岸樹井藤 means a metaphor from the Buddhist scriptures, it refers to the tree on the cliff [岸樹] and the wisteria vines in the well [井藤]. This mural interprets life in terms of Buddhist doctrine, depicting a man being chased by an elephant hanging from a vine that is hanging over a well at the bottom of a cliff. Below are a poisonous dragon and four venomous snakes, while white and black mice take turns gnawing on the vines, and the man is catching honey that falls from a beehive one drop at a time with his tongue.

This Buddhist painting often metaphorized a life where one cannot see even an inch ahead due to human greed. However, it also talks about the sweet honey-like joy of life in a life that is full of ups and downs like a roller coaster. Whenever I saw this painting as a child, I felt an inexplicable sense of regret in my heart. And I often witnessed this metaphor in my life.

For me, the honey of life is a painting. Of course, there may be many things such as loved ones, family, etc. However, if I had to find something special in my life, I would say that it was a painting. I want to think of my painting not as a honey on a tree branch, but as a beautiful peony flower. In moments of desperation, I often forget the hardships of life by falling in love with the beauty of the flower. I cannot stand not drawing that flower because it is so beautiful. When a painting is drawn as I intended, I feel joy as if I have the world. Every morning, from the moment I open my eyes until I fall asleep, I always think about the painting.

And paintings have been my eternal best friend since I was a child, when my perception of myself grew. My friends changed and left, but paintings were always with me. When I was lonely, they silently showed me beautiful scenery, and when I was happy, the tip of the brush moved as if dancing. When I needed enlightenment, paintings were a window that showed me the world. That’s why I love paintings, want to draw every day, and want to communicate with the world through paintings.

That’s why I want to invite people around me to this world of paintings. While I was painting, I was able to forget a lot of the hustle and bustle of the world. This was truly a healing process. If I didn’t have paintings like this, I would have been consumed by external forces. Painting was a medium that allowed me to live as myself completely. It was a window that allowed me to fully meet myself, like meditation, a door that led me to a new world, and a best friend who played house games with me for a long time.

When I was young, I didn’t really know the importance and value of these paintings. I was more talented than others, so I just drew well, but I didn't know why it meant anything to me and how important it was to me. However, when I discovered how much drawing healed me and made me shine, I was able to feel gratitude for my talent and ability. And I felt rewarded when I saw their eyes sparkle as I shared the joy I received from drawing with others. As I truly communicated with people and shared joy through drawing, I felt the need to continue to dedicate my life to this.

When you first start drawing, it can be scary. The blank sheet of paper in front of you will feel like a test. You will think a lot about the composition, the perspective, the value... and you will be scared. You may also feel ashamed and guilty for drawing an imperfect drawing. However, if you draw every day, one day you will discover the joy that shines in your drawing. You will master the light and shadow, the texture, and the atmosphere that you could not express before. Then you will start drawing the things you dreamed and thought about. This is really wonderful. When you reach this level, you will want to draw everything in the world. And I want to communicate with people through my paintings.

I love people who love art. I admire the clear eyes and passion they show. And I am grateful to meet and talk to these people while painting.

It is exciting for me to be able to make the world beautiful with just one brush. And that will continue.

​I had a long conversation with my son recently. He lives away from us in a dorm. He was talking about his anxiety before an important exam. I like talking to mature and open-minded people like my son. The topic of our conversation was 'courage'.

​Many people think about this before an exam. They regret not preparing earlier. They are afraid of doing poorly. They feel frustrated about how to respond when their grades are low. They hope that luck will work and they will get good grades. This is probably something that anyone would think about when they are about to take an important exam.

​But I remembered what my math teacher once said. "Tests are very trivial things in your life. Tests have answers, but your life will be full of things that have no answers and cannot be answered. So there will come a time when you will feel that tests are easier." But now I finally understand what my teacher meant.

​As we live, we feel confused and frustrated because there are so many things in life that have no answers. There must have been times when we wished someone would show us the way forward. That is why people try to divine their fate with frustrated feelings. However, if we know that there are no answers in life itself, the problem will become much easier and lighter.

