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@jkstreams

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A few hard things living in Korea💭

Some silly.
Some unexpected.
But also some that were surprisingly difficult to adjust to.

Adjusting to cultural differences is expected when moving to a country you didn’t grow up in.

But moving to Korea as a gyopo (Korean born overseas) has another layer of difficulty. There are some invisible blurred lines of expectations that others have of you and that you put on yourself being Korean.

Along with those difficulties are also discoveries of what it means to be Korean and creating deeper ties to the motherland.

Anyone else here relate? by @jkstreams

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11 days ago

“Everything was intentional”
I love and hate that I’m so busy on my bdays in Seoul. Love that I’m working but also hate I’m not truly present for it. But always, upon reflection and without fail, I’m grateful that people have shown up for me in so many ways that it’s truly the best gift I could ask for.

The opportunity I had to co-create with others who have even wilder minds than mine; and how we developed deeper connection over the strenuous yet soul-binding week(s) past, the sense of ‘community’ was truly felt and I feel oh so lucky and proud that we built it together!

Let’s do it again soon!

“Did they do that?”
Yes, we did! @dae.park.st dressed it up inside out.
@onegaisimas99 고맙데이

“He was once a flower boy”
I was, many a time 💁🏻‍♂️🌷
Thanks for the arrangements @mustard_studio_

“Can’t beat out the corporate lines”
🗣️🗣️🗣️ but seriously, I love that @drewkim__ from @ditaeyewear is also a creative lawyer and we wear multiple hats. Thanks for supporting us!

“How one ought to pose in front of a wavy mirror”
@ssuullkim @aaamira 🌊🌊

“This is the shot”
I think we said this a hundred times @seohstudio

“He never says much”
Said no one. Man, but @seohstudio had the most beautiful words to share once I eventually let him.

“It’s going to be beautiful” and we made it happen team!

@hayleyrynehart @sohohouse made An Evening in Se Oh’s Water Garden happen! @seohstudio 🤍🤍🤍

“This is giving resort honeymoon”
@songdahae gave ebb + flow so much! Thank you a million times

“Maybe just close your eyes for a bit”
Genuinely needed that. Can confirm sleep is necessary, even if you’re only getting 3-4 hrs a night.

“Color matching IS the theme”
Exactly why we kept this mirror

“This chair is actually so comfortable“
@amaliawirjono found another color match and it felt so good to rest my legs on the tooth @dwchoi_

“뷰 직이네“ - @onegaisimas99
고소공포증 있는 박대표, 고생했다

“Even if we don’t sleep at all…”
I barely recall these days of install.
Somehow, we got there

“Where’s the…”
We’re all getting tool belts for Christmas

“Did we actually do this?”
I miss this already but I’m glad I’ll have this to look back at when I need to be triggered. taken in Seoul, Korea by @jkstreams

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25 days ago

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a month ago

THINGS TO AVOID IF YOU’RE BURNT OUT

If you’re recovering from burnout, here are 5 things JK recommends avoiding:

1. Don’t jump straight into goal-setting. Recovery isn’t a productivity project.
2. Don’t spend time with people who drain your energy. Protect your peace.
3. Don’t be overly critical of yourself. You’re healing, not performing.
4. Don’t escape through constant distractions. What needs attention will eventually catch up with you.
5. Don’t overcommit. Give yourself permission to take things one step at a time.

One of the hardest lessons I learned was that burnout recovery isn’t about getting back to who you were before. It’s about creating a healthier way forward so you don’t end up in the same place again.

What else should you avoid recovering from burnout? by @jkstreams

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3 months ago

What helped you?

For a long time, I thought success required constant momentum. Recovery taught me that sometimes the most important thing you can do is pause long enough to remember what’s actually important.

5 things that helped:

1. Finding hobbies without turning them into goals or side hustles.
2. Reducing my to-do list and focusing only on what truly mattered.
3. Spending time alone and allowing myself to move more slowly.
4. Talking about what happened instead of pretending I was okay - acceptance was a big part of healing.
5. Returning to my priorities: friends, family, spirituality, and health.

Share your tips & advice in the comments👇🏻 by @jkstreams

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3 months ago

Don’t work for free!

Definitely not in this economy.

