I call my mom the Queen of Wisdom. She may seem gentle on the surface, but she’s stronger inside than anyone I know. They say my mom was born and raised in a small island village in the countryside, where she regarded nature as a friend and grew up alongside it. As I grew up, my mom showed me a lot of creative things. Each time, she would say that because she grew up in the countryside, she couldn’t easily enjoy the activities available in the city, so playing with nature allowed her creativity to flourish. My mom always took pride in her background and considered every moment as a precious gift, showing us, her daughters, that aspect of life as well.

After becoming an adult, my mom became interested in early childhood education and became a kindergarten teacher. She has been running kindergartens and daycare centers for almost 40 years now. A common flower in my mom’s hometown is the camellia, which blooms beautifully red even in winter. Inspired by the camellia’s appearance, my mom named the daycare center she runs “Dongbaek,” which means camellia in English.

Thinking of my mom, who loves flowers and decorates our house with different flowers every week, I first drew a vase, followed by flowers branching out into shapes resembling books. I did this because I grew up seeing my mom reading books a lot. Also, since my mom grew up on an island and is like the sea, vast and deep in wisdom, I drew waves. And I patterned the camellia, which is part of the name of the daycare she runs, into the design.