​Think about it. The person who decided the answer and the person who completely believes it is the answer is me. If you just change the angle of your thinking, the problem will go in an easier direction. I used to go to a prestigious private high school. It was the school that the neighborhood was proud of, and my parents were very proud that I went to that school. However, I don’t remember being happy at that school. The teachers used to tell the students that if they got low grades and didn’t go to a good college, they would be losers. I felt very anxious when I heard this as a child. Looking back as time passed, everything was a lie. My teenage years went by like that, amidst countless gaslighting and deceptions. Do the teachers at that school feel ashamed of the fact that they said that? Or do they still believe it? Looking back, there was no guarantee that someone who was in a perfect environment would live a successful life. What is true success? There must be people like my high school teachers who live confidently in a twisted world that they created themselves.

The reason I like drawing is because there is no right answer. Of course, there are skills and techniques that you have to learn to draw, but whatever you choose to express yourself is not wrong. In fact, mistakes you make can become more wonderful expressions. When drawing, just hum along with a pure and innocent mind like a child.

In the midst of countless fears and anxieties in life, having 'courage' is easy to say but difficult to do. I practice 'courage' by learning how to create my own world and be satisfied in it while drawing. I wish the world were as easy as a painting, but if that's not possible, I wish I could trust myself and enjoy the way the paint spreads out like in front of a painting. In some ways, life and painting are the same. There is no right answer, and there are countless coincidences and mistakes that cannot be reversed. However, if I must draw, I hope to draw with the thought that the paintings I draw are the most beautiful in the world and that I am creating my own master piece in the world.

​And I think that's true courage.

​As we live, we experience ups and downs like a roller coaster. Just as flowers bloom and fall repeatedly, our lives fill up and then disappear, and when they seem completely empty, they slowly fill up. And when life feels dark and hopeless as if we have hit rock bottom, no matter how much we try to squeeze out, we strangely cannot think of positive and hopeful thoughts. The same goes for when everything is going well and we are happy. When we become arrogant and have difficulties around us, we arrogantly evaluate and ignore them as if they are lazy or have done something wrong. In this way, humans and human life sometimes go round and round in vain, without depth and without recklessness.

What if you are standing in the middle of a dark tunnel in life? Strangely enough, there is no one by your side at such times. Even when you try to approach someone with a loving heart, the other person feels burdened by you. Even well-intentioned words are twisted and conveyed. It may feel like everyone is plotting to criticize you, gossip behind your back, and discourage you. At that time, you feel all the energy drained from your body and you feel helpless, as if you can’t walk a single step anymore. I also had a time when anything I said would get messed up. At that time, even sincere gifts would be ignored. I think anyone who has been through the bottom of life would know what this means. If you continue to feel wronged, not understood, and not loved, how deep would that darkness be? How great would it be if someone lit a light in your dark heart at that time? If you were standing in the middle of a tunnel, unable to go back and looking ahead, the darkness would continue, how grateful would you be if someone told you that if you just went a little further, you would see a bright light? Can we still expect this kind of warmth in this world? In fact, my blog was like a long journey in search of this kind of warmth in a bleak life.

The topic of my blog at first was ‘What is art?’ Why do artists choose a path that is vague, not guaranteed to succeed, and requires them to constantly create themselves? What is art to me? I wrote every day while asking myself these questions. This task was like hitting a racquetball against a wall. Every time I hit, it always came back to me. This ball was not a catch ball that someone would gently catch and pass back to me with a smile. When I threw it hard, it flew hard, and when I threw it softly, it came softly. Time passed as if I was talking to myself against a wall that had no emotions. When the number of visitors to my blog gradually increased, I was the first to receive advertisements and spam. They were very diligent and surprised me by leaving comments on my blog from early in the morning. Deleting these posts became a routine for me. Then one day, I got burnt out and couldn’t find any material. At that time, I couldn’t even move forward with my drawings and was in a slump. It was a moment when everything I did felt meaningless. Everyone else was successful in drawing and writing and posting success stories, but why wasn’t anything easy for me? I wanted to give up everything in despair.

But then I saw a $1 watercolor paint that my child had placed on my desk. Feeling frustrated, I drew a small candle. It was as if my dark heart was waiting for the light to come out. But when I focused and drew and looked at the candles I drew, I felt a bright energy welling up from somewhere in my heart. Suddenly, my heart became bright. At that moment, I realized that I had overcome my slump. And to convey this energy, I wrote and drew again. My daily life went on like that for several years.

When I first started painting and debuted as an artist, I was very scared because it was hard to define art. There were many people in the world who were better at painting than me, so how could I confidently introduce myself as an artist? At the time, it was a very difficult assignment for me. I asked myself what art was every day and tried to answer that question every day. That was the only way for me to find the answer to what art truly was.