People used to throw around that pro-bono work is how you get more work. But times are different, and that culture has actually hurt creatives the most.

Creatives are taken advantage of and constantly having to prove their worth. The reality is, creatives are the ones forming culture. We are the taste-makers and trendsetters. Know your worth. Don’t let non-creatives determine your worth for you. By doing so, it’ll not only help you, but it’ll serve the wider creative economy.

Hear the rest of the conversation on Youtube or Spotify. Link in bio! by @jkstreams

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4 months ago

We had the best time putting together Elsewhere, Still Ours, at The Standard East Village during NYCxDesign.

For the artists and designers who trusted us with their work and allowed us to represent them through this exhibition - thank you. We’re incredibly honored, humbled, and grateful for that trust, and we hope we’ve done justice to the care and meaning behind each piece.

And to everyone who supported the show, visited the space, shared it, helped build it, or simply spent time with the work - thank you. It truly meant a lot to us.

NYCxDesign 기간 동안 The Standard East Village에서 준비한 Elsewhere, Still Ours는 저희에게 정말 특별한 시간이었습니다.

이번 전시를 통해 자신의 소중한 작업을 믿고 맡겨주시고, 저희가 작품을 대표할 수 있도록 해주신 아티스트와 디자이너분들께 진심으로 감사드립니다. 그 신뢰에 깊이 감사하고 있으며, 각 작품에 담긴 고민과 의미를 충분히 전달할 수 있었기를 바랍니다.

그리고 전시를 응원해주시고, 공간을 찾아주시고, 공유해주시고, 함께 만들어주시고, 작품과 시간을 보내주신 모든 분들께도 감사드립니다. 저희에게 정말 큰 의미로 남았습니다.

Contributors:
@thestandardeastvillage @club.collectible @palebluemag

Artists & Designers: @cheongsil_lee @seohstudio @fictstudio @yoon_potter @dahaesong @keemhoney @yoona.hur @junsumartino @hakmazing taken in The Standard, East Village NY by @jkstreams

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4 months ago

Elsewhere, Still Ours @thestandardeastvillage  May 10–14, 2026, 10AM - 5PM

We’re opening our next exhibition in New York.

This is a group exhibition, curated by John Kim & Sandy Park at The Standard, East Village featuring nine Korean and Korean diaspora artists and designers.

The show looks at how identity - specifically Koreanness - is lived, inherited, and remade across distance. The work spans ceramics, textile, stone, metal & resin. Traditional marterials like hanji, hemp, and silk sit alongside acrylic and aluminium - not as contrast, but as continuation. The participating artists come from different places and different moments in their relationship to Korea: some born there, some in diaspora, some recently arrived.

The practices here touch on queerness, migration, dual nationality, and the everyday negotiation of cultural memory. This isn’t a show about nostalgia or national identity in a fixed sense - it‘s about what happens to belonging when it travels.

Artists & Designers: @cheongsil_lee @seohstudio @fictstudio @yoon_potter @songdahae @keemhoney @yoona.hur @junsumartino @hakmazing

Opening during NYCxDesign. Come by.

—

Elsewhere, Still Ours 뉴욕 The Standard, East Village 2026년 5월 10일–14일

뉴욕에서 새로운 전시를 선보입니다.

Elsewhere, Still Ours는 한국 및 한국 디아스포라 작가와 디자이너 9인을 모아, 오늘날 ‘한국성’이 어떻게 각자의 위치에서 다르게 형성되는지를 보여줍니다.

이 전시는 고정된 정체성이 아니라, 이동과 경험 속에서 변화하는 정체성에 대한 이야기입니다. 한지, 삼베, 실크 같은 전통 소재는 아크릴, 알루미늄과 함께 놓이며 대비가 아닌 ‘연속성’으로 작동합니다.

참여 작가:
@cheongsil_lee @seohstudio @fictstudio @yoon_potter @songdahae @keemhoney @yoona.hur @junsumartino @hakmazing

NYCxDesign 기간 중 진행됩니다. 많은 관심 부탁드립니다. taken in The Standard, East Village NY by @jkstreams

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5 months ago

No regrets,
just inspiration &
cute memories.
Arrivederci! 🤍 taken in Milan,Italy by @jkstreams

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5 months ago