Jax's Artistic Journey...

Well, my mother purchases all kinds of foreign shows and movies that are dubbed in Vietnamese. I normally would roll my eyes because I never had time to invest in watching these things. But when you've got time on your hands, you become easily swayed. One day I thought I'd spend time with my mom and we started watching...It occurred to me that there's a huge explosion  (and demand) for Korean series dramas and it's become very popular in our market. I always assumed these types of series programs are equivalent to Soap Operas, but after watching a few, I have to say I'm really impressed. The Koreans are known for their elaborate locations, fashion, and storytelling. In fact, the more shows I've seen, the more I realized how similar my storytelling is to what I'm watching. Of course, I don't throw in the exaggerated humor but the romance aspect is very much me. I can admit I got sucked in completely! I think that watching these shows/movies has lit a fire under me to pursue screenwriting and the movie industry again. It made me miss being on the movie set, and although I often worked my ass off, I enjoyed every second of it.

It's also a source of inspiration when you're stuck with your own writing. Being exposed to other creative storytelling pushes you to create. Watching these shows made me really reflect and see if writing is what I truly want to do...sure, it's a time suck...but what I gained in return for all those lost hours is the burning desire to write.

These are my three favorite shows: 1. Boys Before Flowers, 2. You're Beautiful, and 3. Coffee Prince

Coffee Prince is by far my favorite. It's about a girl who is mistaken for a boy and decides not to reveal the truth when she gets a job offer to work in an all male coffee house. Of course, she falls in love with the rich owner who starts developing feelings for her but thinks he's going crazy for liking a guy...things get complicated but I really love how the show focuses on the romance, about loving another person regardless of gender. The owner is confused by his feelings because he's a heterosexual male but abandons everything he feels to be with her--which is a courageous step. Like all good love stories, he finally discovers she is female. What I love most about this storytelling is how wonderfully written it is and how it shows a sense of reality to the situation without preaching or going over the top. It's very moving and it made me happy inside (and a teeny bit envious) because I wished I had thought up the concept!

Now that I'm feeling much better, I can't wait to make up for lost time by writing, writing, writing!