It feels so nostalgic to be sitting here writing a blog post. It’s been about two years but in actual fact, it feels longer. I won’t count back how many years it’s been in total since this blog emerged, or when exactly it was that it started gaining momentum and traffic. However, if there’s one thing I’m really gauging, it’s that I’ve missed writing an awful lot.
Some of you who I’ve met via blogging will already know about my art journey via my Instagram, which started at the onset of the pandemic. I did blog slightly during that time (which you can find here and here) but overall, I switched my gaze to Instagram and found a community there like I did here. Despite so, I never exactly stopped writing. I used the caption of each art post as an opportunity to write a bit.
It’s too long a story to indulge you on where I’ve been the past two or three years, but two things are certain: I’m older (though perhaps, none the wiser – yet I’ll have you know that wisdom actually comes from a lot of mistakes) and I’ve changed a lot from when I first started this blog.
I realise that this is a silly statement to make, after all, change is inevitable (as is getting older). But the way I’ve been feeling, my mindset, the direction I want to take, it’s for the most part – changed. It would be naive of me to suggest that I thought life was linear because everything it has shown me so far, is not. Certainly, I have come to learn that lots of things require your experience to truly understand it and when you know, you know. (This is also the part where I sound…old). What I wasn’t prepared for however, was the aftermath of these experiences and how non-linear my own state of being would be.
I’ve had fun on this blog. Finding my writing style. My rhythm. What I like. Owning my own little corner of the internet while figuring out who I am. But just like I no longer watch Beauty YouTube, I’m also in no position to write about it as I once did. I haven’t been traveling too much recently and even if I was, I don’t think it’s a topic I want to unpack either – there are other bloggers who will do a better job than I for that.
No. There’s something else I want to write.
Self-expression is utterly important to me which is why I’m letting you know that within this month or two, I’ll be working on a new site (TBA). Your next question may be…well, what will it be about? Without a doubt, art will be the prime focus, but it’s not the only focus. I want to write about life. Just like how I paint about life (minus any live subjects). Some of the things that I want to write about are some potentially heart-wrenching stuff that I’m not sure I’m quite ready to expose. The truth is, I’ll never be ready but after giving myself some space and time, I think I will be more than I was.
I want to write some thought pieces. Maybe a memoir is too big of a word to use but definitely, I want to reflect on some parts of my life which may have shaped me for better or worse. (Trust me, it feels lame saying that because seriously, who am I? But also, I need to get over myself). And then, from an artist POV, areas that will help other creatives out there. The list is endless. The only thing stopping me? Fear.
Until then, this WordPress will still be here. Feel free to give me a follow on Instagram. And if you’re willing, follow my next journey of which I will update.
Hoi Yin Li 