Letter from abroad by Cindy
Quo vadis? Where are you going? Where are you?
The last few months have been a whirlwind of work, play, family, art. Afternoons walking along the chaotic calm of Saigon streets, gushing rivers of Kyoto, streams of people in Tokyo. Evenings of quiet contemplation, matcha tea and cocoa, 4 am conversations about life, love, and gratitude.
I have come to realize that to be human is deeply connected to stories. Lose yourself in stories, reflect on the story of a place, a time, a sense of self. Wonder, fear, hope for what the next chapter brings.
This is the story of Cindy for the past few months.
‘An eternal return to the creative every day.’
To be creative is not synonymous with an intrinsic character trait or the possession of some absolute value of talent, imagination, and skill.
It is a state of being, of creating, making, building, wondering.
I have been creating everyday. Sometimes it is a series of words strung together to make meaning of the world. Other days it is a picture, a film, a song, a thing. And then after many hours dancing between the flow of playful creation and hard work, I, Cindy made the following:
I. HAPTICPRESS.COM
Playground and platform of artistic empowerment. Highlights include:
- Tokyo Glances: visual poetry, photography, concept by Cindy
- Featuring the work of Vietnamese and Japanese artists: Chu Viet Ha, Sean Lotman, Takashi Nakagawa. (Welcoming new contributors and visiting artists)
II. MIS-READING.COM
Feminist library of my writings, art, and work (Welcoming guest writers and contributors!) Highlights include:
- MISSFIT filmpoem
- Essay, “MY LABOR IS NOT FREE”
- Train/Xe lửa, soon to be published in Ajar press
III. HAPTICLABS
Experiments in making, limited edition production.
- HAPTIC LABS Kyoto Internship – with Annette Kim and Jennifer Nguyen in Kyoto where we wrote and designed from A to Z the book ETERNAL RETURN TO CREATIVE EVERYDAY (currently in publication with HAPTIC aka Cindy Nguyen)
- MASTERS BOOK – wrote, edited, designed book (printed in California)
- SAIGON SATCHEL – designed by Cindy, in collaboration with local Saigon artisans
- ERIC KIM NECK STRAP – designed by Cindy, in collaboration with local Saigon artisans
- ARTBOOK – designed by Cindy, in collaboration with Hanoi social enterprise that works to preserve Vietnamese papermaking craft and local village enterprises
IV. DISSERTATION
Oh, and finished my archival research in Vietnam and started writing the beast of the dissertation.
I am sharing this story of Cindy (and Eric) because I want to celebrate with all of you the beauty of life, work, and play. I want to hear your stories and be continually inspired by your creations.
Would you join me in this eternal return to the creative every day?
Let’s make stuff.
To contribute to HAPTICPRESS.COM or MIS-READING.COM, contact me at cindy@erickimphotography.com or Instagram @hapticindustries
Share with me your art, writings, accomplishments.