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Pull up a seat at our table, where badass women from all walks of life—fashion, beauty, design, music, philanthropy, art, and more—come together to share honest stories, serve truths, and dig into the realities of modern womanhood.
Johanna Almstead:
Hello everyone. I am menu planning for my next guest, and it is freezing here where I am. So all I want is cozy, cozy, cozy food. And my next guest actually was born and raised in Brazil. So I'm going to take a little inspiration from that and serve one of my favorite cozy yummy appetizer snacks, which is Pão de Queijo, which is like a Brazilian cheese bread. Oh, it's so good, and so warm and cozy. I'm going to do that and just have a quick little salad, butter lettuce, shaved fennel and shallots. I've been really into fennel lately. So just a really thin shaved fennel and shallots and a champagne vinaigrette. A little cheese bread, a little light salad. I think with that, I'm going to serve a Moscato d'Asti. I do love a little sparkling something and I don't know, I'm kind of craving something a little bit sweeter than a champagne or a Prosecco. So I think that could be nice with the salty cheesy bread.
And for the main dish, I'm going to make a braised short ribs over polenta with a side of caramelized Brussels sprouts. Just like rich, deep flavors, cozy, cozy food, bunch of protein, bunch of carbs. Just get it all in there to keep us warm. And with that, I think I'm going to open a nice Côtes du Rhône, like a nice red that has a little bit of structure in it and just kind of dig into a cozy, cozy night. So for music, I've been really into this song Flower Moon by Duran Jones and the Indicators. So I'm going to play some Duran Jones & The Indicators. I'm going to play some, mix it up with like a little ooh Jamiroquai and a little bit of Leon Bridges, maybe a couple little Brazilian singers in there too, just for fun to stick with our little theme. My next guest is wildly talented, someone whose work I've admired for many years now, and I'm so excited for you to get to meet her. So let's dig in.
Hello everyone and welcome to Eat My Words. I'm really excited today. I'm actually a little nervous today, because my guest is someone whose work I've admired from afar for a long time and from my own living room, a little more recently, because I got to procure some of her pieces. I first saw her work in a shop in Pound Ridge and fell deeply in love with it immediately. I bought my first two pieces that day and they remain treasured favorites in my home. She is a fine artist whose work is a unique assembly of individually rolled out clay slabs and coils created by a hand and clay collaboration inspired by the contemplative process of ceramics and the belief in the power of simplicity. A native of Sao Paulo, Brazil and of South Korean heritage, she draws inspiration from the amalgamation of modern Brazilian architecture, Portuguese colonial architecture, and traditional Korean arts.
She earned her degrees in art, fashion, and design from FASM in Sao Paulo, Central St. Martins, London College of Design in London, and the Istituto Europeo di Design in Milan. Her recent solo and two person exhibitions include In Bloom and the Sublime and Formed curated by Cas Friese at Arden and White Gallery. Just last year, her work was featured in Interwoven Gestures, a three person exhibition also curated by Cas at Arden and White Gallery. I got to see her work and finally meet her in person at the group exhibition, All The Light and Shadow, which was curated by Alyson Baker and presented by the River Valley Arts Collective in partnership with Manitoga, the Russell Wright Design Center. And if you are anywhere in the Hudson Valley area, you need to go check this place out. It is so cool. My friend and former guest on this podcast, Alexandra Cole, was also part of that exhibition and so my worlds collided a little bit, which was wonderful.
Today's guest's work was also featured in Cross Section curated by Dana McClure at Ravenwood and Wild Minded at Wild Minded in Kingston, New York. She's also been included in exhibitions at the Al Held Foundation's Stroll Garden in Los Angeles, Foreland in Catskill, New York, and the Keystone Gallery. She is a hand builder, a world traveler, a dog mom, and a global citizen. She is also the maker of the geo table that I've been lusting after for years. One of these days, one of these days. Re Jin Lee, welcome to Eat My Words.
Re Jin Lee:
Thank you. Thank you for having me.
Johanna Almstead:
Thank you for sharing your precious time with me. I know that time in your studio is holy and sacred, so I really appreciate you taking the time to have this conversation with me. I wanted to talk to you today about your work, but I also kind of want to learn more about how you got to be where you are today. So I met you at this point in life and you've created this incredible body of work and I would just sort of love to understand how we got from point A to point B. Where would you say your journey began?
Re Jin Lee:
Do you have like 10 hours?
Johanna Almstead:
Yes. Yes, we can cut it down. Tell us.
Re Jin Lee:
How did I get here? Well, I have a fashion design background. Since I was little, that's what I wanted to do, become a fashion designer, but I was also very art-inclined, drawing, paintings. So I thought that was a perfect combination where I could still be artistic, but in the fashion world. And my parents were also in the fashion industry in Brazil. That's where I was born and raised. Anyway, so long story short, applied for fashion school, college in Brazil, did that. And I had the opportunity to work in Los Angeles after graduating. So I moved to LA, worked as a designer in Los Angeles. And during that journey, even though it was very early on in my career, I was questioning whether that was the right fit for me, but still very much in it. And during my time in LA, this was a long time ago. In Brazil, when you said you wanted to be in the fashion design industry, the only course available back then was designing. That's all I knew. I didn't know there were other ramifications in the fashion industry, like styling, marketing.
Johanna Almstead:
Merchandising.
Re Jin Lee:
All these other things. For us, it was just design. If you want to work in fashion, you have to be designers. So in LA when I was doing the designing work, I was introduced to styling. Someone needed an assistant and I took the job and I was blown away. I'm like, "This is what I love. I don't like actually designing clothes. I like to put together already existing clothes." Did that for a bit and then that motivated me to move to New York City because I heard that that's what you do. If you want to work in the styling, editing business, you have to be in New York. So I took the leap, moved to New York, couch-surfed. I was very naive, but I think that's when you end up doing brave things because you don't know the consequences.
Johanna Almstead:
You don't know any better.
Re Jin Lee:
You don't know any better. I was very passionate about it because I found it. Because during my design years, even in fashion school, I enjoyed it, but I would see passion in my peers' eyes, like my friends who really were born to do fashion design. And I wanted that passion, but I didn't have it. Anyway, fast-forward to New York, tried and learned that it's not that easy to just move and think you're going to get a job in something you have zero experience with. But I ended up landing, luckily, an internship at a magazine. And that kind of got me into the styling world. I was not into as a profession, but getting to see how it works, the ins and outs. And that also didn't spark the passion I was looking for. So I was like, "Oh my goodness, what can I do?"
