Hey there! During an unprecedented time where everyone is affected, we would like to send our thoughts to you and those around you. As we move on in our own journeys, we hope everyone has the strength and love to get through tough times or share with others. If you are like us - working in the comfort of our own homes - and looking to take a break, we will be brewing our weekly cup of Joe, sharing inspirations and learnings. Take care and stay calm!

Love, Aquí

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María on How To Stay Mindful

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Reset is a wellness space based in New York founded by Liz Tran, a former executive in venture capital and tech who believes in personal development as an agent for career success. The space is designed for the career ambitious who wants to find time to look within and practice being mindful, away from the city’s hustle and bustle.

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As they have recently had to shut down their in-person studio classes for the safety of everyone, Maria shared with the team that they are now focusing on digital. She invites us to join the free online meditation course that they are offering to anyone who needs it in the time of change and uncertainty. At the same time, Nella giggled and told us she was just listening to one of Reset’s podcasts; is this pure coincidence or serendipity?

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“The class that I signed up for really motivates me to meditate more since I’m spending so much time at home right now,” Maria told us. We looked at the brand’s social media content and found that there is a bit of a retro vibe going on - it must be the good old colour gradients. Their style is simple and funky, yet oddly soulful and authentic.

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Social distancing can get pretty lonely and depressing because we are all social animals. But bear in mind that we are one with the Universe and that we are always connected. The ‘Mindfulness for Uncertain Times’ course on Reset’s digital platform is completely free, and it is one good way to feel connected with the self and the world.

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Nella on Discovering New Perspectives

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O+ is an extension of the local digital video publisher Our Grandfather Story (OGS) that Nella has shared with us in the session this week. We have seen many interesting documentaries from OGS in recent years that have either warmed our hearts or widen our perspectives. There is no doubt that OGS is proficient in their storytelling through video content. With the capacity to do more, they have recently started their graphic design/motion graphic arm O+, a space that focuses on storytelling through illustrations and animation.

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Nella tells us that O+ offers a lot of fun and informational content. One good example is their recent illustrations for #36daysoftypebutsinglish - #36daysoftype but with a local twist. As amused as we are with their storytelling and visual capabilities, we are also in love with their witty and light-hearted humour.

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As we are sure to be online a lot more during this period, it is a good chance to expose ourselves to new perspectives whether it be through reading or scrolling through Instagram. If you are up to hear some stories or get visually inspired, trust us - you will enjoy your time on the O+ Instagram account.

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Evelyn on Finding Life Tips

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Apart from Netflix, the one place we find ourselves binge-watching a lot on is (not our couch) YouTube. And if you are on it enough, you might recognise fashion YouTuber, Ashley aka. Bestdressed. To be exact, we would describe Ashley as our “friend” on YouTube who tells us about her struggles and at the same time, shares a lot of her life tips in a very articulate manner. Evelyn was just catching up on Ashley’s recent move from LA to New York and she invited us to watch one of her videos together. As it was Maria’s first time watching bestdressed, we hear in her voice a tone of excitement as she told us, “This is bad as I’m going to start watching all of her videos.” \

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“She’s 21 years old and independent. It makes me question what I am doing with my life,” Evelyn expresses with a tone of respect.

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Ashley recently graduated with a degree in Film, TV and Digital Media, and is now doing YouTube full-time. Apart from being good at thrifting, she drops some life perspectives here and there in her videos in a way that is unapologetic yet amiable. Some words that were mentioned while we were watching the video together were Down-to-earth, Real, and Cute.

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Evelyn likes that her videos are very easy to watch and that she shares a lot of useful life tips in her videos. Topics range from outfit recommendations to buying an apartment in NYC. We all agreed that watching her videos feels close to having a conversation with a friend and we can all appreciate that feeling, can’t we?

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Yu Ting on Working with Imperfection

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In this week’s sharing, Yu Ting continued on her list of favourite illustrators because, why not? You might have come across Jean Jullien’s works before, probably on Instagram or on design magazines. Jullien’s works mostly depict everyday life situations that we can all relate to, which Yu Ting feels, is the main essence of his art. Apart from the distinct brush strokes, the colour composition seen in most of Jullien’s works is very iconic and strangely surreal.

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“I use a brush to work, there’s something visually quite sincere about a brush because of the level of mistakes. There’s something very human about this graphic tool.” — Jean Jullien

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This short film by Handsome Frank really captures the personality of Jullien’s art. In the creative world, there is no one way to do things. The way Jullien welcomes the idea of imperfection into his artistry by choosing to use a brush is something that Yu Ting finds very charming. The imperfection of a graphic tool is now made perfect by the artist himself. Sounds romantic, doesn’t it?

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There is joy to be found in embracing mistakes in our journey to strive for perfection. Even though there is something fundamentally flawed in the concept of perfection, perhaps the very purpose of its existence is for us to find our own version of it.