INTRODUCTION

O B S I D I A N

Obsidian is a hard, deep-black, lustrous volcanic glass formed through a complex and rare earth process by molten volcano lava........

Well, let's just stop right here.  

I'm not a Scientist, and I'm not going to give you a lecture on how Obsidian was formed or its origin. What I want you to know about Obsidian, besides it's a beautiful deep-black stone, is imbuing with all four elements : fire, water, air, and earth, and it is a powerful protection and a healing stone. 

Obsidian has no boundaries or limitations, and can be brutal and direct. - just like me for those who know me well -  The edge can be razor sharp, and it has a glossy surface that can be polished into a mirror stone. 

Obsidian reveals our shadow-self, inner demons, flaws, weaknesses, fears, blockages, and it takes you deep into our subconscious mind... Nothing is hidden from Obsidian. - Instead of hiding from our inner truth, Obsidian shines a light on the negativity and clears the darkness by helping us to choose the path leading towards light and love.    

What's more interesting about Obsidian is how it breaks. It breaks into small pieces with curved surfaces and very sharp edges. 

Obsidian is just like us. We all have dark sides and secrets. We seek the light and love while we hide our darkest truth. We break when things are tough, but we heal eventually... 

. . . 

We try hard to portray our 'beautiful' lives on social media, but let's face it. We are not being fully truthful. Not all lives are made out of CHANEL, YSL, and peaceful morning scenery with a cup of coffee... I follow and admire those who are able to create such beautiful contents on social media on a daily basis - because it's aspirational, and we crave for such contents that give us light and hope.

But the truth is... that's only a little part of the reality. Our lives are also consist of fear, anger, and sadness... so why we shy away from those human emotions? 

Because it requires to be strong and courageous to magnify all negative energies to be fully experienced and then released. We also associate those feelings as weakness, embarrassment, and shame, but those negative emotions usually build who we are as a unique individual more often than positive ones. 

My grandfather once told me : 

❝ without fear, anger, and sadness, we don't feel happiness and joy ❞

My grandfather : 11.22.1977

He was a Scientist / Inventor, and a honorable man who was wise and extremely intelligent (he probably could have given me a lecture on Obsidian for days...) whom I missed the opportunity to get to know deeply because I was too young back then, but his wisdom has lived through years within me even after his passing. 

. . .

I am not the person who crack and open up to someone easily, but I'd like to use this Journal as a platform to share my journey of building the brand, VOID/əv/COLOR, as an entrepreneur, but also as a person who goes through a barometer, or more like a roller-coaster, of emotions just like everybody else. - Just because we are good with hiding emotions, doesn't mean we don't feel them, right...?

I am doing something I've always dreamed of for a long time, which is to build the brand from ground up. It's risky, which comes with the territory, and I go through numerous trial-and-error to find the best possible solution. When I can't find it, I keep trying until I find the solution. - Not all solutions turn out to be the best after all, but I don't stop - because there's always the day we see the light at the end of the tunnel. (at least, I'd like to think so...) 

So why wouldn't I share my failures, achievements, struggles, fears, and joys that come with this path I've chosen? - If nobody reads it, at least I'll have a record of my life journey which I'd be happy to read on my death bed. 

Of course, my aim is to share my journey with you, despite our differences, to find some common grounds, but more importantly, It's time for me to be open, be truly real, and embrace just as I am. - After all, that's all we can do to celebrate who we are. 

 

In memory of my grandfather - Osamu Takeda : 1917 - 1989