But anyway, so again, I told you it was going to be long, but it was just like a journey for me. All my life, I thought I wanted to become a designer and then finding out that I don't have that passion that I saw on other design. I know that in that industry, you need that passion to survive. And then finding styling and loving it and thinking, "This is it." And then kind of dipping my toes into it and thinking, "Oh no, this is not it." So I was a little lost. I had taken the leap, moved to New York, didn't have anything, and I just really looked inwards and said, "Okay, what was I born with? What talent was I born with? I just need to desperately find something I have because right now I don't have anything." And I knew how to draw. That's a talent I was born with because my mom was an artist. My dad, it was in me, but I don't know how other people feel about it. But for me, because I was born with it, it's something, I didn't feel it.
Johanna Almstead:
You took it for granted, probably.
Re Jin Lee:
It was gradual. Yeah. I was just like, "Oh, I can do that." But also painting, drawing, there's so much... At the time, that was how I was thinking. It was so much competition past that age where you're... I mean, I've tried this career and now I did another and now this is a third attempt to do something. If I had gone to art school, maybe I would have had more networking done that I could get into. So it was all of these things in my head. But my solution back then in my young brain was, okay, I'm going to force my art onto people. I'm going to put them into useful items. I don't want to compete, not that I don't want to compete. I just felt insecure or not confident enough to compete in the art world just by putting art on paper, on canvas. I'm just going to put my designs on functional wears. So that was kind of the beginning of where I am now.
I think, not I think, I know I was lucky because at that time when all of this was happening was the beginning of Etsy. So that made it very easy for somebody who had no idea how to start a business and I learned about it. And, as I said, I was living New York City. I went to the Bowery where they sell restaurant wares and I went with my granny cart and went into every store asking if they had seconds. I don't know if you know the term second. Second pieces are rejects that they sell in a bin, so it's a little cheaper. And I would buy those and come back home and I bought this at the time. They still exist. There were these pens that they're called porcelain pens. You draw on the certain piece-
Johanna Almstead:
On actual porcelain?
Re Jin Lee:
And then you bake it. So it becomes kind of permanent on it. You could drink from it, eat from it. Anyway, so this is long, but this is trimmed story. That's kind of how it started where I'm like, I know how to draw. I'm going to put it on functional wares, aside from ceramics and pottery, I also did it on... I learned how to screen print. I made notepads. I screen printed tea towels. Anything I could think of as useful, functional, and I thought would look good with my art, I did it. And I opened an Etsy shop and it just took off. I was very lucky that that was there. I think I would have gotten there, but it would have been a little longer and harder, but Etsy made it so easy for me to just open a store online and just test out the market.
So that was that. And then just like how I felt like having the talent to draw was something just normal. Same thing with how much art was ingrained in me and my family. My mom was a painter. She was an artist. Her family in Korea, there was a potter, there was a weaver, there were all these members that I just saw them as, not background, but it wasn't like, oh, so special. But now I see where the influence came from.
Johanna Almstead:
You see that you came from a long line of artists.
Re Jin Lee:
Artists. And there's a memory, I don't know how old I was. I was probably very young. I remember visiting one of my mom's cousins or aunts, I don't remember who it was, but seeing her pottery work and as a child being very impressed by her work. Wow, that's amazing. That said, for me, that was something I would not... I was like, "That's not something I want..." because back then it's fashion, fashion, fashion. So it was something that was on the background. It was always there, but not something I considered. Anyway, so going back to buying the functional wear or making functional wear to put my art, eventually you go to these second, these restaurant workshops, I ended up craving my own shapes because I couldn't find the form that I wanted to make them. So I got myself, I'm tempted to say subscribed.
I didn't subscribe. How do you say? I registered to a class.
Johanna Almstead:
Registered. Okay.
Re Jin Lee:
Registered to a class, pottery class in Greenwich, did a class, and that's how my ceramics journey started. So it was just a pretty long journey. And now it all makes sense to me. I thought it was, oh, I brought myself there, but I think all the influences and everything that I stored in my brain throughout my life brought me to this moment. Even going to fashion school, design school, I still apply what I learned during my time in fashion school and also work to what I do now in ceramics. So everything was a path to get to where I am.
Johanna Almstead:
To get to the next step.
Re Jin Lee:
Yeah, to get to the next step.
Johanna Almstead:
It's interesting that you say that you didn't really even realize that you came from a family of artists. I think about that a lot. I have a daughter who's an artist and it's so important to me that she knows that she's an artist, that she knows that she can be an artist and that that's like a real thing in her bones. And it's funny because you would think that somebody like you, that would automatically come. You come from a family of artists, you're creative, you have this talent and this ability, and yet you still didn't quite settle into it. It took you a while.
Re Jin Lee:
It was almost like a... I wanted to reject it. My mom was very supportive of it. She was strict in other ways, but anything regarding art, because she... I learned later that when she was young, she wasn't given the opportunity to pursue the arts. She could have, but back then, people didn't see art as something that could be financially stable for young-
Johanna Almstead:
That you could actually make money being an artist.
Re Jin Lee:
So that's not something parents would invest on a kid who clearly showed talent for it. So my mom definitely supported me to it. She put me in art schools, what do you call it? Side art schools. I always did after school art. Any kind of art, I did, oil painting, acrylic painting, anything painting. I went to collage school. So she was very much doing that, but I don't know. It wasn't entering my little brain that maybe that's... Again, I don't know how to describe it. It was something normal, just as normal as, I don't know, if you're religious, parents going to church on Sunday.
Johanna Almstead:
It was just part of your life.
Re Jin Lee:
It was part of my life. So I didn't see it as something, "Oh, you have talent for it. That's why your mom is doing this. She's investing on you because of this talent." She never said that, to her credit. She didn't boost my ego or anything like that. She was actually very quiet about it. I think the first time I got a compliment, I was shocked. It was actually in college, but yeah, so it was pretty much everywhere in my life, but I did not... My mom was a Korean Onggis and moon jar collector. My dad would go to Korea. He was always bringing her back these giant vessels. Again, didn't enter my mind. It was just something added to the house, but now I see how much it's influenced me. Currently, I'm reflecting and going back to thinking about my roots. Anyway, that's another conversation.
Johanna Almstead:
Well, you can talk about it if you want.
Re Jin Lee:
Well, I was just thinking about how just the art factor in my life where it was there, but it just didn't click at the time for me. I mean, I enjoyed it. I'm not saying that I didn't enjoy it. Again, for me, it was normal. It was nothing special, but being born and raised in Brazil by Korean parents was great, but also very confusing, especially because there was no culture that I could attach to and feel 100%. I grew up with all the Brazilian nursery rhymes, stories, but also the Korean ones that my mom taught me in school. So it was great to have those two, but also I felt like I was always floating. There was nowhere to land. And that's how I felt all my life. And now living in the US, it's, "What am I?"