Some people defined art as a luxury. They thought it was a kind of acting and fraud, like Banksy's performance. They criticized that the price of paintings was too high compared to their value. Some people said that being an artist was a profession that did not create wealth and was a shortcut to choosing a path of lifelong poverty. They explained how many people around them graduated from art school but were unable to make a living through art. And they were extremely worried about their children becoming artists. Some people also defined art as a kind of hobby that dreamers participate in. Artists have a flower garden in their heads and lack a sense of reality, and people around them say that they will suffer because of this for the rest of their lives.

All these stories are the advice people gave me as I constantly asked myself what art is and tried to find answers. I started to get tired of these people’s prejudices and negative criticisms. And I even sent emails to artists who were overly optimistic and full of energy, hoping to hear their hopeful messages. Looking back, I was like a beginner at the time, a lamb wandering in an unknown world. However, I wandered, bumped into things, and lost my way, and moved forward little by little.

I thought that this kind of me was like a snail. And since then, the snail has become my symbol. I discovered that snails move slowly and unobtrusively, but they never go back. It was slow and frustrating, but I had hope that if I kept moving forward like a snail, I would eventually get the answer I wanted.

That’s how I moved forward little by little. I opened a blog to answer these questions. I didn’t want to be packaged and distinguished as an artist. I wanted to show myself as I am, even though I am clumsy and lacking. So, the writing I wrote every day became my growth diary that everyone could relate to. People who sympathized with these writings, supported me, and gave me strength began to appear one by one. It was as if I had found my own ally, and my voice became stronger and my thoughts became more and more confident.

While writing my blog, I discovered that many artists are reluctant to share their failures. They must know very well how frustrated and anxious artists feel when they first start drawing. I want to share this process because I know that feeling. I no longer want to look cool or great.

As I met people with the same temperature as me, I gradually expanded my territory. From drawings to writing to blogging, my territory gradually expanded. And as I talked to many people who loved art, I grew as an artist. This growth period became my statement. And eventually, it became the answer I was looking for. As I answered the questions I asked myself, I was able to accurately and confidently say that I am an artist. And as I filled myself like this, people around me also started calling me an artist. Through this statement, I am leading the participation of people around me and through this, I am creating a movement. This is really wonderful.

In art, we can become one and create a path for everyone to be happy. This is no longer a dream or fantasy, but a reality. We should think about how much we have lost art and wandered since the Altamira cave paintings. At that time, everyone drew pictures and communicated through pictures. Their painted cows are full of power and happiness. Through their pictures, I imagine how much happier our ancestors were back then than in this age of abundance.

Why are we so interested in others? Why do we envy others? Why do we have so many dark thoughts inside us? Why can’t we focus on ourselves? Perhaps we don’t have the time or the leisure to focus on ourselves and lack such activities. In this sense, art helps us focus on ourselves and find ourselves.

Perhaps we are living in a false virtual world that we have created ourselves. You may not be able to live your life because you are trapped in the darkness of your own prejudices, negative thoughts, and hatred. Most of this darkness is self-created. I know the healing effect of painting very well. When you are painting, you do not have time to think about such dark thoughts. In that time, you have to decide on the composition and think about how to improve the painting. You have to study techniques and ask questions to develop yourself further. There is too much to learn in painting to think about other things. I think that sports, music, and other studies have this effect when you are absorbed in them. I am an artist, so I only talk about painting.

I like the sound of children humming when they are absorbed in painting. When children hum, I feel happy because I feel like I have done my job as an art teacher. I hope that everyone can enjoy this happiness.

I became a person who felt happiness through painting and wanted to convey the happiness and joy that painting gave me while connecting with people. And I learned that these people are called artists. Look at the artists around you. They are probably full of energy.

I hope that many people can participate in this energy. And I hope that through painting, we can talk, get to know each other, and become happy. I hope that this will no longer be a dream. That is why I want to define art as a statement, engagement, and movement.

​There is no one who does not know that doing anything consistently is beneficial. And we witness the results of consistency around us.

Above all, especially bloggers, you will experience the amazing magic of consistent posting. So how can we make this 'consistency' a habit, as if it were a daily routine?

