Q:Hello Jin! I've been a fan for a long time! :) You and your friends are amazing inspirations, and inspiration is just what I need right now. I know this isn't an advice column, but well, I've been having a lot of trouble adjusting to college. I'm not very independent and incredibly homesick. I've always envied your outlook on life and your positive attitude. So here I am, hoping that you might share a little wisdom and joy to a girl who's a little lost right now. Thank you for always being you!

lalathekoala

Hi there!

Aww, it’s alright! I do what I can to try to help people so messages like yours are very welcome.

That’s something I can definitely relate to. When I first got to college, I was the same way. All my life I had been in one school. All my friends were there, and we all got split up after graduation. I didn’t see myself as optimistic or confident or emotionally strong. I was sure I would crack. At first, I certainly wasn’t always among the cheeriest people around, hahah. /angsty little emo kid

At the time I was feeling down, I’d write down my negative feelings (no matter how emo or stupid or silly it sounded) just to get them out, and afterwards tear up the paper and soak it in water to turn it to mush and throw it as far as I could. Somehow, it made me feel better. It’s terrible to keep bad emotions bottled up. I also learned to enjoy alone time, like by taking solitary walks around the campus while listening to music. I’d also take pictures of little things I saw along the way that I appreciated.

I guess what worked for me was purging the bad stuff out, and learning to shift your focus on the good things, bit by bit.

Eventually, I met people who connected with me even more than some of my friends from high school. (Only two people from Tux Team were my friends from my old school.) Some of my new friends, I wouldn’t have expected to become close with based on my impressions from the first days of class. You really just have to take a risk  and give people a chance, and not be afraid to get out there and be yourself. Don’t ever shut yourself out.

Back then, I envied my friends who were able to stay together over college. But if I hadn’t been separated and met new people, I may never have gotten into photography or cosplay or blogging. That would have been a huge chunk missing from my life, and I wouldn’t be writing back to you now.

I used to think that nothing would be as good as the way they used to be. But things got better, and at one point I found myself happier than I had ever imagined I could be. Keep your head up. Things will get better! You’ll surprise yourself. :)

Lastly, here’s a video I’ve linked before but always enjoy sharing:

Hope this helps <3

58 Notes/ Hide

  1. lalathekoala said: I don’t know how many times I’ve read this today! It really made my day, and I just keep thinking about what you’ve said. Thank you SO much, Jin! You’d be surprised at how much you can impact people’s lives. Thank you for always being so kind! :)
  2. hoshihanabi said: I don’t know how perfect the timing of this message is… I’m so glad I visited my tumblr… TTuTT this really helped with what I’m feeling right now… =’) thank you again… for the inspiration in business (haha) and in life~ <3
  3. mimmerke said: “Sometimes you find resonance in the deepest quiet, I’ve come to find out in time; because hearts don’t need words. They just shine. If you’re not afraid to stretch your world, you can find out how much light there is all around.[..]” <3

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