And only now, I mean, it's been a few years, but I feel the need to attach myself more to the Korean culture because growing up in Brazil, it was always ingrained in me, not for my family, but just in general that if you were born in Brazil, you have a Brazilian passport, you're Brazilian. But it worked for my friends who were Italian parents. Their parents are Italian, they were born in Brazil. They could say they're Brazilian because they look Brazilian, but for me it was a very different experience.
When I said I was Brazilian, people would be like, "No, you're not." So anyway, it was always a struggle, but I was always trying to be Brazilian, but not looking it... And then, not that I've been struggling with this up until now, no. But now, I guess what I'm trying to say is that because of that, I never had this curiosity about Korean culture, not curiosity, but go more in depth than what I knew. It wasn't something my parents taught or practiced in my household. It wasn't something that was everyday life. So the past few years, I've been trying to get more into that and learn more about that and it's showing in my work. So I guess that's what I'm...
Johanna Almstead:
As a child who was feeling sort of unmoored between these two cultures, did you have an idea in your head of what your grownup life would look like? Did you picture yourself in Brazil? Did you picture yourself in Korea? Did you picture yourself in the United States? Did you have any sort of vision for yourself? And clearly you didn't think you were going to be an artist, but did you have a cultural vision for yourself?
Re Jin Lee:
Yes. Since I was little, I was fashion designer. And I don't know when I knew I wanted to be in New York, but that was my goal. I wanted to live in New York City, be a fashion designer, listen to Frank Sinatra, all the cliches.
Johanna Almstead:
Dancing at the Rainbow Room.
Re Jin Lee:
Yeah, something like that. Get splashed by a taxi. That was all in my dream. So yeah, to answer your question, I envisioned myself in New York and I actually had this opportunity to decide if I should go to a fashion design school in New York or stay in Brazil. My mom very much wanted me to study in New York City because she put me through an American school in Brazil so that I could go to American college. And I greatly disappointed her by staying in Brazil. I decided to stay in Brazil. But yeah, I'm here in New York. I'm not in the city anymore, but...
Johanna Almstead:
Okay. So let's get back to New York. So you're in New York, you have an Etsy shop that takes off. Are you actually making a living as an artist at that point? You could live that way?
Re Jin Lee:
I mean, at that age, making a living? No. I was still doing side jobs in the styling world. I actually was doing a lot of side jobs. I was got waitressing. I don't know how I even got into that position.
Johanna Almstead:
All the New York side jobs. It's so funny, right?
Re Jin Lee:
Yeah. It was one of those jobs where I had no idea where I was going. They would just text me or whatever it was back then, be there at seven, put white shirt, black pants. I had no idea where I was going to go. I had zero experience in waitressing or anything, but I would just show up and just...
Johanna Almstead:
Oh, like for a catering company?
Re Jin Lee:
Yes, for a catering company. Oh, God. There was one time where I came out of it very angry because angry and myself were putting myself in the situation, but also at the person for sending me to something that I had zero idea of how things worked. It was a private dinner where the servers had to serve... There was a choreography. I know zero about... And nobody gave me a brief. I just showed up.
Johanna Almstead:
And you were expected to do a whole situation?
Re Jin Lee:
I don't remember, but I'm sure someone said, "Okay, this is how it's going to be. We're all going to walk down the stairs together with your right hand behind the person you're going to remove the plate and with your left hand, you're going to put the new plate and it's all synchronized." I was like, "No way, I can't do that." I'm never even normal waitressing. I have to do this. Anyway, I guess I survived because I'm here to tell the story, but I do remember at some point we were assigned tables for wine and I didn't even know how to open a wine bottle. I didn't know the difference between red. I'm not a drinker, so I didn't know white wine need to be an ice red. Eventually one of the guests on the table, I was shaking and took pity on me and taught me how to do it.
But yeah, those were the kind of side jobs I was doing where I had... I was just dropped into situations where I had no idea what I was doing. So yeah, to making a living, no, I had to still do those random things. But what it did for me was set a fire and motivated me to keep going and pursuing it. And that just snowballed into eventually, it's a long timeline. Eventually I just narrowed it down to focusing on ceramics. And then instead of applying my drawings on the ceramics, which is what I initially wanted to do, my sculptures became the drawings itself. Yeah.
Johanna Almstead:
And when did you get your first show? When did it become something that you were putting out in the world?
Re Jin Lee:
When was it? Gosh, I guess I have to refer back to my website. I'm very terrible at dates and yeah.
Johanna Almstead:
So now you have a full-blown artist practice that is up and running and producing lots and lots of product. Can you talk a little bit about your creative process, where you are now as an artist? What does that look like? Do you go into it with an idea of what you want to make and then you're executing on that idea? Can you give us a little bit of a window into that process?
Re Jin Lee:
Yes. It's one of my favorite... I mean, obviously it's like a favorite part of many artists, the creative process, the process of getting to the final piece. What I think is different from what people expect before a piece gets made process is that I... My preferred way of starting to make a piece is just literally by starting it. I have no plans. I do have sketchbooks where I carry around that if I have an idea, I'll write it down, but it's not a sketchbook for me to look at and try to replicate what I sketched. It's more like ideas that I put down because I know at some point it will resurface in one of my intuitive process of making sculptures, which is by just starting, which is hard to just start something. But the way I work, if I were to describe it very literally is see what clay I have available and to make it more simple.
If I say, "Oh, I want to make or I have a commission, I have to make a vase." So I'll just make, just start it. I use the coiling technique. I'll just start by making, let's say, the bottoms, the start of a vessel, and I'll make a few of them, and this will take a few days. I'll make a few bottoms. And as you're making, I'll have ideas, okay, this is how it's going to go, this is how I want it to be. So I'll write it down, but the next day I will maybe forget about it, change my mind, and then it'll start going in a different direction. So there's no rhyme and reason to the way I create something, but I enjoy it because for me to have no control over it, I feel like I do create things that are not more beautiful, but more beautiful to my eyes, I think.
Johanna Almstead:
To let the process kind of just unfold.