​Consistency is like a bird biting a branch and building a nest. When you bite the first branch, there is only the branch you bit, and everything starts from 'nothing'. Then, when you bite the second branch, something visible is created. However, this is just a trivial thing that you cannot predict the shape of. And the third branch serves to make that trivial thing even more trivial. Until the bird piles up these branches, they are in a state of confusion, not knowing what they are making. Then, when they are halfway done, they finally realize that they are making 'something'. ‘Ah… this is shaped like a bowl.’ Sometimes, ‘this is made to put something in it.’ Then, when the bird takes the last branch and completes the shape, only then do people realize that they have made their own nest. The nest that the bird makes like this is made by intertwining the branches day by day. It is so tightly woven that even if a strong wind blows, the nest will not fall or break apart. When I look at birds’ nests, I realize the importance of daily routine. If a small bird had to make a nest bigger than its body in one day, it would give up. But birds know the importance of intertwining branches every day.

​Blogging is like a bird making a nest. Therefore, if you are flying with the first branch in your hand, you should never give up until you see the shape of your nest. However, many people give up right before the shape of the nest is taken. This is because they are disappointed when they think that the shape of the nest they are making is different from the image they had in their mind. However, birds do not abandon the shape of the nest they are making and make a new one because they do not like it. This is because the purpose of nesting is to lay eggs and raise chicks in it. The same goes for blogging. If we work hard and create something different from others every day, it is natural to expect immediate rewards. However, blogging is often a battle with oneself, so if you do not have a 'perfect reason and mission' for blogging, it is difficult to continue. That is why I say that when you start a blog, you should use 'things you like' as the subject matter.

​So the tip for running a blog consistently is to not think too much about blogging and just 'post'. Set up a posting time and routine first and stick to that routine for a week. Then, if the routine goes well for a week, try it for a month. If it goes well for a month, try it for two months... three months... a year... and make it a habit.

​If the routine goes well, give yourself a reward. Because this is really great. While blogging, I realized how much I neglected the things I did every day and reflected on it. And I looked back on how many times I 'dreamed' but didn't 'act'. From then on, my dreams were minimized to things I could do and became more realistic. Then, it became easier to achieve my dreams and my sense of accomplishment increased. This sense of accomplishment made me confident. As I gained confidence, I raised my goal slightly. This made it easier to set and achieve my goals. If you don't feel the importance of what you do every day, it will be difficult to blog consistently. Because the joy of that daily routine creates consistency.

​Personally, I think 'consistency' is not a talent or effort, but an enlightenment. Because in order to change fixed bad habits or negative thoughts, you need motivation and enlightenment to break them all at once. So, in order to get this enlightenment, you have no choice but to just try it. There are many tips on the Internet for achieving 1,000 blog posts, tips for consistent blogging. However, most of them are probably tips that you are very familiar with. Of course, these tips are helpful and important, but I suggest that you first creatively create your own efforts to make blogging a routine.

​Consistent blogging will create your own brand. When you first start blogging, you will quote a lot of other people's writings, words, and posts. And the expressions you use in sentences will be in the form of recommendations, such as 'It's good to do...' or 'I read this article and it said so.' Then, if you blog consistently, you will develop your own convictions in some way. Then, your writing will change. 'I recommend doing...' or 'Do this. You will succeed.' This means that consistency is changing you and creating your own brand. When you create your own brand like this, you will finally learn information that effectively helps others. This is because you have worked very hard, been frustrated, and been in despair during the process, so you will know exactly what people want. Your vision will become very clear, and you will finally see the direction you should go.

​The biggest benefit I gained from blogging is that I discovered and experienced what I could gain through consistency. And this discovery pushed me to challenge myself to practice something else consistently.

Before, I considered this kind of thing like carrying a single branch to be trivial. Rather than small things that don't even show signs, I wanted something cool and fancy that could make me a star overnight. In short, I wanted 'fluke', not 'luck'. In fact, many people buy lottery tickets for this 'fluke' or imagine becoming a star when they wake up in the morning. However, life is like a roller coaster, with ups and downs. When you receive luck without any effort or reward, you later ask yourself if you deserved it. In fact, the etymology of the word 'fluke' is derived from the Old English word 'Floc', meaning wide and flat, and the German word 'Flach'. There is also an interpretation that it was used to resemble whales moving quickly on flat surfaces without any obstacles. Something that is received by luck like this easily disappears in the waves of life. Just as a bird's nest does not easily collapse, the rewards and know-how gained through daily life do not easily disappear. I learned this bird's nesting while blogging. And if you ask me what the secret to consistent blogging is, I would say that you can learn by watching birds build their nests.