficult and will touch the hearts of everyone who sees them, especially little kids.
flower
No Matter How Well-Intentioned They May Be…
Actions are better than words, no matter how well-intentioned the words may be. . . no matter how nice they may sound. That’s right—actions are always better than words. Silence is a good option, too.
Loneliness
It seems that each of us has a space within our hearts that feels empty.
Because of this, many feel lonely, and many feel burdened.
To fill that emptiness, some eat a lot, some buy things,
some try to fill it with others, controlling them,
and others drown in pleasures, trying to satisfy their desires.
Because there’s nothing in that space, they work endlessly,
trying to ignore the emptiness.
When nothing is done, wandering sets in. That’s when laziness creeps in, and desires follow,
and eventually, it consumes me.
This laziness makes me lose myself and clouds my vision.
And since that emptiness can never truly be filled,
it only grows more hollow.
The more hollow it feels, the harder it is to bear.
People cannot stand being empty. They cannot bear the emptiness itself.
Gratitude
We often carry resentment towards each other or the circumstances,
and conflicts arise because of it.
For many reasons, we live through struggles and disputes.
But,
if we can remember what we truly have,
the power of gratitude we find within it is astonishing.
Every simple movement of ours—
the way we speak, walk, and think—
holds the energy of our existence.
This energy begins with gratitude.
And this gratitude
has the power to change our attitudes and relationships.
We often hold onto resentment or conflict because of other people or the situations we face. There are countless reasons why we live through disagreements and struggles. However, if we take a moment to remember what we truly have, the power of gratitude we discover within these moments is truly remarkable.
The simple ways we speak, walk, and think, each of our small movements, are filled with the energy of our existence. And this energy begins with gratitude. It’s from this sense of gratitude that we find the strength to shift our attitudes and our relationships.
When we allow gratitude to lead, it transforms not just how we see the world, but how we interact with it and those around us.
With the mindset I have now
We often don’t recognize our happiness in the moment,
and only long for it once it's gone.
While we yearn for happiness,
we fail to see the joy in the present,
constantly looking back in regret or longing,
while also hoping for what’s to come.
"Why didn’t I realize how good it was back then?"
But the truth is,
now is that time.
Immersion
Stubbornness 2
We are close. And we’ve grown so familiar with each other.
But sometimes, when stubbornness kicks in,
it feels strangely distant, even painful.
When you close your eyes and refuse to listen to my words,
I find myself struggling to bring out the patience pressed deep in my chest.
And as that strength slowly fades,
a distance begins to form between us.
Then we say to each other,
“We’re different.”
But that’s not true.
If we let go of our stubbornness,
our ears will be open to each other’s words,
and we’ll find ourselves drawing closer once again.
Forest 2
I love trees.
They give us breath,
they give us rest,
they give us forests.
I love trees.
We don’t have enough time to love
Each morning when we open our eyes,
and each night when we close them,
our day is so very short.
We have no time to gather together and laugh,
to embrace one another,
to express our gratitude and love.
The peaceful moments we think will last forever
are like the passing wind—
always moving, too fleeting to hold,
impossible to chase.
Like wind that’s nowhere to be found,
our time is so short.
We must love right now.
When the wind passes by,
we must feel it.
There’s simply not enough time for fighting,
taking, or hating.
Our time is too precious,
too brief for that.
There was a small door within a simple heart.
The heart constantly rises and fades away.
But when those emotions rise in front of me,
I can no longer see clearly.
Today, I fought with anger.
When trapped in a small, fleeting thought,
anger scratched, stabbed, and pushed me.
But I let it go… calmly, quietly.
Anger disappeared,
and behind it, I found a small door.
When I stepped outside,
I realized I had been trapped in the waves.
It wasn’t about suppressing my emotions,
but about nurturing a heart that could hold them.
Now I understand.
The waves may constantly shake,
but the ocean itself remains unmoved.
Haenyeo