Re Jin Lee:
To let the process unfold. I tend to go negative. I say, "Oh, it's because I am incapable." Yes, I have ideas. I put it on a sketch. In my head, I'm like, "Oh, but I can't. I look at it. I can't..." Just like in my drawing classes, when they have live drawings, like the person there, my brain blocks myself from doing it because I'm always like, "Oh, I can't do it perfectly. I can't copy." So that's how I feel about building from a sketch. However, what I learned is that it's not because I can't copy from the sketch I did, it's because I actually don't like doing it that way. I'd rather create something intuitively. I don't know if I made any sense, but
Johanna Almstead:
Totally. No, we were just having this conversation with our guest last week who, same thing. She's like, "I like to put the parameters in of whatever materials I'm working in," and then it just have to improvise and see what happens and let the piece kind of come out. So I think that that makes a lot of sense. And I think it's very interesting because I feel like there's other artists I know that are very prescriptive and they've drawn every very specific sketches and then they're just executing to that sketch. They're just trying to bring it to life in whatever form, whether it's sculpture or painting or whatever.
Re Jin Lee:
Yeah. So it's just a different method instead of saying I can't do it that way. It's just they do it that way, that's their method. This is working intuitively and just throwing clay down and seeing what happens is how I create. But the only time that I struggle with that is generally when people commission you to do work, they want to see a sketch of what you're going to do. And I understand why, but I think I worked out a good way to... Or people who commission my work are understanding that this is how I work, but in the past it was hard to explain, sure, I'll give you a sketch, a general idea of what I want to do, but it's probably not going to look like the sketch in the end. Are you okay
Johanna Almstead:
With that? So I'd love to talk a little bit about that. So when people come to you to commission something, what is that conversation like? It's generally like they've seen your work, obviously they love it, they have a specific need for something, or why wouldn't they buy a piece that you already have?
Re Jin Lee:
It generally is from past work. So a lot of my pieces are one of a kind. Again, because I don't sketch, I have no idea how I made that piece, not because I want to make them ... Sure, they're special because they're one of a kind, but it's literally because I can't make the same because I don't remember how I made it. I mean, obviously I can make similar just by looking at it. So if they don't see Something that I have on my available work works for them. They'll go back to my old works and say, "Oh, they're really like this. Is there any way you can make something similar?" And people are very understanding. I say yes. I prefer not to make it exact because I want to keep that one unique, but I'll make it similar and I'll ask them. Generally, people have a size in mind because they have a place that they want to put in mind.
So they'll give me the size, the reference image of my previous work. And I'll ask, "What kind of finish do you want? This is what I have. " And that's on their side. On my side, I'll just make three to five of them just to make sure I get it right. Do you let them choose
Johanna Almstead:
Or no? You decide out of those three to five that
Re Jin Lee:
Sometimes I do. If I think three out of the five I made, they're similar to each other so that they could pick. Yeah, I give them the choice, but I generally just make a few because I want to be sure it's something that they'll like, but also for my process, I like making more than one. So it's like a win-win situation.
Johanna Almstead:
Right. And I'm curious to know, because it sounds like you come from a long line of artists, the lifestyle part of being an artist, like sort of the uncertainty of it and the up and down of it and at the whim of the market kind of thing, how does that live in you? How do you manage that?
Re Jin Lee:
I'm still trying to figure it out.
Johanna Almstead:
Figure it out.
Re Jin Lee:
It's a constant battle. The uncertainty of it all. I mean, as an artist, it's an ongoing conversation because you... I mean, this is me. In order to be able to create and with my process of it being intuitive and all these other things that go on in my life, I need an open road in order to be able to make things. But in reality, there are worries, financial worries. And so yeah, it's a constant battle. I always have to be able to create... I don't want to have to think, "Oh, is this going to be..."
Johanna Almstead:
Is this going to be commercially viable?
Re Jin Lee:
Yes. Right. Are people going to like it? Because then that's a trap when you start thinking that way. But inevitably you think that way sometimes a lot of the times, because this is how I make a living, so it's just a constant battle and you just caught me at a moment where... But I'm always, you could talk to me next week, I'll have a different opinion. This week I'm like, no, I'm just going to put my blind faith in my work and I'm just going to go for it, do what I feel that's right. But next week I'll be like, "Oh no, I need to make things that sell." So yes, to be very honest, it's a constant battle.
Johanna Almstead:
It's a constant roller coaster.
Re Jin Lee:
I just redid my website because before it was all over the place because I have a range of work. It's kind of who I am. I can make these big things that are considered art, but I also like to make little useless things that I think are cute. There's a range and that also adds to my constant battle of how-
Johanna Almstead:
Where to focus.
Re Jin Lee:
Where to focus, what sells, what doesn't, who am I? Where am I? But yeah, that question is very-
Johanna Almstead:
Fraught.
Re Jin Lee:
Yes. I'm sweating.
Johanna Almstead:
I'm sorry. How do you decide what you're going to do next? Do you just sort of trust your gut?
Re Jin Lee:
What do you mean?
Johanna Almstead:
Like your next project. So say you've done your commissions, do you just go into the studio and sort of say like, "Today's the day I'm going to make a beautiful side table?" Or you're like, "Today's the day I'm just going to start with clay and see what happens." So.
Re Jin Lee:
Yes, it's very good when I have direction. If I have commission, if I have an order, that's great. How do I start when I have clean slate?
Johanna Almstead:
Yeah.
Re Jin Lee:
Zero. I wish I knew. On a personal level, I have these coping mechanisms or tools for me to be able to work. I have ADHD, right? So it's something I've learned recently and going back to when I was little, it makes a lot of sense. I don't know what I would have done if I'd known that when I was little, but a lot of things that I've... The tools I've, how do you say gained or learned how to come up with, I still use today and I don't know if I would have had those tools if there was a label to what I had. But anyway, this is all going back to your question. How do I create something?
So one of the tools I have to just get it without overthinking, today I'm going to make a table today, because I don't know what I need to make in order to make a living, but I also, this is a struggle. Do I make something that maybe I think possibly will sell or do I make something that I feel inspired to make? So to keep my sanity, I just, one of the tools I have, which I use daily is just to put on my headphones. And this is something that only maybe in the past five years I learned to do. And if I put on an Audible, a book, it can't be something that I really want to pay attention to. It has to be something just a thriller or something that's there. It will just, I don't know if what it does with an ADHD brain-
Johanna Almstead:
It Focuses your brain.
Re Jin Lee:
Yeah. Focuses. Because before I love listening to classical music or whatever music that I'm into at that time, but I realized I was all over the place. I would do things, go that way, go this way, go start mopping the floor. It was all over the place. But once audiobook was introduced, before the audiobook, it was podcast. Once that was introduced, I was zoom, focused. I could be bouncing off the walls, but as soon as I put my headphones on, it's just zoom, focused. And then again, nothing in my brain, what am I going to do? If the focus is to make something, that's my only focus. I don't know what I'm going to make. I just grab clay that I have and just start.
