This was originally sent to my Tinyletter subscribers on December 31, 2023, adjusted slightly for this blog context and format. Future newsletters will be sent from janeshin.substack.com.
Hello there, how are you? Hope you’re doing well and taking care. Happy New Year!
It's a bummer to hear that TinyLetter is officially shutting down in February 2024. TinyLetter gave me the wings to find and share my voice. It’s where I documented my transition when I moved back to LA from the Bay in 2016 before I eventually expanded my writing to the blog here.
As a heads up, I will be sending future letters via Substack. If you think anyone would be interested in hearing from me, pass this along. I also hope to write more here in general, so I’ll still be making my rounds.
I desire to write more in 2024–write fearlessly, write honestly, write for me again. In these last few months, I’ve been reflecting on how my interest and relationship with writing and connecting online has been shifting.
The last piece I wrote was in March 2021. It was so emotional and heavy. It took a lot of courage and vulnerability to write and share. In some ways, the grief and anger swallowed me up. I hid away, and I busied myself for the rest of the years that followed with the pandemic.
As time continued to pass, I often thought about when I would return to write for my blog and newsletter again and share my voice on Progression. Friends would ask what I’m doing for my own creative pursuits outside of work. Someone messaged me and asked when I would return to the podcast because it had helped them. I am grateful for their curiosity and support for me to return to these creative homes I had been carving out the past few years prior to this pause. All I could say was “Thanks for the support, I have to get back to it, I want to!” A glimmer of excitement and hope would spark and then the motivation would fade away. Other things took priority and that’s okay.
I experienced many beautiful things these past few years and especially in 2023. I made amazing memories with loved ones, moved through painful lessons, heartache and more. Growth is and was taking place even if I wasn’t writing about it openly and consistently as I was before. I also gave myself permission to let go of the notion that I’d ever return to Progression in its original form. It served its own purpose in the chapter it needed to. Its evolution from here on out is unknown, and that’s okay. If anyone else has struggled with this back and forth too around personal creative projects, please know you’re not alone. I remind myself the journey is unfolding in divine albeit unknown order.
I’m doing my best to remember it’s never perfect and to enjoy the process. In the spirit of that, here’s an assortment of 2023 personal highlights and things I enjoyed:
TWICE First Impressions: A career highlight this year was directing a fun interview with K-Pop group TWICE for a series on Amazon Music called First Impressions. I was proud of myself for conducting all the interviews fully in Korean with each of the lovely nine members. I made a recap vlog about the shoot and experience here.
Past Lives: I’ve thought about Past Lives often since watching it this summer. How director and writer Celine Song articulated the experience and complexity of love and the choices we make, both past and present is so beautiful and heartbreaking. As a fellow creative Korean woman, I’m inspired by Celine’s story in that Past Lives is her directorial film debut.
Reunion tours: Seeing bands reunite to celebrate their past works makes me happy. Last year, I went to see several old bands I grew up loving and seeing live like Cursive and Thursday. To add to that list, I caught the highly anticipated Death Cab for Cutie and The Postal Service’s Give Up & Transatlanticism 20th Anniversary Tour at The Hollywood Bowl in October. The image of high school Jane wistfully looking out the school bus window, blasting The Postal Service on her electric blue Sony CD player is still sharp as ever. “Nostalgia” derives from the Greek words nostos (return) and algos (pain). I got to catch the show with one of my best friends, Audrey. We both had young Audrey and Jane out with us together that night as we belted tunes in unison with Ben Gibbard. It was bittersweet hearkening back to the past and reflecting on our growth over the years. We snagged some unofficial merch at the end of the show, and I was excited when Brain Dead also released their The Postal Service x Brain Dead collaboration this month.
Sanullim (산울림):My mom is my ultimate Korean music referrer. It’s a gift to be able to learn about so many legendary Korean artists, bands and songs. One of my favorites she’s put me onto is Sanullim, a Korean rock band consisting of three brothers that formed in 1977. We listened to them extensively on our trip to Portland this year. They were the perfect accompaniment on the road as towering Douglas Fir trees whirred past us.
Larry June: Larry June has had quite the year with the releases of The Great Escape and The Night Shift which are both heavily in rotation for me. He was at the top of my 2023 Spotify Wrapped list–the lyrics, stories, production, delivery, messages of good living, self-investment and more always boost me in the right direction forward. Good Job Larry.
Mexico City: I visited for the first time with one of my best friends Natalie in September, and it is one of the most incredible cities I’ve ever been to, a top favorite for sure. Thanks to Natalie’s extraordinary itinerary, we experienced all the great architecture, food, sights, shopping and more that the city offers. Some of my favorite memories were visiting Parque Quetzalcóatl, Museo Jumex and dining at Pujol. I can’t wait to be back again.
Korea in the Fall:My family and I visited this past September and October, and it was a wonderful time as always. My mom’s entire family is in Korea so reuniting with my grandma, aunts, uncle and cousins was a blessing. I fell in love with Seoul again and spent most of my time there. We also spent a weekend in Gangneung on the East coast of Korea and also happened to visit Busan at the same time the Busan International Film Festival was also taking place. A highlight was being able to participate and watch a screening of Burning directed by Lee Chang-dong (이창동). As part of the festival, there was a special live Q&A with him and actor Steven Yeun after the screening. Every visit to Korea has been special, but this year particularly left a strong mark on me that I'm still processing.
Secret Sunshine film screening at Academy Museum:The connection to director Lee Chang-dong’s films continued on as I went to see a special 35mm film screening of Secret Sunshine last month at the Academy Museum as part of their retrospective series to celebrate iconic Korean actor Song Kang Ho (송강호)’s works in Korean cinema. Released in 2007, Secret Sunshine is an emotional, heavy story around grief, and it’s a beautifully captured film. Song Kang Ho was also present after the screening to do a Q&A. My mom and I were geeked seeing the legend in the flesh.
Dill: I never bought or ate so much dill in my life until this past summer, and I have Chuck Cruz and Hailee Catalano to thank. I love their cooking videos, and I noticed they cook with dill often. I was reminded why I love herbs in general. I attribute a part of this to my dad’s palate which I inherited. My dad grew up on a farm eating lots of herbs and vegetables in the Chungcheong-do countryside and farming province of Korea. When he speaks of those memories on the farm, he lights up. I mix dill together in a salad usually consisting of cucumber, beets and pumpkin seeds, simply squeezed with lemon, olive oil, flaked salt and freshly ground black pepper. Lots of pepper always, which is also an inherited interest from my dad. We are a pepper loving family. I also enjoy dill in fried potatoes and in an omelet with swiss cheese and red onions. Dill-licious!
Friendships: I am so grateful for the friends I have in my life and how much my relationships with my friends this year especially deepened. The ambition of friendships story is a great read about being ambitious about cultivating your friendships too, just as much as you would a career or passion.
What were some of your 2023 highlights and things you enjoyed? What are you looking forward to in 2024?
With gratitude,
Jane Shin