Dear Mom

Dear Mom,

I hope this letter finds you in good health and spirits. There's so much I want to share with you. Life here has been keeping me busy, but I often find moments where I reflect on our times together.

The weather has been changing, and it reminds me of those cozy afternoons we spent indoors, sipping tea and talking about everything. I've been trying some new recipes and thinking of you every time I cook. I wish I could replicate your famous dishes, but I know I have a long way to go.

As for work, I've been tackling some challenging projects. It's fulfilling, but I often feel overwhelmed. Your encouragement always reminded me to take things one step at a time. I carry that advice with me, and it helps.

I miss our long conversations and the comfort of home. I look forward to our next visit so we can catch up and create more memories together.

Take care of yourself, and know that I am always thinking of you.

With love,
Soo Ji Lee

The picture book is a series of three letters, each in three individual chapters, written to my mother; the story starts when I was a young child, then at the peak of my adolescence as a teen, and then as an adult after college. 

The following story is about my feelings toward my mom, to break the ice between her and me and become tied together sincerely. Our relationship as mother and daughter was not very peaceful because of our different personalities. Conflicts of interest arose, and situations often escalated to the extreme. My immaturity and inability to live up to my mother's expectations of strict discipline made me feel intimidated throughout my childhood. Although we wanted to understand and accept each other as a person, the opportunity to strengthen our relationship, which had grown increasingly distant, didn’t happen until after I got married. Now that I am in my mid-thirties, I see my mother as just a lovely middle-aged woman doing her best in the life she has been given.

The original idea for this picture book started from a memory of my childhood when I was doing a picture diary. Telling a story about your day with the drawing and writing process was fun to me, and that positive memory naturally led me to do this project. The entire work was carried out digitally.