Johanna Almstead:
Just start.
Re Jin Lee:
Just start.
Johanna Almstead:
I like to talk to artists about this because it's such a fine line and it's such a hard line, I think for so many. How do you navigate the world of being like a business person and an artist? Clearly you are an artist, right? But you also are making a living doing your art. How does that live in you? Is that an easy conversation between the two of those parts of you? Is that a hard one?
Re Jin Lee:
It's another constant battle. In the beginning of this career, I was very much commercial-oriented because coming from fashion background, I got into ceramics. So I was doing a lot of trade shows and my mind was very much trained to be collection-oriented because of fashion. You create a collection, you do a trade show and you sell pieces and then you make it. So it's made to order. That time of my life, which was a few years of this business, I would say to people, "This is the most expensive business school to go through." Harvard or something would have been cheaper than this. But yeah, so just doing it, I've learned many, many things. However, I still am not a business person. I've learned, but that side of my brain is non-existent. I mean, obviously it kind of exists because I wouldn't be where I am, but it's a constant battle.
And that's one thing I've been, if manifesting works, I've been manifesting it. Back in my fashion days when I was actually in the styling days when I was in New York, I was assisting a fashion stylist and we did a lot of shows and I got to meet a lot of designers. And one observation that I made that it stayed in my mind is I noticed that the designer always had a partner, like a business partner who was always in the office on their computer. Meanwhile, the designer was just being fabulous and creating these beautiful things. And in my mind, I'm like, "Oh, that's why." Because in my artist brain, I'm like, "How do they do it?" So now I'm like, I need that.
Johanna Almstead:
You need the fabulous business partner to run the show while you just get to create.
Re Jin Lee:
I've been asking for it for decades. It hasn't arrived.
Johanna Almstead:
I think it's such an extraordinary relationship though. If you look at those kind of big, if you look at Valentino and what's his name? Oh my God, whoever was with Valentino, now I forget his name. And you look at YSL and Pierre Bergé, there was such a trust and such a... It has to be someone who really believes so deeply in you as an artist that their whole purpose is to protect that and to let that flourish. It's a beautiful thing.
Re Jin Lee:
I agree 100%. That's why I feel like I believe that no one's come up to me because the universe hasn't said that yet to me because I need to work harder and better for that person to have that feeling towards my work. So it's like a motivation. I mean, it's nothing negative. I see it as a fuel.
Johanna Almstead:
As a fuel to bring that person into your life.
Re Jin Lee:
Yes. I think it's gone, even though it's taken so long, it's just for me, I guess also coping mechanism in order to stay sane is that perhaps not that my work is horrible, it's just that the timing is not right. I mean, we're using a business partner as an example, but in general, I feel like if what I need or want is not here yet, it's because I haven't... I'm not there yet.
Johanna Almstead:
You're not ready for it.
Re Jin Lee:
No. I need to get there. So that's the hope I have. I still have some control over it. Not that it's never going to come, it's just, it's up to me for it to come.
Johanna Almstead:
Okay. Well, let's put it out there. Hello. If you're listening out there, and you are this person, just show up, send us a DM. You are here. Her work is incredible.
Re Jin Lee:
Thank you.
Johanna Almstead:
What is the best part about your work?
Re Jin Lee:
Being able to do what I do. Sometimes you take it for granted because when you're deep into it just becomes work. And I'm reminded of how lucky I am when people come into my studio like, "Gosh, this is what you do? This is so great." And yeah, yes, being able to do what I do, but also when I do workshops, host workshops, the reason why I wanted to host workshops is not to teach someone to make a sculpture, is to share the feeling I have when I'm making something, the process of it, the process of literally letting go and allowing the materials to guide you through the process. And for me, it's very satisfying and gratifying to see people go through that process in the short time that I have on my workshops. So that brings me a lot of joy.
So I guess what I love most about what I do is the fact that I get to do what I do, but also the feeling I have when I'm working in the studio and to be able to share that with the people who come to my workshops.
Johanna Almstead:
Yeah. What is something of all of your achievements that you're most proud of?
Re Jin Lee:
Work-related?
Johanna Almstead:
Doesn't have to be, could be anything, could be family, could be life.
Re Jin Lee:
I mean, if we're going to go with my children.
Johanna Almstead:
Yeah.
Re Jin Lee:
Yeah.
Johanna Almstead:
Can we talk a little bit about the pull, the tension between being an artist and being a mother? How does that live with you?
Re Jin Lee:
For me, it's not... I mean, it was hard when they were newborns because you kind of have to, as a self-employed person, you're not going to get paid unless you're-
Johanna Almstead:
You don't get maternity leave.
Re Jin Lee:
You don't get maternity... You have to continue. When my second kid was born, I was still living in Brooklyn and he was born on the 16th of December, so it was near the holidays and I had holiday orders to pick. So he was born on the 16th. I think on the 19th, I strapped him on and went to my studio to pack some orders. And one of my studio mates, they're like, "That was a short maternity leave. I have to pack orders." And I got so sick. Obviously, my body wasn't ready to do anything. But anyway, so that time is very hard, not because it's hard to have kids and that sort of struggle, but more like not being able to afford to take a break and also the sleep deprivation.
But now that they're a little older and I'm lucky enough to have a studio here in my house, and my husband also works from home, so it hasn't been... There's not much tension. Yes, there was when we lived in the city, one of the big motivations for us to get out of there. I was basically working to be able to pay for childcare in order for me to work. But now that I'm here, they can be here, we don't need... Well, now they're older, so they're in school. So I guess to answer your question, I don't feel any tension. I always have to remind them how lucky they are that we're actually here because there are parents who have to go to office, they have to work outside of their home and they don't get to see their kids as much as we get to see them. Every time I want to go out for dinner with my friends, they're like, "You're going out again?" You saw me all day.
Johanna Almstead:
It's so true. Mine have gotten like that too.
Re Jin Lee:
Yeah.
Johanna Almstead:
Mine have gotten spoiled by having me around a lot.
Re Jin Lee:
Yeah. And you have to remind them, "You're very lucky."
Johanna Almstead:
You might have answered this already in deciding that you were an actual artist, but is there anything that you once believed about yourself that you've since outgrown?
Re Jin Lee:
Not that I had something I believed in. I guess I'm having a hard time answering this question because I'm working on it, but I never believed I was anything. I never thought highly of myself to then... Is that the question?
Johanna Almstead:
That could be your answer too, is that you didn't think highly about yourself and now you are thinking highly.
