First off, thanks for taking the time to read my journey here. I'm also so thankful for the support that I've received and my continuous supporters!
Now, back to my journey.... I decided to dip into my culture and learn more about the products I am creating. The first thing that I attempted is making my own norigae (노리개). Norigae is made from different types of knots (매듭). It is usually made as an accessory to hand on hanbok (which is a traditional korean clothing) . It can be simple or adorned with jade and beads and usually finished off with a tassel. I would completely categorize this as an art.
I think I've ALWAYS been fascinated around the accessories that Koreans wore back in history. In fact, I am completely and totally OBSESSED with Historical Korean Drama.
Not only that, norigae is something that is a familiar thing to me. My grandma actually makes norigae and I've learned a lot of things from my grandma in the short amount of time I've spent in Korea so there was a lot of connection to this art.
AND, if you follow me on instagram, you might have seen some stories around my "knotting" journey. It was not easy...There were nights I sat down for hours just to end up with a bunch of scrambled yarn intertwined with each other. I even think I have arthritis in my knuckles when I was tightening and weaving the knots.
Weaving the string in and out, creating the loops, stringing it through the loops, under and over, let's just say it was definitely frustrating. But you know what?
Out of bunch of tangled knots, arose something beautiful, and as I pulled the knots through, I realized that's the beauty of this art.
Not only did I learn an art close to my culture, I've also learned something about myself. That I have the ability to learn new things, that I still have the grit to persevere through and that I am darn proud of where I've come from.
Learning more about my culture and weaving my own style into the products makes me feel like I am one step closer in becoming whole! I'm so glad to have shared my experience here! Thank you for reading through my journey and talk to you guys next time!
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