full circle

My friend grace came back from korea and brought me back a small journal and some fun pen and pencils to use with it.

to regular people that looks like a seal, but to the trained eye it's actually an otter.

I planned on using this new conveniently sized journal (i usually have a sketchbook with me but it's like 8.5x11) to write down everything, and to draw of course.

This journal has been a huge outlet of creativity for me. I've been using it to make huge progress on all the movie scripts  (there's now 6 in progress), i'm using it to plan my friends photoshoot (Josh Kim, very talented musical artist, I got a special sneak peak at what's coming and it sounds really good), and I even wrote down steps to a secret handshake, that i eventually want to share with someone who's cool enough.

Something unexpected happened yesterday though. I've been working on an art final project that's due next week and while writing some ideas in the journal it reminded me of my initial calling to art.

Not many people know this about me, but before I started making movies, before I ever picked up a camera, before I even started learning guitar, my first interest in anything creative came from poetry.

Back in the 3rd grade after watching the original Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, I was so intrigued by the oompa loompa's songs that I wrote continuing lyrics to all the music. My teacher (formally Ms. Moy, now Mrs. Wong) eventually saw what I had written and was so impressed she showed all the other teachers.

My elementary school days was full of interests in poems and finding different ways to rhyme words, and even poetry contests here and there. Even up to high school I remember doing all of my friends poem packets for them, not because it was easy for me, but because I enjoyed doing it.

And then I took different creative turns, I eventually learned guitar, fashion, photography, film and now more hands on painting and drawing and poetry just took a backseat in a bus of full of other things I want to do.

So back to now. Thinking of my final art project I wanted to incorporate a story, and I ended up writing it in a poem form. I normally wouldn't share something like this online, but I figure if it's going to be shown in a class in front of my peers I might as well show it online to people who actually like me.

The Otter and the Wolf

The Wolf and the Otter
the deep friendship that's offered
of two unlikely characters
that put aside their matters
because one can't live without the other
this is the story of the Wolf and the Otter

The Wolf, cold and mean
Never low on self-esteem
He is smart and critical
considers everyone else pitiful
His observations are acute and keen
The Wolf; smart, cold, and mean

But the Otter is fun and genuine
Everyone that knows him, loves him
funny, sincere, polite,
friendly, gracious, and nice
If you needed a home he would let you in
The Otter is hospitable, and genuine.

Now you see, the Otter and Wolf are polar opposites
It's difficult to understand their relationship
But as one coin has two different sides
The Otter and Wolf are the same guy
If you still haven't figured out this mystery
The Otter and the Wolf are me.


I realize that this might cause some confusion, I didn't write this poem to show how great or smart or nice I am. I wrote this to show a struggle of clashing personality traits inside of me. Some days I wake up and I feel like being nice to everyone and other days I'll wake up being completely critical of everything, and mean. I think my closest friends probably know this about, they've probably seen me and my nicest and meanest.