Re Jin Lee:
I mean, it's a work in progress.
Johanna Almstead:
Do you think that's an artist thing or a woman thing or a life thing, human thing, not thinking highly enough about yourself?
Re Jin Lee:
I think it's not one thing. It's everything, How you were raised, what you've been told, every interaction you've had in your life, your chemistry and balance. So it's everything. Yes, being a woman, it could be also because you're a man. So it's not one thing. I think it's just a combination of things that make you feel that way. When I'm working through it, I think it's a human condition.
Johanna Almstead:
Yeah. I like to ask people this because I feel very strongly about particularly women and mothers who are trying to balance motherhood and passion and work. Do you have time? Do you allow yourself time? Or is this part of just your artistic process? Do you have time to dream? What are you dreaming of these days, other than a business partner who's going to come in and lay the groundwork for you?
Re Jin Lee:
Yeah, all the time. I mean, I dream... Well, my goal right now is to be more financially stable, so I dream about getting to a point in my work where I am able to create work that I feel, having the freedom to create something without the constant, is this good enough?
Johanna Almstead:
Without the commercial pressure.
Re Jin Lee:
Yeah. Is this going to sell? So I dream about that to be able to do that and be able to make a living out of that, out of that piece that came from 100% genuine, what do you say? No conditions to that piece. And also, yeah, I think that for now, if you're asking me this question just today, this moment, that's...
Johanna Almstead:
You dream of complete artistic freedom kind of.
Re Jin Lee:
Mm-hmm.
Johanna Almstead:
That's beautiful. What's your idea of a perfect day off? Do you take days off, ever?
Re Jin Lee:
Oh yeah. I mean, because I enjoy being here, a day off for me is I guess literally to do nothing. I joke, but sometimes, especially when the kids were younger, I would say my dream is to just sit and stare at the wall, and nobody asks me anything. I just want to stare at the wall and not be interrupted and just not think about anything. That was my... I don't feel that way now, but I remember feeling that way a lot when the kids were younger. Right now, my perfect day off is just not having to wake up with an alarm for school, sleep in, and I guess just do nothing. That's so sad, right?
Johanna Almstead:
No, I don't think it's sad. That's kind of mine too. I agree.
Re Jin Lee:
I don't have to go to a spot. I don't have to go get a massage. I just read a book, stare out the window, eat some grapes. I don't know.
Johanna Almstead:
Eat some grapes. That's what I want to do. I want to eat some grapes and stare at the wall. Yes. That sounds heavenly. I love that. Oh, man. Okay. Well, we are at the very exciting time in this podcast where we ask the lightning round of silly questions. And the grapes are a great segue because I like to ask questions about food, mostly because I just think... I don't know. I just like to think about food. I like to know what other people are eating. They're not all about food, so you don't have to make them about food if they're not. But don't overthink these. There's no wrong answer. It's just for fun. And let's go. What is your favorite comfort food? Listeners, if you could see her expression right now, paralyzed. We've paralyzed her.
Re Jin Lee:
A Big Mac.
Johanna Almstead:
A Big Mac? Like a McDonald's Big Mac.
Re Jin Lee:
Mm-hmm.
Johanna Almstead:
Wow. How often do you eat one?
Re Jin Lee:
More often than people do. I mean, not every day, obviously, but only when I moved to America, did I realize how people are against McDonald's?
Johanna Almstead:
Right, because in other countries, McDonald's is kind of exotic.
Re Jin Lee:
Yeah. And in Brazil, not anymore, but back when I was there, you would go out for dinner to McDonald's. There's sit down dinner, you go with your family because it was a novelty. So I think that's... And yes, it tastes very different here. And there was a time actually that I... I know this is a rapid question thing.
Johanna Almstead:
It's okay. It's okay.
Re Jin Lee:
I still do it because I think it's fun. Every new country I visit, I have to try their Big Mac.
Johanna Almstead:
And they taste different all around the world?
Re Jin Lee:
Yes. I started doing that in the '90s when I was traveling. I wish I had... Back then, we didn't have phones to take pictures. We had cameras, but I wish I had actually taken pictures and taken notes, but still do it. Every new country I visit.
Johanna Almstead:
Big Macs around the world. Where's the best one? Where's the tastiest one so far?
Re Jin Lee:
It's very biased because just like everybody says, their mom's cooking is the best.
Johanna Almstead:
Right.
Re Jin Lee:
It's whatever you grew up with and your taste buds are accustomed to. So I always think the Brazilian Big Mac is the best-tasting.
Johanna Almstead:
The best. And do you get fries, milkshake, Coke, apple pie? What else do you get with your Big Mac?
Re Jin Lee:
Just the meal. But another thing I love is the sundae with extra fudge. Oh my God.
Johanna Almstead:
This is why I love to ask these questions, because if I'm looking at the incredibly sophisticated, gorgeous pieces behind you that you spend your days creating-
Re Jin Lee:
And I'm eating a McDonald's.
Johanna Almstead:
And just picture you at that desk with a Big Mac. I love it. This makes me very happy. Okay. What was your first paid job? The first time you ever exchanged labor for money?
Re Jin Lee:
It's probably during my college years in Brazil. They would select a few students in school to work backstage in some fashion shows. So it was like a backstage fashion show job.
Johanna Almstead:
What is something you are really good at other than making beautiful art? Because we know that already.
Re Jin Lee:
Excel spreadsheets.
Johanna Almstead:
Really?
Re Jin Lee:
I mean, I don't know if I'm good at it, but I can get in on it. And if you want to make me happy, you ask me to help you to create an Excel spreadsheet.
Johanna Almstead:
Oh my God.
Re Jin Lee:
Or a website.
Johanna Almstead:
Wow. That is not what I expected, and I'm terrible at them. So I have a great reverence for you.
Re Jin Lee:
I don't think I'm good at it. I just like to organize it and just figure out what formulas I need to use.
Johanna Almstead:
Wow. What's something you're really bad at?
Re Jin Lee:
This is something I want to actually find out why I'm so bad at it. It's got to be something. I'm very good with hands, very precise in making things, but for the life of me, I cannot fold a blanket properly. Every morning when I'm folding my kids' blanket or the living room blanket, I have this thought. I'm like, why can't I-
Johanna Almstead:
Make the corners neat.
Re Jin Lee:
I make the first corner, but then when I fold the other half, I can never match it. And again, it should be so easy. It's so silly. I cannot fold-
Johanna Almstead:
You cannot fold a blanket.
Re Jin Lee:
Blankets, sheets. They're never perfect, ever.
