Yes, that’s the name she prefers to go by. A poet, writer, and creator, she regards her craft of words as a means to navigate the realm of art, one which she does so, successfully.
At twenty-two years old, Kimchi has faced many of the same adversities that every other twenty-something has and is probably going through. She’s even faced a few while on the way to being interviewed and photographed at our studio. While that is not our story to tell (you can head on over to her Twitter page to check out the full tell-all), we were truly shocked by the outcome of the situation—the way in which she reacted to it. Amidst a heated situation, Kimchi stood proud, bold, and affirming in her decision to be shown respect. Every single piece of work that she’s created holds this same ethos.
That is the life and means of living for our little poet. Bold, strong, brave, empathetic, and above all, kind.
When asked what superpower she would like to possess, her response, as simple as it was, affirmed the human condition. She wished for the power of feeling. Drawing cohesion from her stream of consciousness, she explains her want and desire to feel for the people around her. Holding the emotions of any kind, from those around you, sounds by and by a big superpower to have. But as you study the allure of Kimchi and understand the roots of this desire she possesses, you begin to compute why it is, in her nature, to want to possess such strength.
There is an innate sense of community that she draws from the environs she subsists in, one that is not commonly seen in those around us. She ascertains, then echoes, and mimics what is presented to her in an almost mirror-like way. She explicates, “As I continue to grow and be on my journey, I am presented with a plethora of people who host many facets within them. It is from this that I have come to accept and learn that there can exist multi-dimensionalities within the confines of an individual. This also means that I have given myself the grace to accept that there is both good and bad that lies in the bedrock of every human being”. With this newfound insight, one that she has acquiesced with each revolution around the sun, Kimchi has found a new-ish point of view to living. To the poet, the act of showing up and being there for one another is a means to loving – an act of persevering humanity.
“I find comfort in showing up and being there for one another. The way we find a means to create space to love and from there, a shared adoration for things and each other somehow finds itself spoken in a singular language, felt similarly in differing dimensions. I want a power like this to exist within me, to understand, to take, and to give back. It’s all a constant exchange.”
Kimchi Lai. Poet, artist.
Quiet is not a word that can be used to describe Kimchi. Empathetic is one. Loving is another. And for now, the last, that would be, being. She exists just simply by being herself. The articulate poet of our community invites you to her realm and understanding of the Ether. Space is similar to cracking a soda can for the first time and feeling a tingling sensation that awakens you from a state of unmoving torpor.