Joa’s blog

one of my favorite remix artists is Pogo.

i recently read his entry about “the career conundrum.” basically, making a passion into a career – good thing? bad thing? both? it takes me back to when i was in graduate school and we talked for a few hours regarding intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivations as well as true altruism (no such thing exists to me). i would love to believe in such a purity – a pure love for one’s art and career. a happy balance is nearly impossible it seems. there will always be compromise and no, i don’t think it’s “selling out.” don’t get me wrong there.

i’ve been thinking about this for myself for a long time. photography (and packaging design) is a hobby i love. i wouldn’t mind doing it all day. but for myself. it’s very quite selfish. i love to take photos of whatever i want, whenever, however. maybe what i love is independence and the idea of freelance. but i am not at liberty just pick and choose projects. i have to take anything i can. and i will certainly do it well (self belief and hard work, yeah!!). but if i imagine myself getting regularly hired and paid for photography – meeting deadlines, fitting what i produce into the client needs, becoming “commercial” if you will – will i get burned out like a match? can i really have longevity in it without becoming bitter or somehow resentful? loving my craft comes easy, even during frustrating moments. but adding a big extrinsic motivation such as pleasing others, recognition, money, etc. will probably fade out that wonderful “intrinsic” spark…..

……..right?

sawtelle blvd., santa monica, california.

bought some over the weekend from urbanic in abbot kinney.
(they have a cute blog too – check it out^!)
i’ve been trying to find these straws for a few months now!
i didn’t want to buy online cuz i wanted to see it in person and see whether or not they were too flimsy.
they are soooo cute. they have many uses! here are the two uses from me:

obviously, you can use it as a straw. it’d be pretty with colorful punch or bright yummy lemonade!

if you’ve seen my previous blog entries, you know i’m a pinwheel princess (haha).

<3

i wonder if this makeshift photo session came out of my longing for Trophy Cupcakes (i miss you) rather than an honest liking for Frostings Cupcakes (they’re still good!)…….They are the only Frostings. Located in Lake Forest, CA.

One cupcake from Frostings is very heavy for me. LOTS of frosting (duh…) and the cake is substantial. It’s surely a treat!

<3

i took “engagement photos” for the lovely couple sojin and chris. rachel, sojin’s daughter, came along as well and helped yield some awesome shots!  the whole album is on my facebook.

those are just some…. <3

…in the works!

it’s not much but i figured, practice makes better (since there is always room for improvement)! currently i’m playing around in word and converting it into a PDF. it’s going okay so far. not as efficient as i would like so i’ll play around with other software. any suggestions?

<3

finally! my little domain….
more to tweak but that’s the fun part, right? ^^

here, you will likely find a plethora of packaging design, print, pattern, graphic design, and all around art and music inspired details. they say i have an artistic temperament and i am happy to share it.

my belief is that even the most humble or seemingly puny gifts can be made extra special with the right thought and packaging.

along with all the above, i will try my best to give insight to who i am too~yay.