Johanna Almstead:
I'm not good with sheets either. I can't fold sheets.
Re Jin Lee:
But can you match the corners and when you fold it in half-
Johanna Almstead:
Blankets I can do, sheets I cannot do. Sheets I have a very hard time with. Like you go into someone's linen closet where they're perfectly folded and tight and whatever. I can't do it.
Re Jin Lee:
Yeah.
Johanna Almstead:
I don't know. That's weird.
Re Jin Lee:
Maybe that's-
Johanna Almstead:
Maybe it's a thing that we have. Maybe it's part of ADHD. Who knows? Okay. What's your favorite word?
Re Jin Lee:
It's in Spanish. I'd like the word in general, but I like it when it's said in Spanish.
Johanna Almstead:
Okay.
Re Jin Lee:
Which is ojala, which is hope. I hope.
Johanna Almstead:
That's beautiful.
Re Jin Lee:
Yeah.
Johanna Almstead:
What is your least favorite food? You're not going to eat it, deal breaker. No.
Re Jin Lee:
It would have to be something I've tried already, right? Because I wouldn't know.
Johanna Almstead:
I mean to be fair, right? Because you wouldn't know that it's not your favorite. Or is there something that you're just like absolutely not ever going to try? Maybe, I guess.
Re Jin Lee:
Because I've tried it and I know I didn't like it. It was beef heart.
Johanna Almstead:
Cow heart.
Re Jin Lee:
Yeah.
Johanna Almstead:
Okay.
Re Jin Lee:
It was given to me. I didn't know what it was.
Johanna Almstead:
Oh.
Re Jin Lee:
Yeah.
Johanna Almstead:
Okay.
Re Jin Lee:
I generally like any kind of... I'm not a vegetarian or anything. I eat meat. So that was a little...
Johanna Almstead:
Not so good.
Re Jin Lee:
Not so good, but if someone gave it to me again, I had to eat it, I wouldn't die or anything.
Johanna Almstead:
Least favorite word.
Re Jin Lee:
Only because it was said to me so many times. Hustle.
Johanna Almstead:
Hustle.
Re Jin Lee:
Yeah.
Johanna Almstead:
I feel like that's a lot. It's in the air a lot these days. The side hustles and the keeping your hustle and the... Yeah. The New York hustle.
Re Jin Lee:
Also, even though I use this word a lot and it's a word that I shouldn't dislike, but I think it's because I've heard some... It's trigger.
Johanna Almstead:
Trigger. Yes.
Re Jin Lee:
But hustle, I think hustle is number one.
Johanna Almstead:
Okay. Do you have any hobbies?
Re Jin Lee:
No.
Johanna Almstead:
No.
Re Jin Lee:
Well, what would be a hobby? Because people would think pottery is a hobby, right?
Johanna Almstead:
Right, but it's not. It's your job.
Re Jin Lee:
Right.
Johanna Almstead:
I don't know. Maybe you crochet as a hobby. Maybe you ski. Maybe you play tennis.
Re Jin Lee:
Well, actually yes. I play tennis.
Johanna Almstead:
You play tennis. Okay. What is the best piece of advice you've ever received?
Re Jin Lee:
I don't know if it's the best advice, but it stuck with me, and it kind of changed the course of my business back when I was doing everything I was doing in the Etsy shop where I was doing pottery, doing paperwork, doing... So I was all over the place. And at the same time, I was doing styling, because I was still trying to pursue that. And it was a friend's dad who I perceived as a very successful businessman, and he had told her, he's like, "It's so stupid. To become successful, you need to focus on one thing. You can't be doing multiple things. You'll never be successful." And I took that to heart. So then I just stopped the styling thing and stuck with my drawing on functional wear, useful items I used to call it, and then eventually just narrowed it down to ceramics.
And again, I don't know if it was best, most wise advice, but for me, it stuck with me. And even till today, when I see myself spreading out, doing too many things at that same time, I remember that line, "You stupid."
Johanna Almstead:
It's kind of harsh.
Re Jin Lee:
I mean, I think it worked and it reminds me to just...
Johanna Almstead:
Stay focused.
Re Jin Lee:
Stay focused. Focus on one thing.
Johanna Almstead:
Yeah. Okay. If your personality were a flavor, what would it be? It's just like Big Mac special sauce.
Re Jin Lee:
It's funny because it's the first thing that came to mind and I hate it.
What?
Johanna Almstead:
Licorice.
Licorice. Okay.
Re Jin Lee:
I hate licorice.
Johanna Almstead:
Black licorice?
Re Jin Lee:
Yeah.
Johanna Almstead:
Interesting. Okay.
Re Jin Lee:
I don't even know if it's my personality. You said first thing that comes to mind, that's the first thing that came to mind.
Johanna Almstead:
I like it. Let's not overthink it. Let's just go with it. Okay. So it's the last supper. You are leaving this situation, you're leaving this body, you're leaving this earth. What are you eating for dinner tonight?
Re Jin Lee:
Interesting. My kids asked the same question yesterday.
Johanna Almstead:
Really?
Re Jin Lee:
Yes. But they were thinking more like you're on death row. What is your-
Johanna Almstead:
Well, I used to call it that, but I felt like that wasn't really as uplifting.
Re Jin Lee:
Yeah. And my answer would be, and I think a lot of Koreans answer this and it would have to be my mom's, we call it Kimchi-Jjigae, which is kimchi stew with rice. So it's like a kimchi stew. My mom used to cook it with pork ribs and eating it mixed up with rice is the most delicious comfort food. So that would be the dish.
Johanna Almstead:
That would be the dinner.
Re Jin Lee:
My final...
Johanna Almstead:
Are you drinking anything with this?
Re Jin Lee:
Maybe tea.
Johanna Almstead:
Okay.
Re Jin Lee:
Korean tea. Barley tea.
Johanna Almstead:
Yum. Okay. Have you ever had a moment in your life where you've had to eat your words?
Re Jin Lee:
Many times.
Johanna Almstead:
Can you think of any?
Re Jin Lee:
I literally take back what I said or just-
Johanna Almstead:
Or feel like you need to. Yeah.
Re Jin Lee:
I mean, a silly example, a very long time ago and I guess it made an impact on me because I still remember, I was young. I was complaining about this girl who was just trying to be my friend. I remember where I was. I was on the street. We were near parked cars. I was talking to my friend and I was just going on and on. And she let me go on and on about it. And then she's like, "You know she's my cousin, right?"
Johanna Almstead:
Oh God. Oh.
