Sassy Christmas Card - 2024 Edition - version I |
Original photo from Pei Li - Suzhou, China |
Sassy Christmas Card - 2024 Edition - version II |
Original photo from Pei Li - Kyoto, Japan |
As I sit down to write my annual Christmas card, I find myself immersed in a moment of reflection, a chance to look back on the year that has passed and consider how it has shaped my creative and artistic journey. One of the most transformative chapters of 2024 was my move to a new continent: the United States. The experience of adapting to a different culture, even one that might feel familiar at first glance, brought its own set of challenges and revelations.
During this transition, I was struck by a poignant lesson from Amin Maalouf’s book: In the Name of Identity. His reflections on the openness we ought to embrace when encountering other cultures resonated deeply. He speaks of accepting new cultures as gifts that enrich rather than threaten our own. It struck me that this philosophy beautifully mirrors the essence of the Christmas spirit: embracing difference with warmth, generosity. And as we look at the world today, this mindset feels more important than ever.
Earlier in the year, my dear friend Pei Li, a remarkably talented photographer and artist, shared with me a series of stunning photographs from a journey he took in China and Japan. As I began to think about this year’s Christmas card, those images kept calling to me. Inspired by their beauty, I decided to collaborate with Pei for the 2024 edition of the Sassy Christmas Card.
In weaving our traditions together, I discovered unexpected commonalities where I might have assumed differences: the way light takes center stage, the magic of window decorations, the vibrancy of colors, and the warmth of family gatherings. These shared threads inspired a visual narrative that blends photography and illustration seamlessly, as if the drawing and the photo had always belonged to each other.
I imagined a child gazing at these images, their imagination ignited, just as I once stared into the fireplace at Christmastime and dreamed of new worlds. That sense of wonder and possibility is what I hope to capture in this card, a tribute to the magic of the season.
Whatever you may be celebrating during this festive time, I wish you a season filled with light, love, and joy. And, of course, a very Merry Christmas.
As I sit down to write my annual Christmas card, I find myself immersed in a moment of reflection, a chance to look back on the year that has passed and consider how it has shaped my creative and artistic journey. One of the most transformative chapters of 2024 was my move to a new continent: the United States. The experience of adapting to a different culture, even one that might feel familiar at first glance, brought its own set of challenges and revelations.
During this transition, I was struck by a poignant lesson from Amin Maalouf’s book: In the Name of Identity. His reflections on the openness we ought to embrace when encountering other cultures resonated deeply. He speaks of accepting new cultures as gifts that enrich rather than threaten our own. It struck me that this philosophy beautifully mirrors the essence of the Christmas spirit: embracing difference with warmth, generosity. And as we look at the world today, this mindset feels more important than ever.
Earlier in the year, my dear friend Pei Li, a remarkably talented photographer and artist, shared with me a series of stunning photographs from a journey he took in China and Japan. As I began to think about this year’s Christmas card, those images kept calling to me. Inspired by their beauty, I decided to collaborate with Pei for the 2024 edition of the Sassy Christmas Card.
In weaving our traditions together, I discovered unexpected commonalities where I might have assumed differences: the way light takes center stage, the magic of window decorations, the vibrancy of colors, and the warmth of family gatherings. These shared threads inspired a visual narrative that blends photography and illustration seamlessly, as if the drawing and the photo had always belonged to each other.
I imagined a child gazing at these images, their imagination ignited, just as I once stared into the fireplace at Christmastime and dreamed of new worlds. That sense of wonder and possibility is what I hope to capture in this card, a tribute to the magic of the season.
Whatever you may be celebrating during this festive time, I wish you a season filled with light, love, and joy. And, of course, a very Merry Christmas.