The very first gift we receive is a name,

given with the deepest hopes and wishes.

​

In Korea, coming of age has historically brought something more:

a courtesy name

—not merely an extra title,

but a compass for life,

a guide for the path ahead.

​

In this way, my life carries two names:

one reflecting the hopes of those who first welcomed me into the world,

and another reminding me how to live with purpose, shaping my place in the wider world.

​

Mine,

曉兒,

means “where dawn awakens”

—a direction for my life as an artist:

to create, to explore, and to craft light in my own way.

 

As Nietzsche once said,

“You have to have chaos within you to give birth to a dancing star.”

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My name,

like that star,

calls me to both the bright daybreak

and the dark chaos before it

—the artistry I am meant to

explore and celebrate.