Re Jin Lee:
And I said... I don't remember what I said, but I think I tried to fix it. But I mean, that's not even a good example because I've had worse ones, but I just can't... That's the first thing that came to my mind. But I think it stuck in me because she just let me go on and on and on about it.
Johanna Almstead:
But she wasn't like, "Let me just stop you right there and let you know that we're-"
Re Jin Lee:
No, she just wanted to let me go off. And if I were to relive that moment now, the age I am now, I would probably have said, I wish I had the courage to say, "Well, I still feel that way. It doesn't change anything." But back then I felt horrible. So I can't think of another example, but I've had many, many.
Johanna Almstead:
Where's your happy place?
Re Jin Lee:
Here.
Johanna Almstead:
In your studio.
Re Jin Lee:
Mm-hmm.
Johanna Almstead:
Okay. If you could eat only one food for the rest of your life, all day, every day, what would you eat?
Re Jin Lee:
It's my mom's kimchi stew.
Johanna Almstead:
Your mom's kimchi stew.
Re Jin Lee:
Yeah.
Johanna Almstead:
What did you have for dinner last night?
Re Jin Lee:
Last night I was at this gathering and they had a sushi platter.
Johanna Almstead:
Nice. What do you wear when you feel like you need to take on the world? So it's like an opening of one of your shows or a big meeting or something that feels important. What do you like to wear?
Re Jin Lee:
I'm still trying to find that. It's another battle. I don't know what to wear. I'm sure a lot of people feel that way, but there's not one piece of item that I feel like I can rule the world. But if I had to, today, with what I have in my closet, it's just these slacks I have. I just got, Uniqlo, a turtleneck because it's cold. And some, what do you call those? Rug boots, track boots? Just boots.
Johanna Almstead:
Yeah, like combat boots. Lug sole, maybe?
Re Jin Lee:
Lug soles, yes.
Johanna Almstead:
Yes. Okay. What's the most memorable meal you've ever had?
Re Jin Lee:
There's so many. If I just go recent, it was in DR. I was with a friend and we had just flown into DR. We drove to this hotel two hours and we had a cocktail that was very strong. And dinner time came and it was very empty, the hotel. We're the only guests ordering dinner that night, so they had to call the staff to make the dinner, and I felt so terrible. But when the dishes came, I didn't even care what I looked like when I was eating because I was starving, but it was also so delicious. I don't know if it's a typical Dominican dish, but it was just chicken leg, marinated chicken leg and yellow rice and fresh cut cucumbers and maybe lettuce, tomato. It was just...
Johanna Almstead:
Perfect.
Re Jin Lee:
Perfect, nourishing and rich in flavor and delicious. I was just talking about this today and yesterday about how if that dish was placed in a different scenario, it probably would've tasted different because it's all of your senses working together to make the experience unique.
Totally.
Johanna Almstead:
But at that moment, how we were feeling, it just felt like the most delicious meal.
Re Jin Lee:
The most perfect thing you needed right at that moment.
Johanna Almstead:
Mm-hmm.
Re Jin Lee:
I love that. What is your go-to coping mechanism on a bad day? So things are going crazy, you woke up on the wrong side of the bed, customers are angry, your kid's sick, your husband's frustrating you, whatever it is, what do you do?
There's no one thing. Probably if I can, I just come to the studio, or if I'm not already here, but if for another thing, my coping mechanism, I guess just get into work mode, make something. Yeah. Okay. If I'm at home, maybe I'll just start browsing things, shopping, to get your mind off of.
Johanna Almstead:
Something just to distract yourself.
Re Jin Lee:
Yeah.
Johanna Almstead:
Yeah. Okay. Dream dinner party guest list, dead or alive, you can invite anyone. They're all going to say yes because they're so excited to come to your party. Who are you inviting to your dream dinner party?
Re Jin Lee:
One of my favorite architects, who's Italian, but in Brazil? Lina Bo Bardi. Isamu Noguchi, the sculptor. Yeah, probably Oscar Niemeyer. And who else? That's three people. I can't deal with a lot of people.
Johanna Almstead:
I mean, that could be it. You don't have to have more.
Re Jin Lee:
I think that's it, for now.
Johanna Almstead:
Okay. Lastly, what is one thing that you know for sure right now in this moment? You didn't need to know it yesterday and you don't need to know it tomorrow. What's just one thing you know right now?
Re Jin Lee:
Can you narrow it down?
Johanna Almstead:
Just in life. Something that you don't have to question. What feels true to you?
Re Jin Lee:
What feels true to me? What feels true to me is that I'm really hungry. That's the honest truth. Second is today I feel confident that there's a shift in the way I think about myself.
Johanna Almstead:
That's beautiful.
Re Jin Lee:
But it might change tomorrow.
Johanna Almstead:
That's okay. You don't need to know tomorrow. It's just for now. Just today.
Re Jin Lee:
Just today.
Johanna Almstead:
Can you please tell people, the people who are listening, where they can find your work on your website and your social media?
Re Jin Lee:
On website, but more instant work in progress pictures you can see on Instagram.
Johanna Almstead:
And what's your handle?
Re Jin Lee:
Re, R-E, dot, J-I-N, dot, L-E-E.
Johanna Almstead:
So check out her work, everyone. It's incredibly beautiful. It's incredibly inspiring, and I hope that you guys will dig in to find more. Thank you so much for taking this time with me. Thank you. I know you're hungry. You need to go eat now. We've been talking about food. It's probably made it so much worse. But I know that this time in your studio is precious, so I'm very, very grateful for you for having spent this time with me. It's been a true gift. I've lived out my fan girl dreams now getting to spend this time with you, and I hope that it was okay. I hope it wasn't tortuous for you.
Re Jin Lee:
No, thank you for having me. You made it very easy for me to be able to share and talk.
Johanna Almstead:
Oh, that was exciting and inspiring and made me really jealous. Actually, the idea of getting to just be in a beautiful art studio creating all day is pretty dreamy. I hope that you were inspired. I hope that you were ignited by this conversation. As always, we thank you so much for tuning in. We appreciate your support so much. If you know somebody who you think might've liked this episode or might be inspired or needs a little inspiration, please share it with them. You can share it over Instagram. You can share it over TikTok, you can share it over email, you can share it over text. If you're not doing so already, please follow us on social media on Instagram and TikTok where Eat My Words, the podcast. And as always, thank you, thank you, thank you for being here. We hope that you're enjoying this. So we will catch you on the next one, guys. Thank you.
The Eat My Words podcast has been created and directed by me, Joanna Almstead. Our producer is Sophy Drouin. Our audio editor is Isabel Robertson, and our brand manager is Mila Bouchna.