From Here To There: What is your present state of mind?

Michelle Young Lee: This mind needs some time to herself. I've been in a constant state of working on things other than my own intellectual and creative needs. It's time. Presently, I'm making myself give myself permission to do so.  

FHTT: Where would you like to live?

MYL: Big Rock Candy Mountain comes to mind. Not because I want to live amongst cigarette trees and lakes full of gin (although that would be nice) but, because the song so perfectly illustrates an idea of utopia for a certain kind of person, the hobo. The made up places described in the song were conjured by a yearning and searching for refuge.  My ideal place to live rests in the same kind of world. A world where there is no cruelty or injustice or long workdays at a job that does not feed your spirit, a place where comfort and contentment comes from the availability of life's simple pleasures. My little homestead on Big Rock Candy Mountain would be lush, a place you can feel nourished by inhaling the clean air. There would be a garden bursting with yummy vegetables; a wood fire stove and conversations around this stove wouldn't include the names of products. There has to be a nearby hill with a great view to have parties on. Most importantly all the people who make me understand and appreciate these simple pleasures would be within reach. We would all grow older together setting down roots. And, those of us who are young adults will grow to become the surrounding shade for another generation of brilliant, caring, creative and kind people. (There would also be convenient roads to the city, for all the friends who prefer to live there.) I've always been HOmeward BOund and the idea of journeying to this place is enough to suffice on (for now).

I've been lucky enough to catch glimpses of this kind of place in various different parts of the world. So, it's not about a particular geographical location.  Ultimately, I need to be that place and it takes hard work. I need to live within me in an honest and balanced way. 'Cause, as they say: Wherever you go, there you are.

FHTT: The quality you most admire in a woman?

MYL: I'm attracted to people who are resilient, independent, honest, witty, against the grain, and possess integrity. I'm not into people who are elitist, people whose relationship to the world is zero sum. There are some qualities that come through in a certain way in women. Like wisdom, I love women who possess a certain kind of knowing about the order of things in life.  Perceptive women are also very admirable. You know, the kind of gals that don't let the trivial stuff bog them down, the same women who know how to go through the pain of life with grace and courage. Women with a great sense of personal style also get my admiration. It doesn't matter what kind of genre of clothing one likes to wear, as long as one is authoring her own version of it.  

FHTT: What is your main fault?

MYL: My faults are the shadow sides to my strengths. For example, I am very sensitive. This is great in the sense of being an artist; it's really an asset. On the flipside, I can be intolerant towards things I find over stimulating, whether it's loud noise or someone's behavior. The main one: I can be very jealous. Not sure what the positive flipside to that one may be.  

FHTT: How does a transitory artist deal with transitory work?

MYL: This is a very hard question. Is this question asking about transitory work in the sense that since I'm partially in-transit, the work I make is in transition or how do I make-work about transitory states as subject matter? I'm going to guess it's the latter. When I wasn't living here in Korea and traveling to different countries, I made work as a response.