yj lee

off-white | a photo series

I had a lovely weekend celebrating my two best friends' birthdays. On Saturday, Emily and I spent the afternoon at the Boston Public Library for tea, which I wrote about in a previous blog post, and ventured over to Cambridge to hang out with Kira and Tim. What originally was meant to be a joyous reunion between Finny (their cat) and me ended up resulting in an impromptu photoshoot as we were walking to get ice cream, which I of course, was not mad about.

"Off-white" explores the idea of using tones that contrast with a white background - in this case, I opted to try out heavier levels of saturation and contrast to focus on the subject and the various nuances (hand position, gestures etc), instead of simply taking a regular portrait with a white backdrop.

Modern Dental Offices: A Case Study

I find it very important to find the interstices of seemingly different fields, examining them in various perspectives to see if there are any connections. Two overarching passions in my life are dentistry and design. I've wanted to become a dentist since I was a small child, and now, I'm on my way as a first year dental student.

I've always been curious about how and why things are made, from the materials that they are composed of to the reasoning behind their elements - structurally, aesthetically and functionally. One of my life goals is to open a practice where I combine the two: a space where I can provide quality dental treatment and one that I can design.

Grand Street Dental is a Brooklyn based dental office that is re-imagining what the dental office experience is like. I spent a better part of my morning going through the Instagram page and am very much in love with and inspired by Dr. Plotnick's approach to dentistry and her integration of some of her favorite art pieces into her airy, light-filled office. Can we all take a moment to appreciate how she has Eames chairs casually in her waiting area?

All images from Grand Street Dental website

I also LOVED this post examining other inspirational modern dental offices around the world!

Here are a few honorable mentions:
1. From Barcelona

2. From Portugal

Lately | Photo Summary

Things have been quite peaceful lately, as yet another busy exam schedule tapered off, and currently, I'm soaking in the luxurious life of not studying for a few days. The weather has been quite strange lately, peaking at 70 degrees two weeks ago, to Winter Storm Stella today. Since my last post, I've had the pleasure of cat-sitting my god child, Finny, for a weekend, hanging out with one of my best friends Mandy for a With/Another event, having an impromptu photoshoot in freezing conditions with two of the most lovely people I know Kira and Ellie and drinking ample amounts of coffee and light reading.

My recommendation for the month is salt by Nayyirah Waheed. Waheed's work is poignant, yet visceral, terse but impactful and she's one of my favorite modern poets. Poetry has been an outlet of sorts for me the past few years - when I struggle to articulate the feelings I harbor, I search until I find the words that do tug deeper than they pull. This book focuses on a spectrum of different social issues from various perspectives, and it's beautiful and rich in words, as it is in context.

W/A, an organization founded by Mandy and Abby showcases creative women in Chicago and hosts gatherings, had a panel at Niche which focused on creative women in the Boston area and then a one day workshop involving styling and photography. It's grown so much in the past six months, and I'm extremely proud of Mandy for what she's accomplished in such a short amount of time and thrilled to see the women she's had a chance to sit down and talk with, including Amanda Jane Jones, Kinfolk's founding designer, and Teresa Surratt, an executive director of Ogilvy (her home was featured in Dwell!!!). Be sure to check out the journal for more interviews of awesome women!